Pharmacy technician

Is a Pharmacy Technician role the right career for me?

Working as a Pharmacy Technician in Wales is an important role in keeping the public healthy and well. Pharmacy Technicians provide direct help and advice to people about using medicines and they lead other team members who provide medicines services.

This is a registered healthcare professional role which can provide a wide range of technical, clinical and specialist job opportunities after registration, in a variety of settings.

What Do Pharmacy Technicians Do?

Pharmacy technicians are vital members of pharmacy and multi-disciplinary teams. They ensure people can access medicines safely whenever needed, with personalised advice, wherever they are.

There are a range of potential technical, clinical, leadership, management or research responsibilities that may be part of Pharmacy Technician roles. These include: -

Supervising the Dispensing and Supply of Medicines: co-ordinating teams and accuracy checking the medicines and medical devices dispensed by assistants and robots and safely supplying these.
Advising on Medicines Use and Administering Medicines: Recommending medicines and medical devices to people with personalised advice on how to use them to get health benefits. Some pharmacy technicians follow protocols to administer vaccinations or prescribed medicines to people.
Medicines Management: Managing the supply and use of medicines when people are admitted and discharged to different care settings, including co-ordinating prescriptions between hospitals, general practices and community pharmacies.
Clinical and Technical Services: Writing and following protocols for providing medicines services. Services can range from health promotion initiatives and performing health tests, to procurement, recommendation and supply of medicines or even overseeing manufacture of specialist medicines.

Where Can You Work?

Pharmacy Technician positions are available in diverse environments, such as:-

Community Pharmacies: Engaging directly with the public, providing accessible healthcare services, promoting healthy lifestyles and supporting over-the-counter sales. Providing clinical services for common ailments, smoking cessation and emergency hormonal contraception.
Hospital Pharmacies: Collaborating with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to optimise peoples’ medicines. This can be gathering clinical information to inform decisions or using robotics and electronic systems from admission to transfer of care.
Primary Care Settings: Leading medicines management initiatives in general practice clinics, health centres at home or in care and nursing homes.
Other Specialist Areas: other organisations that employ pharmacy technicians include prisons, the pharmaceutical industry, the professional regulator and professional leadership bodies, and specialist NHS services like digital, mental health, education and training and other project roles.

Each setting offers unique experiences and opportunities to develop a broad skill set within the pharmacy sector.

Training and Development

To register, Pharmacy Technicians must complete the GPhC standards for education, training and experience which typically takes 2 years whilst in a paid work based role. There are nine professional standards to maintain through annual revalidation which keeps the public safe and protects the reputation of the profession.

For Wales, HEIW deliver a Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician (PRPT) Training Programme via a Welsh Government funded Apprenticeship Framework. The Apprenticeship Framework comprises of:

Certificate of Higher Education in Pharmacy Technician Practice (Level 4)
Essential Skills Wales Level 2:
- Application of number
- Communication
- Digital literacy

The 'work-based' training programme is delivered as blended learning with virtual and face to face study events and controlled assessments.

Why Choose a Career as Pharmacy Technician?

A career as a pharmacy technician is both rewarding and dynamic, offering:

Direct Patient Interaction: Play a hands-on role in patient care, providing essential services and support ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines
Diverse Work Environments: Opportunities to work in multiple sectors; community pharmacy, hospital, general practice with opportunities to specialise in an area of interest.
Career Progression: Clear pathways for advancement within the profession, supported by structured training and development programmes.
Contribution to Community Health: Be a vital part of the healthcare system, positively impacting public health outcomes.

Embarking on this career path not only offers personal and professional growth but also the satisfaction of knowing you are making a meaningful difference in the health of others.

Getting Started

If you're enthusiastic about pursuing a career as a Pharmacy Technician in Wales and you already hold the entry requirements below, you can look for Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician roles available on NHS Jobs and through community pharmacies.

If you do not have the entry requirements, but already work in an NHS Wales or NHS Wales contractor role, you can undertake any missing qualifications through the HEIW Access to programme.

Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician entry requirements

A minimum of 4 GCSEs grade A* to C (new grades 9 to 4) or equivalent which must include

GCSE English (Grade C/Level 4 or above)
GCSE Maths (Grade C/Level 4 or above)
GCSE Science at (Grade C/Level 4 or above)

For more information on the HEIW programme and entry requirements, visit the HEIW Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technician webpage. You can contact community pharmacies directly about jobs and NHS posts are advertised on the NHS Jobs website where you can set up job alerts.

Embark on a fulfilling career journey today and become an essential part of the healthcare community in Wales.