Pharmacy Technician Skills Development Programme
Key details
- Delivery
- Blended Delivery
- Course Length
- 2 Years
- Cost
- Funded by NHS England for London Region only
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Welcome to Norwich
According to the Sunday Times, this city is one of the best places to live in the UK.
Course Overview
The course will comprise of 4 new non-credit bearing modules across the two-year programme, 2 modules per year (each module will be a year long to allow delegates to complete practice-based elements).
Principles and theoretical content will be delivered online through asynchronous and live sessions.
Clinical skills will be taught in person in London as a single study day.
The four modules will be named:
1: Pharmacy Technician Clinical Practice Development 1
2: Advanced communication and medicines optimisation skills for Pharmacy Technicians
3: Pharmacy Technician Clinical Practice Development 2
4: Professional Practice Development for Pharmacy Technicians
Eligibility
This course is funded by NHS England for Pharmacy Technicians working in the London Region only.
You will require the support of your employing organisation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the programme, students will be able to:
Communication & Person-Centred Care
- Apply shared decision-making principles and involve patients in treatment choices and care planning.
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Demonstrate effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication with patients, carers and healthcare professionals to support person-centred care and transfer of care.
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Adapt communication approaches to meet diverse patient needs, including health literacy and cultural considerations.
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Facilitate patient understanding of medicines, supporting adherence and self-management.
Legal, Ethical and Governance Frameworks
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Apply relevant legal, regulatory and professional standards to pharmacy technician clinical practice.
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Demonstrate safe working within governance frameworks, including medicines safety, reporting and risk management.
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Work within the limits of competence, including use of PGDs and delegated responsibilities.
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Incorporate ethical decision-making into routine clinical practice.
Clinical Knowledge Application
- Apply underpinning clinical knowledge of common acute and long-term conditions to support medicines optimisation.
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Demonstrate understanding of pharmacology, therapeutics and treatment pathways
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Apply knowledge across care settings (community, primary care, hospital).
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Support safe and effective use of medicines in defined patient groups
Clinical reasoning and decision-making
- Demonstrate clinical reasoning to prioritise workload and manage less complex clinical cases.
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Identify and escalate clinical risks appropriately.
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Apply critical thinking to support safe, evidence-based decisions within scope of practice.
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Contribute to clinical screening and medicines optimisation decisions.
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Recognise limits of competence and refer appropriately.
Management of Long-Term Conditions
- Support the management of common long-term conditions (e.g. cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, mental health).
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Monitor patient outcomes and contribute to ongoing review of therapy.
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Provide patient advice aligned to evidence-based guidelines and promote adherence to treatment plans.
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Identify signs of deterioration requiring escalation.
Clinical Assessment Skills
- Perform and interpret basic clinical assessments (e.g. blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, peak flow, glucose monitoring, cholesterol testing).
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Use appropriate techniques and equipment safely and accurately.
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Recognise normal and abnormal clinical findings and respond appropriately.
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Document and communicate assessment findings effectively.
Interpretation of Clinical Data
- Interpret clinical data relevant to medicines optimisation such as therapeutic drug monitoring and laboratory results (e.g. blood tests, drug levels).
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Identify trends and abnormalities requiring action or escalation.
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Apply results to support clinical decision-making within scope.
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Use clinical systems to access and manage patient data.
Learning Outcomes cont
Interpretation of Clinical Observations
- Analyse physiological observations (e.g. BP, oxygen saturation, peak flow, urinalysis results, renal function) in clinical context.
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Identify deterioration or risk indicators and escalate appropriately.
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Support monitoring of patients on specific therapies (e.g. high-risk medicines).
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Contribute to clinical screening processes.
Knowledge of Public Health & Prevention
- Promote health improvement and disease prevention interventions (e.g. smoking cessation, vaccination, NHS health checks, antimicrobial stewardship initiatives).
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Understand principles of population health and inequalities.
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Provide lifestyle advice to support behaviour change.
NHS Commissioned Services
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Describe the scope and delivery of key NHS commissioned services (e.g. Pharmacy First, contraception, health checks).
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Work within service specifications, SOPs and clinical pathways.
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Contribute to improving access and efficiency of services.
Principles of Clinical Documentation & Record Keeping
- Maintain accurate and legally compliant clinical records.
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Document consultations, assessments and interventions clearly.
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Apply principles of audit-ready record keeping.
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Demonstrate understanding of how to use digital clinical systems effectively.
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Ensure confidentiality, data protection and information governance compliance.
Service Development & Quality Improvement
- Participate in audit, quality improvement (QI) and service evaluation activities.
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Use data to identify service improvement opportunities.
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Support development and implementation of new clinical services.
Multiprofessional Working & Integrated Care
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Demonstrate understanding of roles and responsibilities across the wider health and care system.
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Work effectively within multidisciplinary teams across health and care settings.
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Demonstrate understanding of integrated care pathways.
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Communicate and collaborate across organisational boundaries.
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Contribute to continuity of care and safe transfer between settings.
How to Apply
Pharmacy Technicians interested in registering for the Programme should use the UEA Application Form link. On entering the site, create a user account and select 'Professional Development Applications' to apply for the course.
Contact Us
pt.clinskills@uea.ac.uk
