From Ms C. Davies, RegPharmTech
In the light of the proposal by the Transitional Committee that pharmacy technician bodies may be able to affiliate to the new professional body for pharmacists (PJ, 6 September 2008, p255), the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK calls upon all pharmacy technicians to embrace this concept and mobilise themselves.
At this historic time for our profession we have a unique opportunity to develop a professional body dedicated to pharmacy technicians, providing us with the services we need.
Once all pharmacy technicians are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, they will also need to belong to a professional body, which will provide support to enable the member to maintain registration with the regulator.
APTUK was established in 1952 on the principle of an organisation run by pharmacy technicians for pharmacy technicians. That principle is still fundamental to its existence. For over 50 years APTUK has represented the interests of members.
We are recognised by many pharmacy stakeholders as the representative body for technicians and our opinions have been sought on a wide range of relevant issues.
APTUK has never advocated full membership of the same professional body as pharmacists. We fully recognise the diversity of our roles and acknowledge the different skills and knowledge set of the two professions.
However we also acknowledge the common aims we share and we have always believed that a collaborative approach would benefit us all. The suggestion by Transcom that a pharmacy technician professional body should affiliate to the new professional body for pharmacists is the way forward.
Associated or affiliated membership for individual pharmacy technicians would leave us fragmented and without true representation.
APTUK is now in a unique position to be able to lead pharmacy technicians from all sectors of practice into this exciting new era. What can APTUK do and what shape will a new professional body possibly take? We will be consulting our members to ensure we meet their needs and expectations
So pharmacy technicians who would like to have their say need to act now and join. They may be tempted to leave it until the last possible minute and that is their prerogative.
However, APTUK is currently run by volunteers who will need the support and help of the membership if they are to achieve the creation of a professional body that will meet the needs of all pharmacy technicians. The more members we have the stronger we will be.
Now is the time for pharmacy technicians to join together and seize the opportunity to shape the future of our profession for the benefit of ourselves, our colleagues within pharmacy but most of all the service users.
Information on how to join APTUK is available at www.aptuk.org
Catherine Davies
Honorary Treasurer
Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK
