Pharmacy technicians have become a vital part of the healthcare workforce, particularly within general practice and primary care networks. While their work was once confined mainly to hospital dispensaries or community pharmacies, the evolving structure of NHS services and increasing demand on GPs have expanded their role significantly.
Today, pharmacy technicians are involved in a wide range of clinical and administrative tasks that directly support medicines optimisation, patient safety and efficient practice operations. Their contribution improves patient outcomes and allows pharmacists and GPs to focus more time on complex clinical care.
This article explores what services a pharmacy technician can deliver and how their role is shaping modern primary care.
From Dispensary to Direct Patient Support
Historically, pharmacy technicians worked under the supervision of a pharmacist, handling the preparation, labelling and supply of medicines. While this remains part of their remit, the modern pharmacy technician is now involved in much more.
They are registered professionals in their own right, regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and are increasingly trusted to work more autonomously within general practice teams, supporting both clinical care and operational delivery.
Services Provided by Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians have a diverse skill set and provide a wide range of services, often tailored to the specific needs of the practice or Primary Care Network (PCN). Their contributions can be broadly grouped into the following areas:
1. Medicines Reconciliation
One of the most important tasks a pharmacy technician undertakes is medicines reconciliation. This involves comparing a patient’s medication records after transitions of care, such as hospital discharge, to ensure accuracy and avoid potential errors. This process reduces duplication, identifies discrepancies and helps patients understand any changes to their treatment, all of which are critical to safe and effective medicines use.
2. Repeat Prescription Management
Pharmacy technicians review and manage repeat prescriptions. They monitor requests as they come in, checking whether medications are still clinically appropriate or if a patient is overdue for a review. This service helps reduce unnecessary prescribing, ensures timely supply of medication and supports practices in maintaining efficient and safe prescribing systems.
3. Supporting Structured Medication Reviews
Although structured medication reviews (SMRs) are primarily led by clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians often support the process by gathering data, contacting patients, reviewing records and highlighting possible concerns, such as poor adherence or side effects, for the pharmacist to address. This background work improves the quality of reviews and helps ensure that patients receive the most benefit from their medicines.
4. Inventory and Stock Control
Pharmacy technicians help manage the practice’s medical supplies and drug stocks, ensuring medicines are stored correctly, expiry dates are checked and stock levels are monitored. In some settings, they may be involved in the ordering and supply chain process as well. Their attention to detail ensures that critical items are never out of stock and that the practice can deliver safe care without interruption.
5. Supporting QOF and IIF Targets
GPs in England are incentivised to meet specific care standards through two main NHS frameworks: the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and the Investment and Impact Fund (IIF). QOF focuses on quality of care and specific patient outcomes, while IIF focuses on improving patient experience and supporting broader network-level work.
Pharmacy technicians support both QOF and IIF by carrying out work that contributes directly to how practices and PCNs perform against these targets. This includes identifying patients who are overdue for reviews, managing recall systems, assisting with audits and documenting medicines-related activity in a way that meets reporting standards.
6. Patient Education and Support
Although pharmacy technicians do not provide independent clinical advice, they do contribute to patient education, helping people understand how to take their medicines correctly, supporting adherence and answering questions about prescriptions. Their conversations with patients can reveal problems that might otherwise go unnoticed, such as confusion around doses, side effects or difficulties collecting medicines. They can then escalate these concerns to a pharmacist or GP where needed.
7. Clinical System Administration
Pharmacy technicians are often responsible for updating clinical systems with accurate data to ensure that patient records remain up-to-date and compliant with regulatory requirements. In practices with high volumes of patients, this administrative support can make a substantial difference to workload management.
Qualifications and Professional Development
To practise as a pharmacy technician in the UK, individuals must complete a recognised Level 3 qualification (such as the BTEC Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science or an NVQ in Pharmacy Service Skills) and undertake a minimum of two years of structured training. They must also register with the GPhC.
Ongoing professional development is essential, and many pharmacy technicians working in primary care pursue additional training in areas such as medicines reconciliation, population health and clinical systems use. As the scope of their role grows, more structured development opportunities are emerging to support extended practice.
Supporting Primary Care Networks
In recent years, the NHS has encouraged the integration of pharmacy technicians into general practice through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS). As part of wider multidisciplinary teams, they provide both capacity and capability to support the safe, effective delivery of care.
In practices where resources are stretched, the pharmacy technician’s contribution can be transformative, enabling better medicines management, reducing clinician workload and improving service delivery across the board.
Working Under Clinical Supervision
While pharmacy technicians work more independently than in the past, they remain under the professional supervision of a pharmacist. This ensures that any complex clinical decisions, such as initiating or altering treatment plans, are handled appropriately. However, the growing trust in pharmacy technicians to manage operational and medicines-related responsibilities reflects their professionalism, competence and value to the team.
