Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK - APTUK

APTUK would like to extend a warm welcome to the newly appointed Professional Lead for Scotland, Linda Henderson.

Linda has been a for 30+ years. She spent the early part of her career in Acute Care sector in Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC), working in the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Inverclyde Royal Hospital and the Western Infirmary in Glasgow. She also worked for a year with the Ministry of Defence as a Pharmacy Technician.

Linda moved into Primary Care in 2008 working as a Prescribing Support Technician, and has worked in different settings in Primary Care including GP Surgeries, Intermediate Care Units and Care Homes. At the beginning of the pandemic she had the opportunity to work as part of the team to deliver a Pharmacy Service for the Scottish Nightingale Hospital called the Louisa Jordan Hospital.

Linda was one of the Scottish Clinical Leadership Fellows (September 2021-September 2022). Her project for that year was to define advanced practice for Pharmacy Technicians. This led to a further secondment opportunity in NHS Education Scotland (NES) to work with the National Pharmacy Technician Group Scotland (NPTGS) to create a development pathway for Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Support Staff.

One week to go - still time to register!
⭐Calling all Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technicians⭐

Join us for our next online branch meeting, where we will discuss how to deal with violence and aggression in the workplace as a .

When: Monday, September 23rd at 7pm
How to register: members can register by emailing [email protected] or by clicking this link https://ow.ly/r5Cy50Tizx8

Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians who are not yet members are encouraged to sign up to APTUK for free to attend this meeting. See www.aptuk.org for membership details.

Please read our position statement on Royal Pharmaceutical Society's (RPS) Constitution & Governance review.

Help NHS England shape the new EDI Improvement Plan for primary care.

NHS England is pleased to invite colleagues from all four sectors of primary care, in both clinical and non-clinical roles, to help shape their new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Improvement Plan for primary care. They are hosting a number of engagement sessions where you can hear about the work underway to develop an EDI Improvement Plan specifically for primary care. During these sessions, you will have the opportunity to contribute to this exciting piece of work, share your reflections and help co-design and shape this new national resource.

There are three virtual dates for you to choose from, please click the link below the date to book your space:

17 September 2024, 10.00-11.30am
https://www.events.england.nhs.uk/events/developing-an-edi-plan-for-primary-care-staff-listening-events

2 October 2024, 1.00-2.30pm
https://www.events.england.nhs.uk/events/developing-an-edi-plan-for-primary-care-staff-listening-events-66be26c925361

7 November 2024, 12.00-1.30pm
https://www.events.england.nhs.uk/events/developing-an-edi-plan-for-primary-care-staff-listening-events-66be282376422

For any questions, please contact the EDI team at [email protected]

Calling all Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technicians!

Join us for our next branch meeting, where we will discuss how to deal with violence and aggression in the workplace as a .

When: Monday, September 23rd at 7pm
How to register: members can register by emailing [email protected] or by clicking this link https://ow.ly/r5Cy50Tizx8

Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians who are not yet members are encouraged to sign up to APTUK for free to attend this meeting. See www.aptuk.org for membership details.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Kyle Winn, who will be the Professional Lead for England for a fixed term of 12 months.

Kyle Winn is currently Head of Production for the North East and North Cumbria Medicines Manufacturing Centre. This is one of the five pathfinder aseptic hubs under the hub and spoke workstream of the infusions and special medicines programme.

Prior to this Kyle worked within Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trusts Manufactures Specials licenced facility, where he held the key roles of Head of Production and Head of Quality. During this time, he was part of the team that successfully gained the MS authorisation and has since led on a number of MHRA inspections to date.

Kyle is a registered who studied at The University of Manchester to achieve a Master's Degree (MSc) in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance in 2017.

“I am thrilled to begin this journey and feel incredibly honoured to represent the profession within APTUK during Trudy Krysta’s maternity leave. My passion for being a Pharmacy Technician has always been unwavering, and I am eager to support the vision of APTUK during this exciting period for our profession.”

⭐East Midlands APTUK Branch Launch Meeting⭐

The annual conference is fast approaching, and we are proud to announce that the East Midlands Branch will be hosting their relaunch meeting at the event.

If you’re an APTUK member please drop by to meet us ahead of conference start. You can attend our presentation without having access to the main conference. We will be presenting 9.30-10.30am on Friday 6th September,

We want to show you what we can offer as a branch and get to hear what you want from us!

Wishing all members & followers a happy and restful Bank Holiday Weekend. Thank you to all those who are working, try to make some time for yourself if possible.
What do you have planned for the long weekend?

🌟 APTUK Sussex Branch Meeting – Join Us!
📅 Date: Tuesday, 10th September 2024
🕕 Time: 7pm - 9pm
📍 Location: Online via Zoom
We’re excited to announce our next APTUK Sussex Branch meeting!

Highlights:

· Main Presentation: Come and meet Rebecca Bastable & Jenny Stevens (pictured) from NHS England South East Pharmacy Technician Team and learn about their roles working for an arms-length body.

· Sussex ICB Team: Learn about their 'Careers Working Group', explore shared resources, and enjoy valuable networking opportunities.

· Meet Our New Chairperson: Get to know the new leader of our branch!

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to connect and grow within our pharmacy community.

📧 To join: Email your APTUK membership number to [email protected] for the joining link.
Looking forward to seeing you there! 💙

Don't miss out! Come along to the APTUK Technical Services Branch to hear from Ross Curwen, Deputy Technical Services Lead for the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, discussing Monoclonal Antibody Safety 7-8pm tonight!

APTUK members register via link below

54dcf6aa-d71c-4659-8015-31f389c25560@81c083e9-d4d6-42b4-9219-5b287e60c4a1" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/54dcf6aa-d71c-4659-8015-31f389c25560@81c083e9-d4d6-42b4-9219-5b287e60c4a1

We are delighted to welcome Ade Williams MBE FRSA to our outstanding speaker line up.

Limited tickets are still available.
Visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition for details.

Celebrate pharmacy technician successes at the Awards Dinner on Friday 6th September 2024. See the shortlisted nominees here: https://www.aptuk.org/member-news/aptuk-2024-pharmacy-technician-awards

Registration closes August 22: https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition

Vote for your favourite research poster at the APTUK Conference and Ehibition. This year we will have a delegate choice award, so don’t forget to vote for your favourite on Friday 6th September at !

Register here: https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition

APTUK Technical Services Branch are delighted to have Ross Curwen, Deputy Technical Services Lead for the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, come to discuss Monoclonal Antibody Safety at the next branch Meeting on the 21st of August!

Please do join us for an informative and engaging session on Monoclonal Antibody Safety.

APTUK members register via link below

54dcf6aa-d71c-4659-8015-31f389c25560@81c083e9-d4d6-42b4-9219-5b287e60c4a1" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/54dcf6aa-d71c-4659-8015-31f389c25560@81c083e9-d4d6-42b4-9219-5b287e60c4a1

Introducing two - Abigail Peckett and Sarah Peckett, who will be presenting at in just over 3 weeks.

There is still time to grab your tickets - please visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition for details.

Come and talk to the exhibitors at , including: General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC); Kora Healthcare; NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire; Pharmacy Workforce Development South; Skills4Pharmacy; University of East Anglia (UEA)

https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition

Come and talk to the exhibitors at , including: Royal Air Force (RAF); Aseptic Medical Devices (AMD); Bradford College; Woodspeen Training; Alium Medical; British Oncology Pharmacy Association (BOPA); Buttercups Training.

https://ow.ly/VgPf50SXprj

Don’t miss out book now!

The APTUK Kent branch invite you to a Teams meeting:
Date: Wednesday August 7th 2024
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm.

"A Dive Into Community Pharmacy"

Join us for an interesting talk from Peter Gordon, Pharmacy Manager at Kamsons. Peter is a and will be speaking about his experiences with Pharmacy First, as well as some of the pharmacy services offered to his patients.
Peter is happy to answer any of your questions about his role or the services he provides.
Please contact Kent branch on [email protected] for booking link.

See you there!

⭐Award Shortlist Announced⭐

The APTUK Annual Conference Awards celebrate and acknowledge successful individuals, teams and projects within the profession. We are delighted to be able to recognise all sectors of pharmacy practice and individual excellence through these awards.
Prizes include an engraved trophy and an educational bursary towards attendance at APTUK Annual Conference 2025.

This year we have received an amazing 66 nominations, across all the awards. As a result, competition has been very high, but after deliberation and review of each nomination by at least 3 independent judges, we can now announce the shortlists for each award below.
https://ow.ly/LY9e50SOU0f

The winners will be announced at the APTUK 2024 Conference and Awards Dinner on Friday 6th September at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nottingham.

Good Luck to all our nominees!

2024 would like to welcome our next speaker, Sue Ladds.

Sue is the Hospital Pharmacy Modernisation Lead for NHS England and oversees the Infusions & Special Medicines Programme, implementing the recommendations of Lord Carter's national aseptic service review.
She also leads on aspects of diversity and inclusion in pharmacy as part of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer's Inclusive Pharmacy Practice Plan.

With a background in hospital pharmacy, Sue had early roles in clinical pharmacy, aseptic services and pharmacy education & training. Having obtained an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy, Sue spent many years working as a clinical pharmacist specialising in both cancer & critical care before moving into pharmacy management & leadership roles.

Sue was the Chief Pharmacist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust from 2012 to 2020 and prior to her current role spent two years as the NHS England Regional Chief Pharmacist in the South East.

Tickets for the are selling fast - don't miss out! For more information please visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition

"A Dive Into Community Pharmacy"

The APTUK Kent branch invite you to a Teams meeting:
Date: Wednesday August 7th 2024
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm.

Join us for an interesting talk from Peter Gordon, Pharmacy Manager at Kamsons. Peter is a and will be speaking about his experiences with Pharmacy First, as well as some of the pharmacy services offered to his patients.
Peter is happy to answer any of your questions about his role or the services he provides.
Please contact Kent branch on [email protected] for booking link.

See you there!

Welcome to Katherine Watkinson, our next speaker announcement for .

Katherine is head of Medicines Optimisation & Pharmacy Services at Turning Point, a social enterprise delivering health & social care services across substance use, mental heath and learning disabilities. Katherine leads a small team which are responsible for managing all aspects of prescribing, medicines optimisation and pharmacy contracts for the organisation.

Katherine is a with extensive experience working in both mental health and Education & Training. She sits as a registrant member of the investigating committee at the General Pharmaceutical Council and is the first Pharmacy Technician to credential with CMHP.

Katherine is an active member of APTUK and a member of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer's Pharmacy Technician advisory forum.

We are delighted to welcome Katherine to our outstanding speaker line up.
Tickets are still available for - but selling fast! Please visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition for further details.

We are currently recruiting for the Professional Lead, Scotland position on the APTUK Executive Committee. The purpose of the role is to partner with APTUK to lead and influence policy and practices for according to the home country needs.

We are therefore looking for someone who will work closely with National Pharmacy Technician Group Scotland (NPTGS) and lead on achieving APTUK strategic objectives within Scotland, inform APTUK of current and emerging national and specific healthcare/pharmacy policies and priorities and implications for local practices. Also to consider local country workforce priorities and/or workforce planning to implement national government healthcare policies.

You will act as an APTUK advocate within Scotland to promote the work of APTUK and encourage membership to ensure there is a truly national representation within APTUK.
If you are passionate about the pharmacy technician profession and would like to get more involved, then please click on the following link to view and download the Professional Lead job description https://www.aptuk.org/member-news/aptuk-jobs
Completed application forms should be emailed to [email protected] before the closing date of 14th August 2024.

Successful applicants will be invited to an online interview with members from the Executive Committee where there will be the opportunity to meet some of the team and ask any questions.

The pharmacy technician profession continues to go from strength to strength, and more people are turning to their professional leadership body to drive change and ensure the voice of the pharmacy technician continues to be heard. But there is more to be done.

Get in touch today!

Introducing two Pharmacy Technicians - John Oliver and Kyle Winn, who will be presenting at on the PT Role in the new Hub & Spoke Model in Technical Services.

John qualified as a in 2002 and is currently a Quality Assurance Specialist at NHS SPS regional QA. In 2022/23 he was seconded from his role at Leeds Teaching Hospitals QA/QC team to HEE/NHS England Workforce, Training & Education as a Clinical Leadership Fellow on the Future Leaders Programme. Here John undertook a project focussing on the workforce needs of a pharmacy aseptics hub.

Kyle is currently Head of Production for the North East & North Cumbria Medicines Manufacturing Centre. This is one of the five pathfinder aseptic hubs under the "hub & spoke" workstream of the infusions and special medicines programme. Prior to this Kyle worked within Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust Manufacturing Specials licensed facility where he held the key roles of Head of Production and Head of Quality.

There are only six weeks to go until but there is still time to grab your tickets - please visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition for further details.

Welcome to Jenny Maby, another speaker for

Jenny is the Lead Pharmacy Technician for Education & Training at University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
With over 10 years pharmacy experience, Jenny has worked in community pharmacy, North Bristol NHS Trust and Weston General Hospital until the Weston/Bristol merger in 2020.
Her background is medicines optimisation in a clinical setting, with experience in Clinical Trials and working as an educational supervisor for trainees.

In her current role, Jenny is line manager for a number of PTPT's across Bristol & Weston sites, developing and supporting them through their 2 year apprenticeship.
She supports with career progression for both Pharmacy Assistants and by creating progressive pathways and training opportunities to upskill where possible.

If you would like to hear more from our speakers at then please visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition for ticket details.

Today marks International Self Care Day, encouraging everyone to make and share their personal commitment to embrace a specific self-care action. This year the focus is on resilience.

In the words of the NHS Leadership Academy:
"As human beings, we are capable of amazing things even in the face of dire adversity. Resilience is about recognising that, at times, life will present difficulty and this will sometimes come with intense negative emotions and feelings. Knowing how to manage these and not just push them away is the core of resilience. It is the ability to adapt and grow following adversity"

Further resources are available at https://www.cppe.ac.uk/support/resilience/

What are your for building resilience?

Introducing another keynote speaker to our already impressive line up for .

Duncan Rudkin was appointed by the Privy Council as the founding Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and has been with the organisation since it's inception in 2010.

Prior to that, Duncan chief executive and registrar of the General Dental Council (GDC) where his roles included director of legal services, director of professional standards and deputy chief executive. His original professional background was that of a commercial solicitor.

Tickets for the are selling fast - don't miss out! For more information please visit https://www.aptuk.org/events/aptuk-2024-conference-and-exhibition

⭐RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY⭐

Calling all independent community working in Banbury, Oxford City, Reading, Slough, High Wycombe and Aylesbury.

Would you like to be part of a fantastic research opportunity, utilising your skillsets as registered autonomous Pharmacy professionals to support essential health inequalities work?

Working alongside Professor Mahendra Patel, Genes & Health and CRN Thames Valley & South Midlands this study aims to bring equality and the benefits of genomics in modern medicine to our currently under-research-represented local communities.

You will also be provided with the unique opportunity to gain experience of supporting research in a community pharmacy setting.
Please be aware- there is remuneration available for both the individual Pharmacy Technicians and the pharmacies that sign up to this important research study.

All details are available in the link below - please share details of this exciting research opportunity with any colleagues working in the specific area(s) who may be interested.

https://ow.ly/mX9s50SGwcX

Calling all independent community working in Banbury, Oxford City, Reading, Slough, High Wycombe and Aylesbury.

Would you like to be part of a fantastic research opportunity, utilising your skillsets as registered autonomous Pharmacy professionals to support essential health inequalities work?

Working alongside Professor Mahendra Patel, Genes & Health and CRN Thames Valley & South Midlands this study aims to bring equality and the benefits of genomics in modern medicine to our currently under-research-represented local communities.

You will also be provided with the unique opportunity to gain experience of supporting research in a community pharmacy setting.
Please be aware- there is remuneration available for both the individual Pharmacy Technicians and the pharmacies that sign up to this important research study.

All details are available in the link below - please share details of this exciting research opportunity with any colleagues working in the specific area(s) who may be interested.

https://ow.ly/mX9s50SGwcX