Pharmacy technicians to become registered professionals in Northern Ireland

The Department of Health (DoH) in Northern Ireland launched a consultation on proposals to regulate the profession in March this year. Setting out an ambition to start statutorily registering pharmacy technicians by 2025.

It has been confirmed that this work will go ahead following “broad agreement” in response to the consultation. The DoH announced this today (June 29).

However, Mr Swann acknowledged that there are “many practical issues” to be resolved and “legislative change [is] required” to enact the change.

But he added: “I have now instructed my department’s officials to develop a detailed project plan to bring about the statutory regulation of pharmacy technicians by the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI).”

Pharmacy technicians in Great Britain have been regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council since 2011. Their colleagues in Northern Ireland have been working as an unregulated profession.