The National Association of Hospital Pharmacy Technicians (NAHPT)

Overview of member country’s Pharmacy Technician Association, current activities

Founded in 1997 the National Association of Hospital Pharmacy Technicians of Ireland, formerly known as 'National Association of Hospital Pharmaceutical Technicians', is the national voluntary association seeking to both ensure and continually improve upon professional, educational and practice standards for Hospital Pharmacy Technicians.

NAHPT promotes the professionalism of Pharmacy Technicians by means of communication and strategic alliances with other pharmacy stakeholders.

Short introduction of structure of the pharmacies

Irish pharmacy staff play a vital role in both the primary and secondary healthcare system by delivering a quality, accessible, personal and professional service that puts the patient first.
 There are over 1,600 community pharmacies in the Republic of Ireland and over 53 acute hospitals with pharmacies providing services to public and private healthcare patients.
Medicines management is the central focus of all tasks undertaken by the pharmacy department. This includes every aspect of the medicines use process from procurement to dispensing and supply, prescribing, administration, monitoring and review. Hospital pharmaceutical services have developed such that they are now an integral part of each of these steps.

Activities include:

• Procurement
• Stock management
• Dispensing and supply
• Aseptic compounding services
• Clinical pharmacy services
• Prescribing
• Medicines information
• Medication safety
• Protocol development

Professions in the pharmacy

• Pharmacists (regulated)
• Qualified Assistants (regulated) This course is no longer in existence
• Pharmaceutical Technicians (not regulated) but we are working with our chambers towards statutory registration and regulation
• Pharmacy Aide ( not regulated nor formal qualification)

Education and training of PT

• This is a 2 year higher certificate course including work placement training.
• The qualification awarded is a level 6 national framework qualification
• There is also one distance learning course available that is a level 5 national framework   qualification

Payment and working conditions

• Pharmacy Technician ( Hospital Pharmacy – Public Sector) pay scale 2012/2013
• 37 hour week
• Basic grade
• €32,292 – €42,204 ( 10 point scale) 27 days annual leave
• Senior Grade
• €43,862 – €48,542 ( 6 point scale) 28 days annual leave

Recognition of foreign PT qualifications, link to recognition

As we are not regulated at this time we have no governing body or resources to map foreign PT qualifications against the eligibility criteria for pharmacy technician posts in Ireland.
It would be therefore up to the individual employer to assess qualification and decide it the qualification is acceptable.

Link to chambers, professional institutions, registration office

The pharmaceutical society of Ireland is the regulator of pharmacy in Ireland

www.thepsie.ie

General contact EAPT

Christina Durinck

President of EAPT

Route d'Eupen, 36
B-4837 BAELEN
Belgium