Lessons on successful skill mix using technicians in the dental profession should be applied to pharmacy, the PDA says in the latest chapter to be released from its report into the role of pharmacy technicians.

Six types of dental technicians are registered by the General Dental Council (GDC). Each group has its own training requirements, specific roles and defined responsibilities, and each enjoys a career structure and salary and skills escalator.

The GDC has produced guidance for dentists describing specific areas in which each registrant group of technicians has more specialised knowledge, skills and experience. It also sets certain conditions and restrictions on practice, which ensure dental technicians are utilised at the appropriate time.

In pharmacy, however, there is no detailed or standardised definition of a pharmacy technician, nor are there any specific practical tasks that require a pharmacy technician to do as a condition of practice, the PDA says.

Pharmacy technicians should be divided into specific groups with a particular level of skill, similar to the model used in the dental sector, the association recommends.

A skills escalator should be established, each level requiring additional knowledge and education beyond that gained through initial education and training. Each level should also support a specific aspect of work a pharmacy technician might undertake in supporting pharmacists.