APTUK Awards opens to all pharmacy technicians

Every pharmacy technician in the UK now has the opportunity to enter the AAH sponsored Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) Pharmacy Technician awards.

This year’s awards, held on June 13 at the Future Inn Hotel in Cardiff, were the last to feature the supply chain and clinical categories. Instead two new awards to cover primary and secondary care have been announced for 2009.

Andrew Morris, director of hospital service for AAH Pharmaceuticals, said: “We decided to change the two project-based awards in order to encourage more technicians from both primary and secondary care to enter; whether they are from a hospital, community pharmacy, Primary Care Organisation, Prison or Military led pharmacy the AAH sponsored APTUK awards recognise the enormous contribution that they make.

“It is evident that pharmacy technicians are playing an increasingly important supporting role as pharmacists are increasingly spending more time with patient consultations and engaging local stakeholders.

“The shift in emphasis from dispensing to healthcare provision has meant that the wider pharmacy team has to pull together – pharmacy technicians capture the essence of this in everything that they do.”

This year’s clinical and supply chain awards were recently presented to Jennifer Luker of the Hammersmith Hospital and Diane Meech of Ealing Hospital respectively. The professional award was handed to Staff Sergeant Richard Chapple of the Army Primary Healthcare Services Eastern Region.

Alongside the existing Professional Award stretching across all of pharmacy, the awards - one for primary and one for secondary care - will be given to recognise the high standards set and to those that enhance the image and role of pharmacy technicians. They will reward those focussed on building quality and adding value to their everyday jobs.

Sarah Wilcox, APTUK president said: “By entering for the new and prestigious awards, pharmacy technicians can be recognised for their efforts and enhance their career prospects.

“Pharmacy Technicians add value to pharmacy and patients, regardless of the field of expertise, and we are here to help raise their profile and reward them for their efforts.”

Education bursaries and membership of ATPUK, in addition to the coveted engraved glass decanter, await the winners of 2009’s awards ceremony.

To download an application form for the Primary Care and Secondary Care Awards, or to nominate a colleague for the Professional Award, visit www.aah-hospitalservice.co.uk/aah/awards. Closing date is January 31, 2010.