[freyaplus]

Hi everyone.

Can I ask for some opinions or advice on a topic that has been troubling me for the past couple of weeks.

I started work in a large, busy pharmacy 10 months ago as a back storeroom assistant. I have no qualifications related to pharmaceutical work. When I started there were 2 full time pharmacist, a part time pharmacist, 3 pharmacy technicians, and a trainee technician. Around 6 months ago, one of our pharmacy technicians went on maternity leave, and the part time pharmacist left to take another job. A pre-reg student was taken on at the same time. Around this time, I was also asked to help dispense prescriptions. It started out as a couple of hours a week but I'm now averaging about 20 hours a week working in the dispensary. Mainly I prepare blister packs, count correct amount of tablets into vials and prepare suspensions and also label these items. Each prescription is checked by a pharmacist before being handed to a customer

Over Christmas I was telling my friends about my expanded role in the pharmacy and they were shocked, they told me that such work can only be done by a pharamacist, a pharamacy technician/assistant or someone training to be one.

My question is, is it ok for someone with no qualification or who isn't currently training as a technician, able to assist in the preparation of prescriptions?