Accuracy Checking Tech rate of pay

[PT-1]

I've just been qualified as an ACT and i'm currently on under the market rate. I'm not sure if thats good or bad in community but I know the rate is higher in hospital.

I've been trying to research what the other pharmacy chains offer i.e. boots, lloyds but can't find anything. Surely i'm worth more than what i'm currently on. Can anyone please help ?

[Raoul]

"I've just been qualified as an ACT and i'm currently on 8.50 per hr"
not bad for a recently qualified, but i believe it should goes up to 13-18 pounds/hour in 2 years.
i know one ACT who been practising for 2 years, she gets 14/hr. i believe she replaced an expensive p'cist in a pharmacy that does 20 000 items/ month.
something i would not like to hear once i am qualified...

[PT-1]

Hi Ray

Thanks for the reply, so I guess i'm not on my own. Been told to get the full ACT rate you would need to work in a pharmacy which is doing 10,000+ items a month. Perhaps the rate varies from one chain to another. But 8.50 hr is pretty low for an ATC as I know technicians getting this rate in lloyds.

[Raoul]

yea i believe its a bit low, some summer students at boots working in busy branchs are getting 6.75/hour. have a talk with your head office, question when will it be raised, and how much they will top it. check what other companies can offer you.
then make a decision based on financial issues and how satisfied you are with your current employer.
cheers

[johnep]

Working in lds this week, the girls were discussing pay and to them £8/hr seemed a dream.
johnep

[Raoul]

"Working in lds this week, the girls were discussing pay and to them £8/hr seemed a dream"
yea john, but he is an ACT, not a dispenser :P

[SolomonQ]

Dont know where you got £13-18 from but...

........hospital technicians who are better paid than community technicians are mostly band 6 which works out to be about £10/hr, technician supervisors etc... earn more in hospital, but thats the rate.....

.....£8.50/hr works out to be 18-19K, to me thats a very good wage for a ACT, slightly low, but I wouldnt expect anything higher than £10.....

...working out the rates certain pharmacies are offering PHARMACIST MANAGERS, its like 35-40k per annum, thats not even £18/hr, assuming 37k 9-6 mon-fri with an hours break (which are the best hours possible ,more or less). more realistic 9-6:30, no break, mon-fri, 9-1pm sat,(atmost 40k)=<£16/hr, that's for a pharmacist, my friend.............

.....and not being unfair or nasty to any ACT, there is not much difference between an ACT and a dispenser, both do the same job, the ACT just has a qualification saying they have OFFICIALY proven they can do accuracy checks..............

....also about the ACT replacing a pharmacist...i'm sure you know they still need a pharmacist in the branch to do atleast the clinical check on the Rxs, and for the pharmacy to be even open, the presence of a full member of the RPSGB pharmacy register is required.

peace out!!

[Emmz]

Originally Posted by SolomonQ

Dont know where you got £13-18 from but...

........hospital technicians who are better paid than community technicians are mostly band 6 which works out to be about £10/hr, technician supervisors etc... earn more in hospital, but thats the rate.....

Band 6 is more than £10 an hour isn't it? I've just finished a band 5 job and I'm pretty sure the hourly rate for that was something like £10.30

[Raoul]

"....also about the ACT replacing a pharmacist...i'm sure you know they still need a pharmacist in the branch to do atleast the clinical check on the Rxs, and for the pharmacy to be even open, the presence of a full member of the RPSGB pharmacy register is required"

yea but now they have a pharmacist manager, ACT and some dispensers rather than 2 pharmacists for a busy shop.

[SolomonQ]

hmmm, understood, but that means the one pharmacist is having to do their own aswell as the ACTs clinical checks, putting extra work on the one pharmacist.

The frightening thing about all this ACT business is, ive seen a pharmacy model proposed where the pharmacist is at the COUNTER, as the scripts come in they get taken in by the pharmacist who does all the checks, if everything is ok, Rx gets handed into the dispensary, "manned" by atleast one ACT. and the pharmacists doent see the script again or the dispensed items. abviously this way the pharmacist has more time to do other stuff (MURs ), when there are no Rxs to clinically check but this format is quite indignifying.