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The Numark chair Harry McQuillan has welcomed the Government’s promise to publish its response to the public consultation on pharmacy supervision this year but warned changes to legislation must be supported with investment in education and training.

McQuillan (pictured) was heartened by a pledge from the health minister Stephen Kinnock in parliament this month that publication was imminent, describing it as “timely and welcome”.

Kinnock also said legislation will be brought forward later this year, with changes set to include allowing pharmacists to authorise pharmacy technicians to carry out the preparation, assembly, dispensing, sale and supply of medicines.

Pharmacists authorising any team member to hand out checked and dispensed prescriptions

Other proposals include enabling pharmacists to authorise any member of the pharmacy team to hand out checked and dispensed prescriptions in the pharmacists’ absence and allow pharmacy technicians to supervise the preparation, assembly and dispensing of medicines in hospital aseptic facilities.

McQuillan said the changes will empower the pharmacy workforce and unlock “the full potential of pharmacy technicians” but insisted the proposals “won’t succeed on policy alone”.

“We will need investment in education and training, clear communication with the public and a renewed focus on collaborative team working in every pharmacy setting,” he told Independent Community Pharmacist.

He said demand for training places for pharmacy technicians was “starkly demonstrated” when places for Numark’s own apprenticeship programme were “snapped up within hours of becoming available”.

Beginnings of structural reform that could shift pharmacy from traditional model

Nonetheless, McQuillan was excited by the expected policy change and suggested “we are seeing the beginnings of structural reform that could help shift pharmacy from a traditional model to one that truly enables all registered professionals to deliver their potential”.

“Pharmacy technicians are highly trained professionals who already play a vital role in ensuring the safe and effective supply of medicines,” he said.

“Giving them the autonomy to carry out key functions, within a safe and regulated framework, is a step towards a more agile and resilient community pharmacy sector.”

McQuillan added: “Crucially, we also need to ensure that pharmacists remain supported and not further stretched, with their focus increasingly aligned to clinical services, independent prescribing and direct patient care.

“As someone who has worked across pharmacy for many years, I’ve seen first-hand how enabling our teams when backed by robust governance, strong leadership, and continuous professional development, can lead to better patient outcomes. Empowering our teams drives quality; limiting them restricts care.”