Training is the process of learning and acquiring the skills and behaviours needed to carry out an activity. In pharmacy, the GPhC standards of conduct, ethics and performance apply to all pharmacy professionals (technicians and pharmacists) who are registered.

Of interest here is the following principle: Principle five – develop your professional knowledge and competence. This outlines that pharmacy professionals must ensure they practise safely and effectively. As part of this ongoing commitment to your practice and patients, you must:

• Recognise limits of competence
• Keep knowledge and skills up to date and relevant, and apply them to practice
• Learn from assessments, appraisals and reviews
• Keep evidence of continuing professional development (CPD).

Many pharmacists and technicians also have responsibility for a team, and as part of that they need to meet Principle seven: take responsibility for your working practices. This means being accountable for the work that you supervise and contributing to the education and training of colleagues/students, and delegating tasks to trained personnel.

Another important GPhC standard for registered pharmacies is Principle two: staff are empowered and competent to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public. This includes having appropriately qualified and skilled staff, and a culture of openness and learning.

The GPhC requires that medicines counter assistants (MCAs) and dispensing assistants are enrolled on a suitable qualification within three months of starting, and should complete it within three years. Dispensing assistants should complete training equivalent to the Pharmacy Service Skills NVQ Level 2.

In addition, those who completed a course a while ago, or are returning to work after a break, may have a need for refresher training.

Recording CPD

The GPhC has a statutory requirement for pharmacists and technicians to record their CPD. This should contain a minimum of nine entries per year, with at least three starting at the reflection phase of the CPD cycle.

All CPD should be recorded using the online portfolio, which is accessed via uptodate.org.uk, and at p3pharmacy.co.uk you can also undertake CPD and record that in an ongoing Learning Log.

There are changes planned for the CPD system, and recently the GPhC has announced spot-check reviews of CPD portfolios, to encourage the regular, ongoing recording of CPD entries. The regulator has also been reviewing the process for Continuing Fitness to Practise (CFtP), which includes CPD.

What could the new CPD system look like? In the future, the new CPD system might:

• Include an element of peer review
• Align to existing professional development programmes
• Require between six and 12 entries, including evidence of impact.