New Course Announcement

Pending confirmation of re-accreditation by the GPhC, we will shortly be releasing new versions of our support staff courses. There will be updated versions of the Medicine Counter Assistant, Dispensing Assistant and Healthcare Assistant Courses, along with some new additions: the Level 2 Equivalent for Stock Management, the Level 2 Equivalent for Delivery Drivers and the Level 2 Equivalent for Pharmacy Manufacturing. The new accreditation period has been a great opportunity to update and revamp our support staff courses and migrate them to the b-Hive.

These new courses will be available online – paper materials will no longer be issued. As always, our materials can be converted into printable documents, for those who prefer to read from paper, but interactive content (such as end-of-module MCQs) will need to be completed within the b-Hive.

All courses will now require a supervising pharmacist or a training supervisor to oversee the training. The training supervisor or supervising pharmacist will now have their own record on our system (much like the process for expert witnesses). Training supervisors or supervising pharmacists will also have assessments to complete towards the end of the programme - the content of these assessments will vary depending on the course the learner is undertaking.

THE COURSES

• Dispensing Assistant Course - there are now 10 modules instead of 12 and a final test has been included at the end of the course.
• Medicines Counter Assistants Course - the outline of the MCA remains the same as the existing version but the assessments for the course have undergone a few changes. Workbooks 1, 2 and 3 will no longer be required, having been replaced by activity books and Virtual Pharmacy assessments, along with a declaration that the required SOPs are understood. There is still a final test to be completed at the end of the programme.
• Healthcare Assistants Course - the new HCA course contains 19 modules rather than 21, leading to a certificate covering all the units for the role of the medicine counter and dispensing assistant. The changes to the MCA and DA courses are reflected in the new HCA. There are two final tests to be completed at the end of the programme.
• Dispensary Stock Management Course - previously the MCA+ Course, it is suitable for those who are not involved in the assembly of prescribed items but receive pharmacy supplies and store them safely. There is a final test at the end of this course.
• Delivery Drivers Course - covers customer service and the safe supply of medicines. The course comprises two modules to be completed within three months, followed by a final test.
• Manufacturing Course - combines modules from the Dispensing Assistant Course with modules for pharmacy manufacturing. The course covers assembling prescriptions and stock management along with the manufacturing process.

AUTHORISATION CODES FOR FINAL TESTS

A new feature within the b-Hive will generate an authorisation code for each learner. These codes will be emailed to the training supervisor or supervising pharmacist once all other assessments have been completed. The authorisation code is required to unlock the final test.