Enhanced Clinical Practitioner for Pharmacy Technicians (Level 6)
Enhanced Clinical Practitioners (ECPs) are qualified health and care professionals who are working at an enhanced level of practice with specific knowledge and skills in a particular field of expertise.
The ECP for Pharmacy Technicians pathway is a contextualised programme specifically for the development of registered Pharmacy Technicians.
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Duration
18 months
Most Suitable For
This is a learning pathway designed specifically for registered pharmacy technicians working in a clinical setting who are wanting to increase their knowledge, skills and behaviours in order to develop as enhanced clinical practitioners. This programme is suitable and able to support pharmacy technicians from all pharmacy sectors.
Award
Level 6 Non-Degree Enhanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship award.
Additional Funding
- If apprentice is under the age of 25, Employer may not have to pay Class 1 Employer National Insurance. Full details and criteria are found here.
- For apprenticeships starting between 1 August 2024 - 31 July 2026, employer may be eligible for £1,000 if apprentice is aged 16 - 18 years old (or 15 years of age if the apprentice’s 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31 August); or aged between 19 and 24 years old and has either an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by their local authority and / or has been, or are, in the care of their local authority. Full details and criteria are found within the relevant DfE Funding Rules.
- Some Councils are providing incentive payments to local small employers who recruit and employ young apprentices. To find out more, including eligibility and how to apply for an incentive, please visit Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub (details within the GRANT presentation)
- Lancashire County Council incentive is £3,000 for 100 Lancashire employers
- Chorley Council incentive is £1,500 for Chorley employers
- Fylde Borough Council incentive is £5,000 for Fylde employers recruiting a new apprentice who is a Fylde resident.
Start Date
Anytime
Teaching Delivery
Online
Key Learning Requirements
Apprenticeships require learners to achieve specific new knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. These are achieved by;
1) Programme Teaching; delivered using blended learning with a combination of flexible learning activities such as e-learning activities, online classroom sessions (usually 1 or 2 per month), videos and peer networking. It will be led by an appointed Buttercups tutor and will take 15 months to complete, followed by up to 3 months of End Point Assessment.
2) Independent study; such as assignment/project research and write up
3) Learning in the workplace; shadowing colleagues, completing programme assigned work based projects, day-to-day development within your current role duties/work activities, reflections with mentor, relevant training sessions.
On average, a full-time learner (30+ hours per week) will undertake 6 hours per week towards the above 3 areas. The flexibility of the delivery model allows apprentices and employers to balance the demands of the apprenticeship with the demands of front-line service delivery.
Modules
This programme has fixed module delivery (you are unable to choose the modules studied). However, during 1 module titled Clinical Skills Development, the learner will be able to select a topic to focus on (from a selection of options) which is best suited to their scope of specialist practice. A list of modules and the clinical skills development topics are available on the course webpage and course materials.
Placements
This programme does not require external placements to be completed, although varied experiences are beneficial.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
Apprentices will be assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations, evaluations, work-based learning modules and End Point Assessment.
Key Employer Entry Requirements
• Employed 30 hours or more per week for the duration of the apprenticeship. The apprenticeship duration may be extended to support staff who work less than this (but no lower than 21 hours).
• Working in a clinical setting and registered as a pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Clinical settings may be a wide range of locations such as ward-based roles, GP practices, care homes, private health care etc. Roles can include: medicines management pharmacy technicians, medicines optimisation pharmacy technicians and those providing clinical services within GP and community pharmacy settings.
Full requirements and details are found on the course webpage/information.
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
Yes
Application Timescale
It takes on average 2 months to complete all application stages for this programme.
If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages.
Additional Training Hub Support
Primary Care employees have access to:
- All resources provided by the L&SC PC Training Hub such as Digital training, Health and Wellbeing support and events.
- Plus, visit our Pharmacy Professionals webpage for more information on Pharmacy roles in Primary Care, plus further training, support and resources., which may compliment the apprenticeship (always check suitability with your apprenticeship education provider).
Pathway
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has an interactive
occupational maps tool which shows the variety of progression pathways using apprenticeships.
Career progression does not have to be linear. Entry criteria may differ per provider and even more varied routes may be available depending on the individuals prior learning and experience.
Information Last Updated
17/03/25
Further Programme and Provider Information
If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Gareth Evans, Client Services Manager on 0115 937 4936 or [email protected]
How to Apply
If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship (either for yourself, a member of staff or a vacancy position), please complete the Primary Care Expression of Interest Form. This is for Primary Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria only. By completing the expression of interest form, the Training Hub Apprenticeships team will be able to complete basic pre-checks, provide you with personalised guidance, and start the programme application process for you. If you would like to discuss anything first, please email [email protected] or call Olivia, Apprenticeships Manager, on 07735161775. You can find out more about the stages of applying for an apprenticeship within our Apprenticeships Process - Employer Guide. Social Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria, please contact Dawn on [email protected]
