“At the heart of my role is the belief that every patient interaction matters.” – Dastagir Khan

For Dastagir (Das) Khan, being a pharmacy technician is about helping people understand their treatment, feel confident managing their health and making every patient interaction count.

As a Specialist Pharmacy Technician supporting General and Stroke Rehabilitation Services within our community health services, Das works to improve medicines management and ensure patients use their medicines safely and effectively.

His varied career has taken him across community pharmacy, acute hospitals, mental health services, COVID-19 vaccination programmes, district nursing and community rehabilitation. Along the way, he has developed a broad understanding of patient pathways and the important role medicines management plays throughout a person’s care.

Das began his career as a Pharmacy Counter Assistant, attracted to the combination of science, patient care and teamwork. Becoming a Registered Pharmacy Technician was an important milestone, and working alongside multidisciplinary colleagues has continued to shape his knowledge, skills and approach to patient care.

What matters most to Das is the difference he can make through everyday conversations. Whether he is carrying out a detailed medicines consultation or simply speaking to someone at their bedside, every interaction is an opportunity to educate, reassure and empower.

Sometimes that can be as simple as helping someone better understand their medicines or giving them the confidence to manage their treatment independently. For Das, knowing a patient has taken away even one piece of information that will help them use their medicines more safely makes the interaction worthwhile.

Alongside his clinical role, Das supports colleagues as an Educational Supervisor and Practice Supervisor and contributes to audits, quality improvement and service development. He has also worked with district nursing teams and diabetes specialist nurses on an insulin self-administration project supporting older residents across Barking, Havering and Redbridge, helping patients build the confidence to manage their treatment safely and independently.

For Das, World Pharmacy Technician Day is a chance to celebrate pharmacy technicians and recognise how much the profession is evolving.

Pharmacy technicians are increasingly taking the lead in services, driving quality improvement and embracing digital innovation, including artificial intelligence, to improve medicines management and patient care.

Looking ahead

Das wants to continue championing innovation, education and quality improvement while helping to develop and inspire the next generation of pharmacy technicians.

His advice to anyone considering the profession is simple: embrace opportunities to learn, stay curious, believe in your abilities and always keep patients at the heart of what you do.

Most importantly, never underestimate the difference you can make.

Pharmacy technicians are not simply supporting healthcare. They are helping to shape its future.