Job summary
Are you a qualified, registered Pharmacy Technician looking for a rewarding and varied role within a small and friendly team?
You'll have the opportunity to work across mental health services and community settings, based at Prospect Park Hospital in Reading with regular rotation across our community hospitals including Wokingham, Maidenhead, Newbury, Reading and Slough. This varied role balances ward-based responsibilities, including medicines reconciliation, PODs checking, stock management and discharge support, alongside accuracy-checking and daily dispensary tasks.
You'll join a collaborative and supportive team that values shared learning, encourages new ideas and takes pride in delivering patient-centred care.
There's access to excellent development opportunities, including support to complete your ACPT qualification and ward-based accreditations if you don't already hold them.
We are a CQC 'Outstanding' Trust and are ranked third among Mental Health and Community Trusts. We score highly in NHS staff surveys including our staff consistently recommending us as a great place to work.
We support a positive work-life balance and you'll have usual hours of Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, plus participation in the dispensary late-shift rota, with no weekends or night shifts.
Join us at Berkshire Healthcare, to help deliver a high-quality, safe and effective pharmacy service across our Trust.
Main duties of the job
This is a joint role, with time spent both in the dispensary and our wards:
- Delivering a fast and effective pharmacy services to the wards and departments
- Completing accuracy checking session(s)
- Providing an admission, supply and discharge service to nominated wards.
- Checking Patients' Own Drugs (PODs).
- Undertaking medicines reconciliation.
- Supporting patients to ensure that they get the best possible outcomes from their medicines.
- Providing a ward top-up service.
- Working with the clozapine clinic team to ensure medicines are ready for the Trust wide clinics.
- Developing skills and knowledge as part of a commitment to CPD and Clinical Supervision
- Providing support to Pre-registration Pharmacy Technicians and support workers while they undertake their learning.
Applications will be reviewed and processed as received. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early.
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Job description
Job responsibilities
The 'must haves' for this role:
- Qualified Pharmacy Technician registered with the GPhC
- Approved ward-based qualification to include POD checking, Supply and Medicines Reconciliation, or a commitment to work towards this.
- Approved Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician qualification or a commitment to work towards this.
- A driver with a vehicle, or the ability and willingness to effectively and efficiently travel between Trust sites.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Sara Jackson or Kirsty Hodder on 0118 960 5080 or email: Sara.Jackson@berkshire.nhs.uk or kirsty.hodder@berkshire.nhs.uk, who'd be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The 'must haves' for this role:
- Qualified Pharmacy Technician registered with the GPhC
- Approved ward-based qualification to include POD checking, Supply and Medicines Reconciliation, or a commitment to work towards this.
- Approved Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician qualification or a commitment to work towards this.
- A driver with a vehicle, or the ability and willingness to effectively and efficiently travel between Trust sites.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Sara Jackson or Kirsty Hodder on 0118 960 5080 or email: Sara.Jackson@berkshire.nhs.uk or kirsty.hodder@berkshire.nhs.uk, who'd be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Pharmacy Technician registered with the GPhC
- Approved ward-based qualification to include POD checking, Supply and Medicines Reconciliation, or commitment to work towards this.
- Approved Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician qualification or commitment to work towards this.
Desirable
- Formal training in Supervisory skills
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development relevant to job role
- Commitment to undertake appropriate pharmacy accreditations as part of career progression
- Commitment to undertake in-house Pharmacy Training Programme
Previous Experience
Desirable
- Current ward-based pharmacy technician experiences including POD checking, supply, and medicines reconciliation
- Current accuracy checking skills
- Experience of hospital pharmacy
- Experience of mental health pharmacy
- Experience in the supervision of technical and support staff
- Experience of using EMIS
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Good communication skills (written and verbal)
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability and willingness to travel between Trust locations within Berkshire in a timely manner when public transport may not be available.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Pharmacy Technician registered with the GPhC
- Approved ward-based qualification to include POD checking, Supply and Medicines Reconciliation, or commitment to work towards this.
- Approved Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician qualification or commitment to work towards this.
Desirable
- Formal training in Supervisory skills
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development relevant to job role
- Commitment to undertake appropriate pharmacy accreditations as part of career progression
- Commitment to undertake in-house Pharmacy Training Programme
Previous Experience
Desirable
- Current ward-based pharmacy technician experiences including POD checking, supply, and medicines reconciliation
- Current accuracy checking skills
- Experience of hospital pharmacy
- Experience of mental health pharmacy
- Experience in the supervision of technical and support staff
- Experience of using EMIS
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Good communication skills (written and verbal)
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability and willingness to travel between Trust locations within Berkshire in a timely manner when public transport may not be available.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
