Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and adaptable Pharmacy Technician to co-ordinate training needs within the dispensary and stores teams
You will be responsible for overseeing the NVQ L2 and L3 trainees within the department, as well as mentoring and supporting other technical staff.
You should have a proactive approach to designing, developing and delivering bespoke training in order to develop pharmacy technical staff and improve the quality of service given to our patients.
You must be a highly motivated individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively manage a team of Pharmacy Assistants and Pharmacy Technicians.
As part of your role you will also be required to work within our busy dispensaries to provide effective management of our day-to-day dispensing services. The department is committed to continuous personal and professional development and aims to give the necessary support to ensure that individual needs can be met.
Successful applicants must have current professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC, and have significant experience working at band 5 level or above, and must also have completed BTEC Level 4 Professional Diploma in Dispensing Technician Checking or recognised equivalent.
The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.
Main duties of the job
To co-operate with the Chief Technician and Senior Management to provide and maintain an efficient and cost effective Pharmaceutical service and to maintain safe systems of working by developing and implementing departmental procedures and working practices.
To plan, implement and deliver education and training for Pharmacy Technical staff with emphasis on developing staff to improve the quality and safety of the Pharmacy service.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To comply with and ensure that all other pharmacy staff under their control comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of drugs both within the pharmacy and in all other areas of the Trust
- To final accuracy check dispensed prescriptions
- To manage the operational provision of pharmacy technician services to wards and the expansion of one stop dispensing services to new wards.
- To liaise with the appropriate clinical pharmacists in liaison with ward staff (e.g. education, communication) to ensure the efficient operation of one stop dispensing.
- To co-operate and liaise with the clinical pharmacists, and ward staff to ensure the efficient operation of one stop dispensing
- To carry out final accuracy checks on prescriptions and requisitions in accordance with departmental procedures.
- To accuracy check Emergency resus boxes (paediatric and adult)
- To participate in the final accuracy checking of CDs and making appropriate records in the CD register
- To participate and supervise in the receipt, review, calculation of doses and quantities for issue, labelling and dispensing of prescriptions accurately and according to safe working practices and department procedure, including;
- Inpatients and outpatients
- Controlled drug requests
- Unlicensed medicines
- Clinical trials
- Restricted and controlled medications (i.e. being authorised to access patients blood test results via the Clozaril Monitoring Service which requires interpreting these results before continuing)
- Cytotoxic drugs.
To dispense prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices
- To participate in patient counselling and provide suitable information on the use of medicines to patients. If appropriate demonstrate the use of medicines to patients, carers and other health care professionals and assess their understanding of medicines and devices prescribed.
- To advise patients regarding suitability for compliance aids e.g., blister packs, breath-activated inhalers/spacers, containers and other formulations e.g. liquids, and to recommend and train patients in the use of such devices and to communicate with GPs and community pharmacies with regards to this.
- To assist in stock control within and between the pharmacy, wards, departments, and clinics
- To co-operate with the senior technician procurement in the management of ward stock medicines top up service by ATO staff
- To extemporaneously dispense medicines, occasionally using specific equipment (e.g. fume cupboards and weighing balances) taking protective measures. Weighing and measuring must be accurate as there are narrow margins for error.
- To provide individual dose dispensing and blister pack services for patients who have difficulty with normal medicines packaging
- To co-operate in the provision of an efficient and cost-effective service
- To liaise with senior pharmacy, nursing, medical and Primary care trust staff to develop the ward technician service
- To participate in the Saturday, Sunday, Evening, on-call and Bank Holiday rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- To maintain Professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
- To maintain continuing professional development in line with GPhC requirements.
- To attend and participate in study days and courses as necessary
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- To record and compile information including the ordering of inpatient medication, transcribing medicine kardexes to order forms accurately.
- To be responsible for the accurate input of data in to the pharmacy JAC computer system for all duties requiring its use, e.g. labelling, ordering and stock control
- To work with the management team in developing business plans for service improvement
- To carry out dispensing and checking of prescriptions for patients in accordance with the agreed safe systems of work procedure.
- To organise, attend and participate in relevant local meetings related to one stop dispensing service delivery
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
- To work with minimum supervision and be accountable for the education and training of all technical staff.
- To act as a supervisor for staff, helping them to achieve competencies, and acting as a role model for best practice.
- To support of all BTEC and NVQ students, pre-registration pharmacists and other trainees and to provide the necessary activities and support to meet their learning requirements.
- To organise and deliver the training and development of other members of staff in patient and ward services, and to assist training other Health professionals where necessary.
LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- To co-operate with and assist in the provision of necessary staffing within the pharmacy service.
- To manage sickness absence within ward based technical services
- To participate in and perform individual performance review and with technical staff
- To assist the Chief Technician in the recruitment of staff including participation on interview panels
- To comply with and ensure that all other pharmacy staff under his/her control comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH Regulations, Display Screen Equipment Regulations, Data Protection Act, The Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice, SOPs and other appropriate legislation.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- To carry out prescription charge transactions including chip and pin, handling cash, cheques and to cash up in the dispensaries as needed
- To contribute to initiatives to reduce drug expenditure
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To carry out and assist in audit research projects to improve and develop the service provision
- To provide and present management reports relevant to areas of responsibility, including dispensary and staff learning programmes
- To conduct audits and evaluation of training packages to ensure they are fir for purpose and will enhance the skill set of all technical staff.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To comply with and ensure that all other pharmacy staff under their control comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of drugs both within the pharmacy and in all other areas of the Trust
- To final accuracy check dispensed prescriptions
- To manage the operational provision of pharmacy technician services to wards and the expansion of one stop dispensing services to new wards.
- To liaise with the appropriate clinical pharmacists in liaison with ward staff (e.g. education, communication) to ensure the efficient operation of one stop dispensing.
- To co-operate and liaise with the clinical pharmacists, and ward staff to ensure the efficient operation of one stop dispensing
- To carry out final accuracy checks on prescriptions and requisitions in accordance with departmental procedures.
- To accuracy check Emergency resus boxes (paediatric and adult)
- To participate in the final accuracy checking of CDs and making appropriate records in the CD register
- To participate and supervise in the receipt, review, calculation of doses and quantities for issue, labelling and dispensing of prescriptions accurately and according to safe working practices and department procedure, including;
- Inpatients and outpatients
- Controlled drug requests
- Unlicensed medicines
- Clinical trials
- Restricted and controlled medications (i.e. being authorised to access patients blood test results via the Clozaril Monitoring Service which requires interpreting these results before continuing)
- Cytotoxic drugs.
To dispense prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices
- To participate in patient counselling and provide suitable information on the use of medicines to patients. If appropriate demonstrate the use of medicines to patients, carers and other health care professionals and assess their understanding of medicines and devices prescribed.
- To advise patients regarding suitability for compliance aids e.g., blister packs, breath-activated inhalers/spacers, containers and other formulations e.g. liquids, and to recommend and train patients in the use of such devices and to communicate with GPs and community pharmacies with regards to this.
- To assist in stock control within and between the pharmacy, wards, departments, and clinics
- To co-operate with the senior technician procurement in the management of ward stock medicines top up service by ATO staff
- To extemporaneously dispense medicines, occasionally using specific equipment (e.g. fume cupboards and weighing balances) taking protective measures. Weighing and measuring must be accurate as there are narrow margins for error.
- To provide individual dose dispensing and blister pack services for patients who have difficulty with normal medicines packaging
- To co-operate in the provision of an efficient and cost-effective service
- To liaise with senior pharmacy, nursing, medical and Primary care trust staff to develop the ward technician service
- To participate in the Saturday, Sunday, Evening, on-call and Bank Holiday rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- To maintain Professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
- To maintain continuing professional development in line with GPhC requirements.
- To attend and participate in study days and courses as necessary
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- To record and compile information including the ordering of inpatient medication, transcribing medicine kardexes to order forms accurately.
- To be responsible for the accurate input of data in to the pharmacy JAC computer system for all duties requiring its use, e.g. labelling, ordering and stock control
- To work with the management team in developing business plans for service improvement
- To carry out dispensing and checking of prescriptions for patients in accordance with the agreed safe systems of work procedure.
- To organise, attend and participate in relevant local meetings related to one stop dispensing service delivery
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
- To work with minimum supervision and be accountable for the education and training of all technical staff.
- To act as a supervisor for staff, helping them to achieve competencies, and acting as a role model for best practice.
- To support of all BTEC and NVQ students, pre-registration pharmacists and other trainees and to provide the necessary activities and support to meet their learning requirements.
- To organise and deliver the training and development of other members of staff in patient and ward services, and to assist training other Health professionals where necessary.
LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- To co-operate with and assist in the provision of necessary staffing within the pharmacy service.
- To manage sickness absence within ward based technical services
- To participate in and perform individual performance review and with technical staff
- To assist the Chief Technician in the recruitment of staff including participation on interview panels
- To comply with and ensure that all other pharmacy staff under his/her control comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH Regulations, Display Screen Equipment Regulations, Data Protection Act, The Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice, SOPs and other appropriate legislation.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- To carry out prescription charge transactions including chip and pin, handling cash, cheques and to cash up in the dispensaries as needed
- To contribute to initiatives to reduce drug expenditure
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To carry out and assist in audit research projects to improve and develop the service provision
- To provide and present management reports relevant to areas of responsibility, including dispensary and staff learning programmes
- To conduct audits and evaluation of training packages to ensure they are fir for purpose and will enhance the skill set of all technical staff.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Btec NC & NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Service skills or GPhC recognised equivalent
- Btec Level 4 professional diploma in dispensing checking or recognised equivalent
- Registered as a practising Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC
Desirable
- A1 Assessors award
- Certificate / Qualification in training / mentorship
Experience
Essential
- Significant post-qualification experience working at band 5 level or above in Hospital pharmacy
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
Desirable
- Experience in using the CMM (JAC) pharmacy computer system
- Experience of managing a team
Skills
Essential
- Self motivated with the ability to motivate both individuals and team's performance to achieve objectives
- Good verbal, communication skills both face to face and using telephones
- Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able to work under pressure
- Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
- Reliable and Well organised with good time management skills
- Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships.
- Able to reflect and make decisions accordingly
- Proactive and displays initiative
- Ability to problem solve with determination to overcome obstacles
Desirable
- Experience of conducting audits and presenting the results
Other
Essential
- Ability to travel between hospital locations
- Flexible and able to participate in the department weekend and late rotas
- Presents a professional image / appearance
- Supportive of colleagues of all grades
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Btec NC & NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Service skills or GPhC recognised equivalent
- Btec Level 4 professional diploma in dispensing checking or recognised equivalent
- Registered as a practising Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC
Desirable
- A1 Assessors award
- Certificate / Qualification in training / mentorship
Experience
Essential
- Significant post-qualification experience working at band 5 level or above in Hospital pharmacy
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
Desirable
- Experience in using the CMM (JAC) pharmacy computer system
- Experience of managing a team
Skills
Essential
- Self motivated with the ability to motivate both individuals and team's performance to achieve objectives
- Good verbal, communication skills both face to face and using telephones
- Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able to work under pressure
- Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
- Reliable and Well organised with good time management skills
- Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships.
- Able to reflect and make decisions accordingly
- Proactive and displays initiative
- Ability to problem solve with determination to overcome obstacles
Desirable
- Experience of conducting audits and presenting the results
Other
Essential
- Ability to travel between hospital locations
- Flexible and able to participate in the department weekend and late rotas
- Presents a professional image / appearance
- Supportive of colleagues of all grades
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).
