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Pharmacy Technician (Band 4 with progression to Band 5)
NHS AfC: Band 4 ( with progression to band 5 )
Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 4 ( with progression to band 5 ) Contract Permanent: Must participate in evening, weekend and Bank Holiday Rotas Hours
- Full time
- Part time
37.5 hours per week (Must participate in evening, weekend and Bank Holiday Rotas) Job ref 409-8027497
Site Whiston Hospital Town Prescot Salary £28,392 – £39,043 Per Annum, Pro Rata (Band 4 with progression to Band 5) Salary period Yearly Closing 08/07/2026 23:59
After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third‑party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e‑mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to “name of trust” transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
Job overview
Pharmacy Technician – (Band 4 with progression to Band 5)
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Pharmacy Technician to join our Pharmacy team at MWL
We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Pharmacy Technician who wants to make a real difference to patient care and contribute towards developing our Pharmacy Services.
Applicants must hold a Level 3 Diploma in Pharmacy Service skills or approved equivalent and should be registered as a Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC (Applications will be accepted from Pre‑Registration Trainee Technicians who have completed their course and are awaiting certificates, and GPhC registration.)
The initial banding of the postholder will depend on past experience as a Pharmacy Technician and / or completion of a progression competency training pack
You will work between Whiston and St Helens Hospitals, where we have established automated dispensing systems within the dispensaries on both sites, and the Trust has a long‑standing reputation as a Teaching hospital and for being a rewarding place to work.
Interviews will take place week commencing 3rd August
Main duties of the job
To provide a dispensing service to all patients of the Trust to include the labelling and dispensing of prescriptions, taking medication histories, counselling patients and accuracy checking of all medications belonging to and supplied to patients in our busy dispensaries as well as rotation onto wards once training is completed.
Working for our organisation
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
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, freeing up space for more unwell patients. 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
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To final accuracy check dispensed prescriptions, including ‘one stop dispensing’ items in accordance with departmental procedures.
- To dispense prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices.
- To provide a one stop dispensing service to inpatients at ward level. This will require taking patient medication histories, counselling patients, inspection of patient own drugs for re-use and dispensing for discharge.
- To participate in the dispensing process of all prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices and departmental procedures, including;
- TTOs
- Controlled Drugs
- Clinical Trials
- Cytotoxic Drugs
- Unlicensed medicines
- To be responsible for the stock control of dispensed medicines on wards, departments and clinics.
- To assist in the maintenance of the stock control of non-dispensed medicines on wards.
- To liaise with appropriate medical staff, clinical pharmacists, ward staff, GP’s, Primary Care Trust staff, community pharmacies and other professional bodies regarding any issues with patients’ medication.
- To order stocks and special line items to fulfil prescriptions.
- To provide individual dose dispensing and blister packing services for patients who have difficulty with normal medicines packaging.
- To assist in the preparation, assembly and final accuracy check of emergency resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes.
- To assist the Chief Technician in the recruitment of staff including participation on interview panels.
- To participate in a rota which enables the department to provide a full 7 day service?
- To participate in Saturday, Sunday, Bank Holiday, late night and on‑call rotas as necessary in response to the changing needs of the service.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- To maintain 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.
- To undertake any training and assessment required to maintain competency in their role.
- To maintain security and the safe storage of medicines within the dispensaries in accordance with departmental policies and procedures.
- 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
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- To assist in the receipt of prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices.
- To be responsible for making appropriate records in the Controlled Drug Register.
- To be responsible for organising own daily workload within allocated areas.
- To carry out prescription charge transactions accurately, including ‘Chip and pin,’ handling cash, cheques and be able to ‘cash‑up’ in the dispensaries as necessary, according to departmental procedures.
- To train and counsel patients on their suitability for the use of compliance aids eg blister packs, breath activated inhalers/spacers, containers and other formulations such as liquids and assess their understanding.
- To extemporaneously dispense medicines using specific equipment (e.g. fume cupboards and weighing balances) and taking protective measures. Weighing and measuring must be accurate as there are narrow margins for errors.
- To assist other members of staff in the performance of their duties.
- To co‑operate with the provision of staffing within the Pharmaceutical service and participate in staff rotation to 2 Trust sites (e.g. Whiston, St Helens) when the need arises.
- To answer telephone and face to face queries of a routine or basic technical nature from a wide range of staff groups, patients and the public, either in the pharmacy or on the ward, and refer appropriate queries to the relevant member of the pharmacy team when necessary.
- To be responsible for the accurate input of data into the pharmacy JAC computer system for all duties requiring its use e.g. labelling, ordering and stock control
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
- To assist in the training and development of all grades of staff in the systems used including other professionals e.g. discharge planning and the efficient operation of ‘dispensing for discharge’.
- To assist in the training and support of ATOs and pre‑registration pharmacy graduates in dispensing training manual requirements and provide witness statements for NVQ students
- To assist in the training and development of other members of staff in patient services and to ensure complete training records are maintained
FINNCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- To co‑operate in the provision of an efficient and cost effective service
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To carry out and assist in audit research projects to improve and develop the service provision.
Person specification
Knowledge & Experience
- Experience in Hospital or retail pharmacy.
- Experience of Working with computer systems.
- Experience in using the JAC pharmacy computer system
Skills
- Maintains professional behaviour and upholds professional standards at all times
- Good verbal communication skills both face to face and using telephones
- Ability to talk to patients, staff and other senior health care professionals
- Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
- Good administration skills including record‑keeping
- Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able work under pressure
- Hardworking with a determination to overcome obstacles
- Self‑motivated with the ability to motivate the team performance to achieve objectives
- Reliable and well organised with good time management skills
Other
- Ability to travel between hospital locations
- Present professional image/appearance
- Supportive of colleagues of all grades
- Ability to participate in the departmental rota for late working
Qualifications
- BTEC NC/NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Service skills or an equivalent qualification recognised by the GPhC.
- Must be registered with The General Pharmaceutical Council, or be a final year Trainee Pharmacy Technician about to successfully qualify and register.
Our Values
- We are Kind
- We are Open
- We are Inclusive
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward‑thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision‑making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
eVisa Update
- Understand how to generate an eVisa share code
For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK. Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account. Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.
Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.
If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
- All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
- There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
- Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
The Trust is a non‑smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.
You will be expected to undertake the Trusts’ commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, and generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.
Additional Information
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.
An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name Gill Eddleston Job title Chief Pharmacy Technician Email address gillian.eddleston@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk Telephone number 0151 290 4289 Additional information
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