Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 435-D049-25
- Employer
- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
- Town
- Blackburn
- Salary
- £31,049 - £37,796 pro rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 11/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Higher Level Pharmacy Technician – Acute Medical Unit
NHS AfC: Band 5
At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.
Job overview
Are you a team player? Are you ready to take the next exciting step in the development of your career in patient facing role?
Come and join our friendly and supportive team if you would like the opportunity to contribute to the development of the pharmacy service provided to our Acute Medical Unit (AMU). This role provides a real opportunity to develop your clinical knowledge and become embedded in a ward team.
Our two AMUs (73 beds in total) admit up to 90 new patients every day and we have a team of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and a pharmacy assistant permanently based on the units. Our priorities are to ensure early medicines reconciliation for all our patients and rapid provision of discharge medication.
Main duties of the job
We cover extended hours (8am –6pm) using our proven model of shift working. Team members work compressed hours - 37.5-hour working 7.5 - 9 hours per shifts including 1 in 3 weekends, some of which qualify for unsocial hours pay. The existing team members enjoy the flexible working pattern and working as part of a close-knit team.
Shifts benefits include:
- unsocial hours pay
- rota prepared months in advance enabling swaps and flexibility in working
- 2-4 scheduled days off in each 7-day period
- facility to book annual leave at relatively short notice
- dispensary cover to help keep up to date with dispensing and ACT skills
- immense opportunities for clinical learning in a fast-paced environment
The post holder will contribute to the delivery of the specialist pharmacy service to the AMU seven days per week. The post is wholly based on the AMUs and involves playing a key role in medicines reconciliation and facilitating rapid discharge by means of our satellite dispensaries.
You will be a qualified pharmacy technician, registered with the GPhC, preferably with previous experience in hospital pharmacy, although community experience is also valuable. A BTEC in accuracy checking, is essential for this role, also experience in working as a team lead or previous leadership experience is also essential to this role.
Excellent communication skills are essential as the post holder will be required to provide counselling, advice and information to patients, nurses and medical staff.
Working for our organisation
East Lancashire Hospitals has a history of innovation and is an exciting place to work. We have gone live recently with a full Electronic Patient Record, which incorporates ePrescribing and medicines reconciliation activities. We were the first Trust in the country to launch Refer-to-Pharmacy. The pharmacy teams utilise ELHT's unique e-patient tracking system to identify and target patients requiring medicines reconciliation, and as an e-pharmaceutical care planning tool.
The successful candidate will be supported to develop themselves as well as the service they are responsible for, in a friendly and forward-thinking organisation.
If you want to make a difference, are passionate about patient care, then there has never been a better time to join our team.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See attached Job Description for full details
-
-
- support the Assistant Directors of Pharmacy in providing a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centred pharmacy service to the Trust
- work in partnership on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU); with the Pharmacy team leader in the provision of a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centred pharmacy service to the Trust
- maintain and develop the highest standards of patient-focused care in the provision of technical services
- support the governance and medicines risk management agenda locally
- support the development of the technician and assistant teams to complement and facilitate multidisciplinary working
- act as a role model in the field of clinical technician pharmacy practice and provide a consistently high level of pharmaceutical service in line with corporate objectives and government initiatives
- support the agreed policies and procedures for safe medicines use and support mechanisms to promote high quality medicine use, effective risk management, clinical governance and adherence to Trust policies and guidelines concerning medicines use
- contribute to the development of the service
- support the ‘professional development’ of technicians and assistants
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Person specification
Qualification
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent qualification – approved for registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- BTec Accuracy Checking Technician Qualification or working towards
Desirable criteria
- A1 NVQ Assessor Qualification or equivalent
Experience
Essential criteria
- Practice in one or more relevant areas, including clinical
- Experience of supervising pharmacy services in primary or secondary care
- Ability to identify and deal with clinical issues, knows when to consult
- Working within GMP/GDP/GCP guidelines
- Ability to maintain and report on records and statistics
Desirable criteria
- Planning staff rotas
- Understanding of rostering systems
Qualities
Essential criteria
- Can balance strong leadership and demonstrates flexibility when working within a team
- Demonstrates a systematic approach and works well under pressure
- Flexibility in working hours due to service demands
- Experience in the use of IT systems/ keyboard skills
- Evidence of CPD
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Claire Barnes
- Job title
- Senior Pharmacy Technician - Medicines Management
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01254 732296
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
Level 1
Fusion House
Evolution Park
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB1 2FD
- Telephone
- 01254 732075
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