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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Compressed hours
37.5 hours per week (The AMU team work over a 6 week rota (averaging 225 hours over a 6 week period))
Job ref
435-D166-26
Employer
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
Town
Blackburn
Salary
£28,392 - £31,157 plus shift allowance
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
30/09/2026 23:59

Employer heading

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust logo

Pharmacy Technician Acute Medical Unit

NHS AfC: Band 4

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 is a great opportunity for a Pharmacy Technician who is clinically experienced or a Pharmacy Technician who is just starting out in their career and wanting to enhance their clinical skills, looking to work in patient facing role. 

Our two AMUs 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.

This is a fast-paced environment, and we are seeking individuals who can work as part of a multidisciplinary team, as our admissions team services are very much embedded in the wider ward teams.

Main duties of the job

We cover extended hours (8am –6pm) using our proven model of shift working. Team members work compressed hours - working 9 hours each shift, including 1 in 6 weekends with one set day days rest each week. The existing team members enjoy the flexible working pattern and working as part of a close-knit team.

Shifts benefits include:

  • rota prepared months in advance enabling swaps and flexibility in working
  • 1 scheduled day of rest in each 7-day period
  • 1 extra days rest around working weekend 
  • 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 AMU's 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.

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 a live 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

 JOB SUMMARY     

  • 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

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered with the GPhC - or about to qualify to join the register
  • NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent qualification – approved for registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
Desirable criteria
  • BTec Accuracy Checking Technician Qualification

Special Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Understanding of local and national NHS and Pharmaceutical Policy
  • Understanding of medicines legislation and guidance i.e. Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act, Safe and Secure Handling of Medicines, Medicine Guidance Notes, MHRA Alerts
  • Understanding of clinical and risk management guidance as applied to Medicines Management

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Practice in one or more relevant areas
  • Ability to deal with clinical issues
  • Working within GMP/GDP/GCP guidelines
  • Understanding of medicines management procedures
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in primary or secondary care
  • Ability to maintain and report on records and statistics

Judgement

Essential criteria
  • Ability to maintain and report on records and statistics
  • Reflects on own practice and learns from experience
  • Knows when to consult (own limitations)

Communication Skills

Essential criteria
  • Excellent verbal and written communication including formal presentations
  • Able to communicate information of a technical, clinical, or managerial nature
  • Ability to prioritise demands on service and plan workload of self and others

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • Prioritises and meets deadlines
  • Can balance strong leadership and working within a team
  • Calm under pressure

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardPositive about disabled peopleInvestors in PeopleCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident committedStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible Working

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Heather Horrocks
Job title
Senior Pharmacy Technician Medicines Management
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01254 734016
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