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Job summary

Main area
Trainee Pharmacy Technician
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract
2 years (Fixed Term)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Late Duty, Weekend Working, and Bank Holidays)
Job ref
220-WHT-3461
Employer
Whittington Health NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Pharmacy Department, Level 1, Whittington Hospital,
Town
London
Salary
£23,165.80 - £24,820.50 Band 4 - Annexe 21 (70% in Year 1 and 75% in Year 2)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
07/11/2025 23:59
Interview date
24/11/2025

Employer heading

Whittington Health NHS Trust logo

Preregistration Trainee Pharmacy Technician

NHS AfC: Band 4

Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.

For our current apprenticeship vacancies, please go to https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and use Keyword ‘Whittington’

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

 


 

Job overview

The is a two-year fixed term post which will enable the successful candidates to train and study for a qualification to register and then practice as a registered Pharmacy Technician in England or Wales.
The two year training program leads to a Certificate of Higher Education in Pharmacy Technician Practice (Integrated Apprenticeship).
You will be supported to gain your qualification by attending university as part of a distance learning scheme and study via a virtual classroom.
You will also receive full training in the practical skills required for this role, within the Pharmacy Department at Whittington Hospital and possibly other locations in the wider Integrated Care Organisation.
We put a high priority on personal development and we will give you the support you need to obtain your professional qualification. Study time may be available during your working week however, you must be willing to commit to significant study in your own time.
Pharmacy Technicians are vital members of today’s healthcare team and contribute greatly in the supply of medicines and products to patients whether in hospital or at home.

Are you self-motivated and enthusiastic?
Do you have excellent interpersonal and communication skills?
Do you thrive on helping people and want to support the wider healthcare team to provide excellent pharmacy services to patients in a variety of environments?

If you answered YES to these questions, then we have a job opportunity with your name on it!

Main duties of the job

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone interested in a pharmacy career to 'earn while they learn' and complete a professional qualification and register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as a Pharmacy Technician.

This role requires full engagement whilst you undergo this 2 year training programme.  As you rotate through and experience different areas of pharmacy you will be learning the role and developing the knowledge and practical skills required to gain this qualification.

Working for our organisation

The Whittington Health is an Integrated Care Organisation that provides, safe, personal, coordinated care, high quality community and hospital services to the populations of Haringey and Islington and aims to help local people live longer and healthier lives for the community we serve.

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

The Whittington Hospital is the acute hospital of Whittington Health it is situated in Northeast London a few minutes’ walk from Archway Tube Station and Upper Holloway Overground station.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Applicants must ensure that they meet the entry requirements and the person specification before applying for this role. This apprenticeship (with University of East Anglia) has strict entry requirements for any prospective candidate. They must have the 5 GCSEs (or equivalent). Applicants with certain prior degrees and/or any overseas qualifications will have to provide ENIC conversions. 
Potential applicants that have any queries about their prior qualifications and their eligibility to study this apprenticeship are asked to get in touch with Denise Bacchus-Dixon (contact details below) before submitting their application.

If short-listed proof of qualifications will need to be provided before the interview date.

Please see detailed job description and person specification attached.

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • 5 GCSE passes including Mathematics,
  • English and a Science Grade C (4) and above
Desirable criteria
  • Hold the BTEC Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff (Apprenticeship) or hold an equivalent qualification as recognised by the GPHC.

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Able to follow written procedures and verbal instructions accurately
  • Able to communicate effectively with all grades of staff throughout the Trust (verbally and in writing)
  • Pharmacy Computer/IT skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Clear and literate writing skills
  • Numeracy Skills
  • Able to organise and prioritise workload, and to meet pre-determined deadlines
  • Effective Customer service skills – able to work to meet the needs of customers of the department and to meet the standards of the Trust

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of the principles of efficient stock control e.g. stock rotation, expiry dates, minimum stock-levels and re-order levels
  • Awareness of the need for patient confidentiality
  • Awareness of the dangers associated with handling potentially hazardous products such as flammable liquids and cytotoxics
  • Experience of using computer systems in a workplace setting
  • Experience of working in an environment requiring working with attention to detail and to pre-determined deadlines
  • Experience working as a pharmacy assistant
  • Basic knowledge of hospital pharmacy
Desirable criteria
  • Interested in and have knowledge of use of drugs.
  • Understands importance of quality issues
  • Experience of working in a large multidisciplinary team
  • Experience of working in a hospital environment or a community pharmacy

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • Mature approach to learning
  • Reliable
  • Self-motivated
  • Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail
  • Well organised and able to meet deadlines for college and the submission of evidence and portfolio
  • Honest and trustworthy

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident committed

Applicant requirements

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Denise Bacchus-Dixon
Job title
Lead Pharmacy Technician - Education and Training
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
020 7288 3010
Additional information

Working Hours 9:30am to 4pm Mon to Thurs

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
WHT
Telephone
If you have any queries, please contact NLPSS Recruitment Helpdesk tel. 020 3758 2060
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