Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 409-6832460-C
- Employer
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Southport and Ormskirk Hospital
- Town
- Southport and Ormskirk
- Salary
- £26,530 - £29,114 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/07/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 07/08/2025
Employer heading
Pharmacy Technician
NHS AfC: Band 4
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
An opportunity has arisen for a qualified Pharmacy Technician to join a developing team of pharmacy staff serving Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust.
The post will be based at either Southport District General or Ormskirk District General but the ability to travel to all hospitals within the Trust is essential. Duties will include inpatient, out-patient and ward-based dispensing, stock control, Aseptic preparation, ordering and supply of medicines.
Advert Closes 27th July
Shortlisting 28th July
Interviews 7th August, 2025
Main duties of the job
The post holder will participate with other team members of the pharmacy staff aiming to provide an efficient and comprehensive pharmaceutical service within the pharmacy departments of Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust, under the direction of the Chief Pharmacist.
Duties will include labelling, dispensing, stock rotation, storage and dealing with dispensary queries, ward-based discharge, and patient counselling. Extended duties will include the preparation of Intravenous and other Aseptically prepared products including cytotoxics.
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 be a member of the Pharmaceutical Service team as required at Southport District General, or Ormskirk District General Hospitals.
- To participate in inpatient, outpatient and discharge dispensing including extemporaneous, unlicensed, controlled drugs & Clozaril within the guidelines of the GPhC Standards for Pharmacy Professionals.
- To undertake cytotoxic dispensing in accordance with departmental procedures and the criteria set out under COSHH Regulations and Regional and National Standards.
- To undertake specialist dispensing involving the use of aseptic technique to a suitable standard in preparation of sterile products in accordance with Aseptic Procedures and under the direction of the Senior Technician and Aseptic Services Manager.
- To undertake cytotoxic reconstitution and dispensing in accordance with the recommendations contained in the aseptic production manual and in accordance with the criteria set out under COSHH Regulations and Regional and National Standards.
- To be an active member on the Trust’s Intrathecal Registering enabling the preparation of Intrathecal cytotoxic Injections in accordance with Trust and Departmental Procedures.
- To participate in Annual Performance Appraisal Reviews, setting joint objectives in relation to the Trust set objectives.
- To co-operate in the operation and development of the ASCribe Pharmacy computer system under the direction of the Computer Services Manager.
- In the absence of the Dispensary, Stores and Purchasing and Computer Services Manager’s raise and release orders internally and to external wholesalers after appropriate, documented training and in line with departmental procedures.
- To participate in the physical receipt of medicines and sundries, including signing for delivery and put away such items in the appropriate location ensuring stock rotation. To assist in the maintenance of stock levels and stock storage ensuring efficient turnover whilst maintaining quality and potency.
- To participate in ward “topping-up” for individual patient and stock drug supplies service under the supervision of the Stores and Purchasing Manager in accordance with departmental procedures.
- To participate in extemporaneous dispensing in line with the “Guide to the Preparation of non-sterile extemporaneous products in NHS Hospitals” and departmental procedures under the guidance of the Responsible Pharmacist.
- To raise orders through the ASCribe computer system for wards and departments as per approved stock order sheets.
- To answer telephone and face to face queries of a routine or technical nature from a wide range of staff groups, either in the Pharmacy or on the wards. Refer appropriate queries to the relevant member of the Pharmacy team when necessary.
- To liaise with various members of the Pharmacy team and ward staff when solving supply problems and ensuring the best service to patients.
- To undertake Patient Counseling in the Out-patient area taking into account difficult situations which can arise with aggressive, elderly, terminally ill patients and/or complex medication regimes.
- To participate in the assessment of patients’ own medicines at ward level, to record and act on interventions where appropriate and counsel patients on the use of their discharge medication.
- To participate in ward-based discharge.
- To assemble stocks of medicines for wards, departments, and associated hospitals.
- To accuracy check orders of stock medicines for wards, departments, and associated hospitals.
- To check expiry dates on stock items on a regular basis, no less than monthly.
- To re-issue returned drugs in accordance with local procedures.
- To participate with Saturday, Sunday, and Bank Holiday duties on a Rota basis.
- To participate on the late-night rota duties as considered appropriate by the Technical Services Manager or other supervising pharmacists or senior technical staff.
- To participate in appropriate training schemes for pharmaceutical staff. To keep relevant pharmaceutical clinical and technical knowledge up to date.
- To comply with Health and Safety at work regulations, safe systems of work including COSHH requirements and the Data Protection Act.
- To ensure compliance to all Trust Risk Management, Research Governance and Infection Control Policies and Procedures and abide by the Standards for Better Health’.
- Take responsibility for managing their own health and wellbeing.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain Professional Registration with the GPhC
- To undertake Continuing Professional Development in order to keep pharmaceutical clinical and technical knowledge current to ensure best practice and comply with requirements for entry on the GPhC Pharmacy Technician Register.
- Adhere to the Standards for Pharmacy Professionals as set out by the GPhC.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- To provide accurate record keeping of CDs kept in the Pharmacy including supplies to wards and departments, orders received into the Pharmacy and regular Audits of the accuracy of the computer and paper records.
- Input and maintain data ensuring the Patient Medication Record is accurate and up to date.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
- To provide mentoring, induction and training of student technician’s, pre-registration pharmacists, dispensary ATOs, summer placement and work experience students and any other relevant members of Trust staff.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- In the absence of the Dispensary, Stores and Purchasing and Computer Services Manager’s raise and release orders internally and to external wholesalers after appropriate, documented training and in line with departmental procedures.
- To participate in the physical receipt of medicines and sundries, including signing for delivery and put away such items in the appropriate location ensuring stock rotation. To assist in the maintenance of stock levels and stock storage ensuring efficient turnover whilst maintaining quality and potency.
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To dispense clinical trials in accordance with the dispensing protocol, ICH GCP Guidelines and European Directive under supervision of the Clinical Trial Pharmacist.
- To participate in ward based SSHM Audits under the direction of the Technical Services Manager on a quarterly basis.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- BTEC / NVQ LEVEL III in Pharmacy Services with relevant underpinning knowledge (or equivalent)
- Professional Registration with the GPhC
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Work based training in a hospital / retail pharmacy
- General Rotational experience
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Good communication skills, both written and verbal
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
- Ability to pay attention to detail
- Ability to work to a high specification of accuracy
- Ability to understand the importance of confidentiality
- Commitment to Continual Professional Development
- Acts as a role model with the ability to supervise and train others
- Good time management skills
- Self-motivating and flexible
- Computer literate
Other
Essential criteria
- Ability to participate in the departmental rota for late, weekend and Bank Holiday working
- Presents professional image/appearance
- Supportive of colleagues of all grades
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Michele Coffey
- Job title
- Aseptic Senior Technician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01704 704671
- Additional information
Rachel Hincks on 01704 704461
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