Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 195-26-375-CLA
- Employer
- South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Pharmacy Unit H3, Adanac North, Adanac Drive SO16 0BT
- Town
- Southampton
- Salary
- £32,073 - £39,043 Pro rata, per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/07/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Higher Level Pharmacy Technician
NHS AfC: Band 5
Job overview
Supervising, planning, and managing day to day work of allocated staff, reviewing and reallocating tasks when necessary to meet workload demands.
Deputise for the Specialist Pharmacy Technician and provide leadership where necessary. To be responsible for the supervision of junior staff including appraisal and informal management processes. To be involved in the recruitment and induction of new staff including recruitment chair. To ensure that staff are following SOPs and processes accordingly.
We are working with a local trust to implement a rotation between both settings. The post holder would then be able to expand their knowledge and gain experience in both patient facing and emergency care roles
Main duties of the job
Providing medicines management or other technical information to healthcare professionals both within and externally to the trust to ensure continuity of care.
Communicating with other health care professionals regarding difficulties in supplying medicines to ensure appropriate patient care is always maintained.
Working for our organisation
Benefits we offer:
- Full training and a range of courses which you can book locally.
- Holiday entitlement of 27 days, rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service and 33 days after 10 years’ service, plus an additional 8 days bank holiday (pro rata for part time).
- Automatic enrolment into the NHS Pension Scheme.
- Access to continual professional development within SCAS and the wider NHS.
- Occupational Health support and direct access to our Employee Assistance Programme as well as our own Health and Wellbeing Team.
- NHS Discounts in over 200 + stores saving money on holidays, days out, car insurance, restaurants, clothing and much more.
- Ability to join our staff networking groups (as a member, ally or just for interest).
Corporate Induction
It’s really important for us to ensure you have the best onboarding experience which allows you to feel a sense of belonging from the start. To help with this, we will book your Corporate Induction as soon as we possibly can (depending on availability).
All new starters need to attend our *Corporate Induction in person, this is held over one and half days from our educational centres based in: Newbury (Berkshire), Bicester (Oxfordshire) or Whiteley (Hampshire). More specific details will be sent to you once your start date has been confirmed.
*Please note – depending on your role additional training may be required following on from your corporate induction.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To perform accuracy checking within and outside of your scope of practice ensuring all dispensed items are fit for purpose. To maintain and update your qualification and occupational competence as your role determines.
To follow ACPT re-validation
procedures and complete relevant CPD. Where errors are identified ensure, appropriate feedback is given to the individual and documented if needed.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ Pharmacy services Level 3 plus accredited underpinning knowledge (BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent) or equivalent
- Professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice
- Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician qualification, or currently undertaking
- Experienced with involvement within Emergency Services, Military or Public Sector environment
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of procedures for pharmacy services
- Knowledge of laws and regulations relating to an effective pharmacy service
- Demonstrable working knowledge of NHS medicines management and best practice, including relevant legislation, ethics etc.
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, e.g. Human Medicines Act 1968, Misuse of Drugs Act 2002, risk management, Good Distribution Practice and its applicability to the unit and the Trust
- Experience in procurement of medicines
- Experience of working with information/data, analysing, evaluating and presenting evidence following sound research methods and procedures.
- Demonstrates a knowledge and application of relevant audit and evaluation methodologies.
- Experience in adhering to regulatory requirements for a pharmaceutical service
- Experience in delivery of pharmaceutical service
- Able to implement policies and procedures relating to pharmacy services
- Able to support and motivate individuals and a team in a similar working environment.
- Experience in the management of supplier, procurement, and stock databases
- Knowledge of Good Clinical Practice and participation in clinical trials
- Experience in evaluating risk
- Experience of working as a pharmacy or medicines support worker in an Ambulance Trust setting
- Experience of using Datix
Skills
Essential criteria
- Be able to provide, receive and relay factual information to inform colleagues, patients, and other members of staff important information
- Be able to communicate where there may be barriers to understanding
- Be able to communicate effectively in both written and verbal formats
- Proven ability to audit, and evaluate processes to deliver quality improvements in a challenging environment
- Demonstrates the ability to make sound proactive and reactive decisions.
- Able to engage with key service stakeholders.
- Be able to analyse information relating to Pharmacy Service issues and medicines issues
- Be able to make judgments involving straightforward facts or situations, some requiring analysis
- Able to multi-task whilst maintaining high levels of attention to detail
- Ability to brief and advise senior management with confidence and accuracy with respect to medicines distribution
- Be able to deal with routine enquiries
- Be able to investigate and resolve stock discrepancies
- Be able to plan own tasks in order to meet service requirements
- Basic IT skills
- Demonstrate problem solving skills relating to staffing and service provision issues
- Ability to demonstrate leadership skills
- Competent interpersonal skills
- Ability to work on own initiative
- Ability to plan, organise and prioritise workload
- Ability to delegate appropriately
- Ability to inspire enthusiasm and team commitment
Desirable criteria
- Ability to deal with conflict/confrontation
- Ability to communicate sensitive information relating to medicines contracts with internal and external stakeholders
Physical Requirementd
Essential criteria
- Bending, stretching, and lifting of objects in the pharmacy store, carrying order boxes between the pharmacy distribution areas, pushing trolleys
- Willing and able to travel throughout the South-Central Region on a regular basis and wider area as required in a timely manner.
- Be able to concentrate on complex matters (activity analysis, workload allocation across the service, checking of medicines despite frequent interruptions
Special Requirements
Essential criteria
- Able to handle contained or hazardous chemicals in accordance with local risk assessments
- Able to work autonomously and within a team
- Self-motivated, enthusiastic, confident and innovative
- Passionate about delivery of high-quality care at the right time and right place
- Willing to challenge existing practice.
- Understanding of specific ethical, legal and professional implications involved in medicines management
- Clear understanding and application of professional accountability
- Demonstrates leadership and team building ability.
- Demonstrates a commitment to professional and personal quality standards
- Displays good interpersonal working relationships across a broad spectrum
- Displays innovative ways of working, constantly seeking improvements in order to achieve objectives.
- Demonstrates a commitment to the Trusts equal opportunity and diversity policies and can evidence their incorporation into local practice.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Lindsay Steel
- Job title
- Pharmacy Operations Manageer
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01869817878
- Additional information
Please note that our working hours are:
07:00 to 15:00 or 10:00 to 18:00 or 06:00 to 14:00 on a rotating shift pattern.
Working days: Monday to Friday.
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