B6 Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Patient Pathway Operations Lead

NHS; Sutton Coldfield; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Sutton Coldfield is seeking a Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Patient Pathway Operations Lead to enhance patient journeys from admission to discharge. This role involves coordinating with various teams to streamline discharge processes and improve patient care. Candidates should hold GPhC registration, possess significant hospital experience, and demonstrate strong leadership and problem-solving skills. Join us to make a meaningful impact while fostering professional growth in a collaborative environment.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Collaborative team environment

Leadership roles and mentorship

Qualifications

• GPhC registered with Accredited Checking Technician status.
• Significant post-qualification experience in a hospital setting.
• Experience in delivering training and supervision of others.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate patient flow and discharge processes.
• Oversee medicines optimisation services provided by pharmacy assistants.
• Line-manage, including appraisals and professional development.

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership capabilities

Problem-solving ability

Organizational skills

Education

Professional Registration with the GPhC

Leadership and Management qualification

Accredited Checking Technician

Job description

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

B6 Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Patient Pathway Operations Lead

The closing date is 05 January 2026

Be at the Heart of Patient Flow Innovation

Join University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust as we transform patient care through cutting‑edge pharmacy services. This is your chance to lead meaningful change as our Specialist Pharmacy Technician – Patient Pathway Operations Lead.

What Makes This Role Special?

You’ll be instrumental in changing how we optimise patient journeys from admission to discharge. You’ll coordinate with multidisciplinary teams to remove barriers, streamline discharge processes, and ensure patients receive seamless care across our sites. This isn't just dispensing -- it's strategic leadership in patient flow.

Why Join Our Team?

• Lead Service Transformation: Drive improvements in discharge processes and develop innovative strategies that directly impact patient outcomes
• Professional Growth: Lead and mentor pharmacy assistants while developing your leadership capabilities
• Collaborative Environment: Work alongside pharmacists, doctors, nurses, and operations managers in bed meetings and ward rounds
• Make a Real Difference: Your work directly influences patient experience, reducing delays and improving satisfaction
• Varied and Dynamic: Balance coordination with hands‑on clinical pharmacy work, keeping your skills sharp and your days interesting

Main duties of the job

You will:

• Act as discharge coordinator across the site, identifying and removing barriers that delay patient flow
• Lead improvements to discharge processes through collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• Oversee medicines optimisation services provided by pharmacy assistants
• Attend bed meetings to raise pharmacy's profile and support timely discharges
• Develop and implement strategies ensuring clinical pharmacy technicians support patient flow effectively
• Line‑manage, including appraisals and professional development
• Provide training to healthcare professionals on prescribing and medicines management

Your day will involve coordinating with ward teams, pharmacists, doctors, and site staff to prioritise urgent discharges. You'll troubleshoot medication delays, liaise with the Complex Discharge Team for early identification of patients requiring blister packs and ensure dispensary workflows support timely discharges. You'll maintain clinical skills through dispensary work, including late‑night, weekend and bank holiday rosters.

• GPhC registered with Accredited Checking Technician status
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills
• Strong problem‑solving abilities for complex, unpredictable situations
• Proven ability to work under pressure, prioritise effectively and manage workloads
• Leadership capabilities to motivate and supervise teams

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long‑term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

Please Note: For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Professional Registration with the GPhC
• Dispensing Accuracy Accreditation. West Midland's scheme or equivalent
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development
• Accredited Checking Technician (National Framework) or equivalent
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical technical procedures for specialist area to degree or equivalent level acquired through training, NVQ3, BTEC in pharmaceutical science or equivalent
• Leadership and Management qualification or equivalent knowledge and experience

Experience

• Significant post‑qualification experience in a hospital setting as a registered Pharmacy Technician
• Experience of the specialist function for area of responsibility
• Experience in delivering training and supervision of others
• Working under pressure, prioritising work as appropriate to achieve deadlines
• Experience of planning workload according to departmental priorities
• Knowledge of Good Distribution Practice (GDP), MHRA licensing requirements, COSHH
• Demonstrates responsibility for complying with agreed personal development programme to meet set knowledge and competencies
• Understanding of clinical governance and its implications for service including quality and audits
• Experience of developing work processes and associated procedures
• Experience of undertaking appraisals
• Experience in staff management
• Experience of chairing meetings
• Suitable experience as a Clinical Pharmacy Technician
• Knowledge of HR policies and procedures
• Knowledge of Medicines Management service at ward level
• Full knowledge of the pharmacy supply process from procurement to receipt of drugs at ward level
• Knowledge of ward staffing and management structure
• Knowledge of drug costs

Additional Criteria

• Able to or understand and work within Trust policies of data protection, equal opportunities, health, and safety and meet differing needs of patients
• Reliable and conscientious approach to work
• Good communication skills – written, verbal and electronic
• Ability to work on own or within a team, able to act as team leader, motivating others
• Able to co‑ordinate workflows
• Able to determine and manage staff working patterns
• Ability to check the work of others
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to accept responsibility for specific work areas
• Demonstrate problem solving skills
• Demonstrates ability to develop, implement and follow SOPs
• Demonstrates ability to be flexible
• Participate in the personal development and review systems of staff
• Make judgements in involving a range of facts or situations
• Accountable for own actions and those of other
• Good patient counselling skills
• Identify and fulfil training needs.
• Assist in the recruiting and selection process
• Project leadership skills- ability to negotiate and implement
• Good interpersonal skills
• Reliable
• Punctual
• Self‑motivated
• Able to manage difficult and stressful situations
• Able to recognise limitations of self and job role
• Ability to work in a team and independently
• Good time management
• Careful and accurate in work
• Able to demonstrate discretion and diplomacy
• Fair and objective
• Flexible to the demands of the post, the needs of the pharmacy service and other staff
• Good team player and able to motive others.
• Self‑motivated and sound use of own initiative
• Keen to improve and develop the pharmacy service and committed to the concept of technician‑led services
• Keen to develop own person skill and use these for the benefit of others
• Able to demonstrate timely referral to senior staff appropriately
• Ability to travel to other Trust sites
• Flexible to work in accordance with service needs
• Committed to abide by the Trust Vision and Values
• Able to assess staff performance and provide constructive feedback
• Demonstrates ability to undertake a variety of tasks
• Able to manage sickness absence in accordance with Attendance Management Policy
• Awareness of future developments within Pharmacy

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust