Band 3 Pharmacy Assistant Technical Officer

Transformation Unit; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full NHS terms and conditions

Relocation payment available

Discounts for retailers

Dedicated well-being services

Job summary

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) is hiring a Band 3 Pharmacy Assistant Technical Officer to support the supply of medicines within pharmacy, wards, units and community clinics in Birmingham.

The post involves daily receiving and checking of pharmaceutical items, dispensing medicines, and working under the supervision of the Head of Pharmacy within SOPs. A dedicated team provides pharmacy services to BCHC patients and customers.

Qualifications

• RQF level 2
• At least 4 GCSEs including maths and English

Responsibilities

• Participate in daily ward stock supply service and stock rotation.
• Receive deliveries, check stock and receipts.
• Dispense medicines under supervision of pharmacist or checking technician.

Education

RQF level 2

GCSEs in Maths and English

Job description

Employer Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Moseley Hall Hospital Town Birmingham Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 11/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 29/09/2026

Band 3 Pharmacy Assistant Technical Officer

Band 3

Job overview

The post holder will be responsible for the supply of pharmaceuticals within pharmacy, wards, units and community clinics.

The post holder will be responsible for the daily receiving and checking of pharmaceutical items and the dispensing of medicines.

The post holder will be part of a Pharmacy Team who will provide a range of pharmacy services on behalf of the Trust to its patients and customers. Work will be undertaken following departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and under the supervision of the Head of Pharmacy. Liaises with: patients and their representatives; technicians; pharmacists; ward managers; nurses; doctors; buying office staff; porters; UHB Pharmacy

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be part of a Pharmacy Team who will provide a range of pharmacy services on behalf of the Trust to its patients and customers. Work will be undertaken following departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and under the supervision of the Head of Pharmacy. Liaises with: patients and their representatives; technicians; pharmacists; ward managers; nurses; doctors; buying office staff; porters; UHB Pharmacy

Working for our organisation

IMPORTANT

• Please ensure you check your TRAC account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you during the shortlisting and selection process.
• Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including BUSINESS EMAIL ADDRESS, telephone contact details and postal address

Be Part of Our Team...

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) has more than 5000 staff working across Birmingham and the West Midlands in a wide range of community nursing and specialist healthcare roles. BCHC delivers over 100 clinical services, in people's homes, health centres, clinics and inpatient facilities. We deliver a wide range of services for children, young people, parents and families as well as adults and community services, two community hospitals, services for people with learning disabilities, the internationally recognised West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre and one of Europe’s leading Dental Hospitals and School of Dentistry. We deliver all of this with a commitment to integrated, personalised care that is rooted in our local communities. We have an ambition to deliver outstanding, integrated care as one of the key NHS providers in the West Midlands.

If you want to ‘Be Part of Our Team’ and work with a Foundation Trust which is continuously striving for better care and healthier communities, we want to hear from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties

• To participate in the daily ward stock supply service, including controlled drugs, to wards and departments as necessary establishing and maintaining a communication link between Pharmacy and the wards/units served.
• To receive deliveries, check stock and receipt.
• To make-up supply orders for the community-based clinics.
• To accurately supply controlled drugs on request from clinical areas and for discharge / outpatient prescriptions, on a daily basis in accordance with departmental procedures and in compliance with related legislation regarding record keeping, storage and transportation of controlled drugs.
• To maintain and replenish the out of hour’s emergency supplies by issuing medicines to the appropriate wards. Carrying out daily stock checks to identify items taken, recording and monitoring the refrigerator temperatures to ensure storage conditions are within the defined parameters. Replace short dated medicines where appropriate to minimise wastage.
• To maintain and replenish the emergency drugs on wards and keeping a record of when emergency drugs are reaching expiry for replacement.
• To store and distribute medicines in accordance with manufacturers and local guidelines ensuring;
• Good stock rotation
• Daily maintenance and monitoring of appropriate storage environment e.g. fridge, room temperatures
• Restricting the availability of defined medicines e.g. controlled drugs, high cost drugs
• To assess surplus medicines returned from clinical areas on a daily basis against a defined criteria and where suitable return into stock for re-use.
• To dispose of waste products according to the Trust waste policy including appropriate handling of corrosive materials, cytotoxics and flammable substances.
• To participate in the programme to regularly review ward and departmental stock lists in order to reduce waste and ensure appropriate supply of medicines. This involves evaluating the stock used over a set period of time and calculating the stock levels accordingly. This process is ongoing.
• To issue and supply stock items daily to appropriate areas ensuring stock rotation, suitability for use, packaging and labelling are correct.
• To identify stock shortages and place orders communicating with the Acute Unit staff regarding urgency and availability.
• To interpret and dispense prescriptions on a patient specific basis for discharge, outpatients and in patients under the supervision of the pharmacist/checking-technician . Ensuring the work is carried out to a high degree of accuracy, safely and efficiently following current standard operating procedures of the department on a daily basis, under supervision of the Pharmacist or Checking Technician.
• To input prescription data into the pharmacy computer system ensuring high levels of accuracy.
• To use a variety of communication techniques appropriate to circumstances preventing barriers to understanding in order to provide advice to patients on the medicine supply, estimating waiting times, arranging for items to be ordered/delivered. To assist patients in obtaining necessary medicine supplies e.g. liaising between the doctor and the patient to ensure that prescriptions are available where appropriate. To respect the patient’s confidentiality and the sensitive nature of information. Confirming the patients understanding.
• To plan own work, liaising with manager to ensure appropriate management of dispensary work.
• To successfully complete, or have completed, a dispensing accuracy assessment to demonstrate competency in dispensing accurately and safely on an ongoing basis.
• To answer the telephone promptly and politely where appropriate throughout the working day. Dealing with query/information and responding promptly. Relaying complete and accurate information. Recognising self-limitations and referring to appropriate person
• To conduct reception duties when required during the day, in a polite, pleasant and professional manner to receive and issue prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures
• To effectively communicate issues relating to medicine supply to services, members of the Pharmacy Team, patients, carers or other healthcare professions within the trust and other external organisations using a appropriate tools and techniques and checking understanding.
• To take action to ensure outstanding medications orders to wards or patients are followed up and supply made within a suitable time frame. To take appropriate action where long term delays are identified.
• To take appropriate daily action to ensure medication requiring delivery is sent to individual patients using a suitable method e.g. registered post, courier. Give consideration to safe transportation of medication, storage requirements and urgency.
• To demonstrate an ongoing commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) by maintaining a portfolio of evidence.
• To undertake, complete and pass mandatory and recommended training programmes.
• To carry out record keeping and data collection data for audit purposes.
• To comply with requirements of statutory regulations, including Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act and Regulations, Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH, etc and local operating procedures to ensure that the work is to a high standard (accurate).
• To maintain the security of the department at all times.

We are a small, friendly forward thinking team that is currently expanding, providing a ward based pharmacy service. Patient experience and safety is at the centre of everything we do.

Support, mentoring and further training will be provided to the successful candidate by the Head Pharmacist and team members, to ensure that you fulfil your potential in this new challenging role. You will be actively encouraged to contribute to service development and quality improvement.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 2
• Hold at least 4 GCSEs at least grade C (or equivalent) which includes maths and English

Experience

• Relevant experience of dispensing in a pharmacy
• As per person spec

Skills

• As per person spec

Other job requirement

• As per person spec

In accordance with UK Home Office requirements, Band 2 clinical and non-clinical roles and Band 3 Non-Clinical roles are not eligible for sponsorship.

Please note that the majority of non-clinical roles (Agenda for Change Band 3 - 6) with the exception of those which appear on this list - link , will not meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK.

All non-clinical roles (Agenda for Change Bands 7 - 9) that meet the prescribed skill level (RQF 6) and salary threshold will be eligible for sponsorship.

The Trust will accept applications from candidates who can evidence their right to work in the UK or via alternative visa routes.

Disability Confident Employer and Guaranteed Interview Scheme

BCHC offers a guaranteed interview to any candidate who is Disabled, Neurodiverse, has a hidden or long term health condition as recognised under the Equality Act 2010, providing they meet the essential criteria of the job role, as set out in the person specification. We encourage applicants to submit their applications and to request any reasonable adjustments where required.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As part of our ongoing commitment to being a Great Place to Work, we actively foster and support a workplace culture that is inclusive and equitable for all staff, patients and service users.

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with diverse abilities, experiences, and perspectives.

We are also dedicated to supporting the career progression of colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds into this role and more senior roles within the Division and the wider organisation.

Promoting Workforce Equality

In response to data held by BCHC which demonstrates that individuals from particular protected characteristics are under-represented, BCHC are striving to redress these imbalances. In order to do this, the Trust is committed to the employment and career development of individuals with these protected characteristics. As part of this commitment and given this under-representation, the Trust guarantees an interview to any applicants from under-represented groups for positions at Band 8a and above whose application meets the essential criteria for the post as detailed on the Person Specification.

The Trust is currently under-represented in terms of people who identify as Black, Minority Ethnic (BME) and welcomes applicants from these communities. Selection will be on the basis of merit. In order to ensure the diversity of our workforce and understand the differing needs of our communities, the Trust is committed to the principles of Positive Action.

DBS Costs

Please be aware that all new employees starting work with the Trust will be charged for the cost of their DBS check if it is required for the role. The cost will be deducted from your salary in 3 payments over a 3-month period once you start employment. By applying for this role, you are agreeing to these deductions being made. The charges for the DBS include the administration fee. The total costs are £26.40 for a standard check and £54.40 for an enhanced check. The level of check will be determined by the post you are applying for. For bank Workers the full cost of the DBS check (as detailed above) will be deducted from your pay following completion of your online mandatory training. No payment will be made for your online training until it is all complete and verified by the Temporary Staffing Team. Please note: You will not be able to work any bank shifts until you have completed your mandatory training, and your DBS is in place.

Flexible Working

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) supports a variety of flexible working practices and, where possible (given our range of services and community settings) dependent upon the requirements associated with the role, will actively consider requests made and support these where practically possible. This may include hybrid patterns of working to enable colleagues to request the flexibility of a mixture of home/base working.

In accordance with the NHS People Promise, the Trust is committed to facilitating a healthy work/life balance that is essential to health and wellbeing and to making BCHC a ‘Great Place to Work’. We will be happy to discuss and consider all requests relating to working patterns and hours at your interview so please do ask!

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust acknowledges Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini etc; are powerful tools that can help you in various stages of your job application and how they can be used in certain circumstances during your application process with BCHC. You can read more about acceptable use on our internet pages here

Benefits of working for us:

• Full NHS terms and conditions including extensive holidays, Agenda for Change pay with enhancements
• Attractive relocation payment if you relocate to the local area.
• Discounts for local and national retailers
• Dedicated well-being services for all employees
• Flexible working where possible

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.