Higher Level Pharmacy Technician – Technical Services

Elht; Blackburn; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in Blackburn is seeking a Higher Level Pharmacy Technician to join the Technical Services team. The post offers NHS AfC Band 5, full-time 37.5 hours per week, with a permanent contract and pro rata salary range £32,073–£39,043 per annum.

You will deputise for Specialist and Senior Technicians, supervise the technician and assistant teams, plan staffing, and drive service improvements while maintaining high standards of patient-centred care.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent approved for registration with GPhC.
• BTec Accuracy Checking Technician Qualification or working towards.
• A1 NVQ Assessor Qualification or equivalent.
• Experience supervising pharmacy services in primary or secondary care.
• Ability to maintain and report on records and statistics.

Responsibilities

• Deputise for the Specialist and Senior Technicians as designated in their absence.
• Support the Assistant Directors of Pharmacy in providing a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centred pharmacy service to the Trust.
• Supervise the team of technicians and assistants involved in the delivery of the service and medicines risk management.
• Work in partnership with the Specialist Technician and Senior Technician in the provision of the service.
• Supervise the day-to-day technical operation of the section/department and ensure policy adherence.
• Ensure staffing resource is adequate for the service on a day-to-day basis.

Skills

Leadership

Team leadership

Time management

Flexibility

Keyboard skills

Education

NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent

BTec Accuracy Checking Technician Qualification

A1 NVQ Assessor Qualification

Job description

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Higher Level Pharmacy Technician – Technical Services

NHS AfC: Band 5

Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 435-D081-26-C

Site Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital Town Blackburn Salary £32,073 - £39,043 pro rata per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 20/10/2026 23:59

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

Job overview

Do you want to be an integral part of a thriving acute Trust that embraces transformation and is passionate about delivering safe, personal and effective care? If the answer is yes, we have the perfect opportunity for you to join our award-winning pharmacy team.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated, registered Pharmacy Technician to support our Technical Services team in delivering the best possible service to patients, whilst maintaining standards.

The successful candidate will join the team in providing an integrated delivery of medicines to our patients to ensure cost effective, safe and appropriate supply of aseptically prepared products. This is a great opportunity for a Pharmacy Technician who is looking to enhance their skill set in a Technical Service environment whilst maintaining their wider pharmacy knowledge and expertise.

We are looking for a Pharmacy Technician who will demonstrate well developed organisational skills, have a flexible and forward-thinking approach, with the ability to lead and manage staff working within the unit and who is strong communicator.

Candidates will be highly motivated, a team player and someone that can respond to the pace of a busy acute Trust.

This is a fast-paced environment, with a consistently high-volume of work with regularly changing standards. We are seeking individuals who can work as part of the multidisciplinary Technical Service team and provide support the general pharmacy team.

Main duties of the job

Deputise for the Specialist or Senior Technician as delegated and/or as designated in their absence and appropriately represent at relevant meetings

Support the Technical Services Technicians and assistant teams and supervise processes

Identify extended roles for support staff and areas for service improvements in line with the modernisation agenda, local and national initiatives, professional development and changes in legislation

Plan staffing requirements; supervise the technician and assistant rota

Identify opportunities for further developments in pharmacy services

Contribute to the planning of the pharmacy service in conjunction with the Senior Pharmacy Technician team

Support the development of extended technician roles and the implementation of technician led services

Act as a technician role model and demonstrate the ability to provide safe, clinically effective and cost efficient use of medicines

Provide professional leadership and motivate and inspire other staff inside and outside of pharmacy and act as a role model

Identify options and opportunities for service provision, which enhance the efficiency of the service in order to reduce waiting times, improve accuracy, improve productivity and support staff development

Working for our organisation

East Lancashire Hospitals has a history of innovation and is an exciting place to work. We have gone live recently with a full Electronic Patient Record, which incorporates ePrescribing and medicines reconciliation activities. We were the first Trust in the country to launch Refer-to-Pharmacy. The pharmacy teams utilise ELHT's unique e-patient tracking system to identify and target patients requiring medicines reconciliation, and as an e-pharmaceutical care planning tool.

The successful candidate will be supported to develop themselves as well as the service they are responsible for, in a friendly and forward-thinking organisation.
If you want to make a difference, are passionate about patient care, then there has never been a better time to join our team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See attached Job Description for full details

• Deputise for the Specialist and Senior Technicians as designated in their absence.
• Support the Assistant Directors of Pharmacy in providing a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centred pharmacy service to the Trust.
• Work in partnership with the Specialist Technician and Senior Technician in the provision of a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centred pharmacy service to the Trust.
• Supervise the team of technicians and assistants involved in the delivery of the service and medicines risk management.
• Supervise and co-ordinate the day-to-day technical operation of the section/department, ensuring that the service is provided in accordance with relevant professional, ethical, legal and locally agreed policies, procedures, guidelines and standards.
• Support the wider Pharmacy dispensary and ward based teams when necessary and as per rotation.
• Ensure staffing resource is adequate for the requirement of the service on a day-to-day basis.
• Maintain and develop the highest standards of patient-focused care in the provision of technical services
• Support the governance and medicines risk management agenda locally.
• Support the development of the technician and assistant teams to complement and facilitate multidisciplinary working.
• Act as a role model in the field of clinical technician pharmacy practice and provide a consistently high level of pharmaceutical service in line with corporate objectives and government initiatives.
• Support the agreed policies and procedures for safe medicines use and support mechanisms to promote high quality medicine use, effective risk management, clinical governance and adherence to Trust policies and guidelines concerning medicines use.
• Contribute to the development and improvement of the service.
• Support the ‘professional development’ of technicians and assistants.

Person specification

Qualification

• NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent qualification – approved for registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• BTec Accuracy Checking Technician Qualification or working towards
• A1 NVQ Assessor Qualification or equivalent

Experience

• Experience of supervising pharmacy services in primary or secondary care
• Practice in one or more relevant areas
• Ability to maintain and report on records and statistics

Qualities

• Supportive and motivational supervisor
• Can balance strong leadership and working within a team
• Prioritises and meets deadlines
• Flexibility in working hours
• Advanced keyboard skills

Dear Potential Applicant,

It is important you are made aware of the following as regards your application to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

• Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
• This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
• Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post. Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short-listed.

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS)

If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained.

The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed.

The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure will be £55.38 and for a Standard Disclosure will be £27.38.

This cost is not applicable for a Volunteer post

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The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust.

We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background.

We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible. By telephone [phone] or email [e-mail] write to Employment Services, Parkview Offices, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

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