Lead Pharmacy Technician - Dispensary, Distribution & Training

NHS; Warwick; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is seeking an experienced Pharmacy Technician to lead Dispensary and Distribution services. The successful candidate will manage day-to-day operations, train staff, and ensure high-quality pharmacy services to clients. Candidates must hold GPhC registration and have significant experience in a similar role. This position involves supervising a dedicated team and providing expert technical advice. A supportive environment with excellent training opportunities is provided.

Benefits

Continuing professional development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Registered GPhC Pharmacy Technician with significant post‑registration experience.
• Experience managing pharmacy operations.
• Ability to motivate and support a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage Dispensary and Distribution services.
• Train and supervise pharmacy technicians and assistants.
• Provide technical advice and resolve operational problems.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Technical problem-solving

Organizational skills

Education

BTEC/NVQ3 in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent

Professional registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB

Tools

Microsoft Office

Pharmacy Management Systems

Job description

Presenting a great opportunity for an experienced Pharmacy Technician with an interest in Dispensary, Distribution & Training . Are you interested in joining an organisation rated CQC Outstanding, awarded HSJ Trust of the Year 2024 and consistently scores highly in the National NHS Staff Survey?

The friendly supportive team at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust are looking for a Lead Pharmacy Technician to support and develop our excellent Dispensary, Distribution and Training services. As the successful candidate, you will join our established Lead Technician team in this integral role; leading on all aspects of Dispensary & Distribution services to provide an outstanding level of service to our patients and clients, as well as supporting our comprehensive internal and external training and education programmes.

The successful candidate must hold GPhC registration as a Pharmacy Technician in the UK and have significant post‑registration experience in the relevant service area or similar. You will be an excellent communicator with well‑developed leadership skills and an ability to motivate and support your team. You will be self‑driven and improvement‑focused, with a drive to provide excellent pharmacy services to our patients.

Responsibilities

• Manage Dispensary, Distribution & Training aspects of pharmacy operations, and provide a high quality, effective technical and operational service.
• Be responsive to the needs of service users, and plan and implement developments and agreed changes in the operation of Dispensary & Distribution services.
• Lead and motivate the team of staff allocated to Dispensary & Distribution, ensuring that the team members actively and effectively contribute to the aims of the service, and that they are trained to enable them to do so, and that they are aware of the expectations of them.
• Line‑manage pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants allocated to the dispensary and distribution service, preregistration technicians/technician apprentices and pharmacy assistant apprentices; in line with the relevant Trust HR policies and guidance.
• Manage staff recruitment and selection (including chairing of interview panels), grievance and disciplinary procedures, and appraisal processes for relevant staff.
• Assist the Principal Pharmacists and lead pharmacists in the management and delivery and development of their clinical specialist areas of pharmacy practice, and assist the Principal Technician in the development of Pharmacy Operations.
• Provide expert technical advice in Dispensary & Distribution, and in matters concerning technical training and education; and resolve technical and operational problems within their area of expertise, referring to the relevant Principal Pharmacist or Principal Technician if necessary.
• Attend the relevant subgroups to the West Midlands Chief Pharmacists Network where appropriate, representing the interests of the Trust and reporting back to the Principal Pharmacy Technician.
• Effectively manage the education, training and development of staff, and the development of Medicines Management services Trust‑wide, as a key member of the Pharmacy team, and through project work.
• Act as an ambassador for the Pharmacy service and for multidisciplinary Medicines Management.
• Take appropriate action to manage complex operational issues within the Dispensary & Distribution areas on a day‑to‑day basis as required (e.g. staff shortages, complaints, workload organisation, clinical emergencies and any other urgent or unplanned events), to ensure continuity of service is maintained; escalating to the Principal Pharmacy Technician as appropriate.
• Write and maintain Standard Operating Procedures for all dispensary, distribution and clinical trials activities.
• Manage the dispensary workload, ensuring workflow is maintained and Key Performance Indicator targets are met while maintaining an efficient supply of medicines to support the avoidance of missed doses.
• Advise the Principal Pharmacy Technician on all identified current and future issues relating to the continuity of service.
• Ensure active monitoring of clinical screening, labelling, dispensing and accuracy checking errors through the established pharmacy error management systems; identify non‑recordable errors and ensure reflective practice is recorded by staff under the post-holder’s line management.
• Supervise and direct the work of Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Assistants, Preregistration Pharmacists and Preregistration Technicians assigned to the dispensary to ensure safe and effective dispensing and distribution practice.
• Ensure maintenance of accurate stock levels in pharmacy by completing daily stock counts, advising team members on the resolution of incorrect levels and managing/resolving incorrect levels in accordance with departmental SOPs.
• Identify and capitalise on opportunities for cost improvement through efficiencies in dispensary and distribution practice, working collaboratively with team members and the Principal Pharmacy Technician.
• Develop/contribute to the development of departmental security and medicines storage procedures and ensure that these are followed to maintain staff safety and the safe and secure handling of medicines in the dispensary and distribution area, including controlled drugs, escalating to the CD Accountable Officer where appropriate.
• Work collaboratively, where appropriate, with local Trusts and health‑economy partners and other NHS partners on issues relating to the dispensary & distribution service area.
• Contribute to the delivery of medicines optimisation/Hospital Pharmacy Transformation Plan and other pharmacy service objectives relating to areas of responsibility.
• Ensure dispensing and distribution of medicines remains in adherence to the Trust Formulary.
• Effectively act upon MHRA, DoH or manufacturer‑led medicines recall/advisory alert actions within agreed timeframes, in collaboration with the Lead Technician for Procurement, Stores & Wholesale.
• Report on all aspects of the dispensary & distribution service within specified reporting timeframes or on an ad‑hoc basis as needed.
• Ensure the application of the principles of Good Distribution Practice to all wholesale activity carried out in the pharmacy distribution service area.
• Ensure all stock returns to the dispensary from wards and departments are processed safely and accurately according to local procedures.
• Manage the over‑labelling/pre‑packing of medicines for use within the organisation as TTO packs or other pack‑down units.
• Manage activities relating to clinical trials; ensure maintenance of Good Clinical Practice and ensure up‑to‑date GCP training for all staff involved in clinical trials processes.
• Be a key point of contact for pharmacy operational issues relating to clinical trials.
• Manage all aspects of preregistration pharmacy technician training, working with external course providers, Health Education England and the Trust Learning and Development team as appropriate.
• Identify external course providers for post‑registration training of pharmacy technicians (e.g. Checking Technician Accreditation) and pharmacy assistants (e.g. level 2 qualification providers); assess feasibility, suitability and value for money and advise the Principal Pharmacy Technician as appropriate.
• Write and maintain internal training packs and maintain a staff training matrix to ensure completion of the correct training and timely reaccreditation.
• Train, or suitably delegate the training of, all technical pharmacy staff through a combination of direction, coaching and mentorship.
• Maintain up‑to‑date training files for all technical pharmacy staff.

Key Working Relationships

• Pharmacists and Medicines Managers working in clinical areas which have a stake in the Procurement & Stores area of Pharmacy.
• Other Pharmacy staff.
• Medical, nursing and midwifery teams, EBME team and other relevant specialist areas of the Trust.
• Corporate support departments – Finance, HR, Governance, Estates as appropriate.
• Relevant external agencies appropriate to Pharmacy Procurement & Stores, such as licensing bodies.
• Internal and external training providers/teams.
• Counterparts in other organisations.
• Local, Regional, National networks.

Manages

• All staff permanently allocated to Dispensary and Distribution, and staff on rotation into these, who may include Pre‑Registration pharmacy technicians, Pre‑Registration Pharmacists, rotational Pharmacists, and rotational Technicians.

Special Requirements

• Any other duties considered appropriate to the post and grade by the line manager.
• The post-holder will have Warwick Hospital as their main base but may be required to work at and/or visit other hospitals in the Trust, or the trusts we serve. This job description does not form part of the contract of employment, is not exhaustive and serves as a guide to the main tasks, envisaged at the time of drafting. As such this job description will change and evolve in accordance with the Pharmacy Services needs.

Person Specification – Qualifications

• BTEC/NVQ3 in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent
• Accredited Checking Technician
• Short courses in management training
• NVQ internal assessor validation.
• NVQ internal verification validation.
• Professional registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB.
• Evidence of CPD.

Desirable Qualifications

• HNC in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Experience

• Experience of day to day management of technical operations in a section of a hospital pharmacy.
• Sufficient experience of hospital pharmacy to achieve the competencies required for the job.
• Significant experience of the specialist service area of the post.
• Supervision of a team of technicians/assistants.
• Planning and implementing improvements in pharmacy service.
• Writing and presenting reports.
• Multidisciplinary working.
• Problem solving involving most grades of hospital staff.
• Involved in service development action plans.
• Broad experience in communicating complex information to staff, patients, relatives and other healthcare professionals.
• Equal opportunities.
• Performance management, appraisals, objective setting.
• Experience in pharmacy/ medicines legislation.
• Experience in risk management and the investigation of incidents, errors and complaints drug withdrawals, hazard warnings etc.

Desirable Experience

• Disciplinary process
• Recruitment process.

Skills & Knowledge

• Awareness of hospital pharmacy developments.
• Extensive knowledge around the specialist service area of the post.
• Competent in the skills required in the specialist service area of the post.
• Accurate dispensing and checking skills.
• Excellent numerical calculation skills.
• Able to record and keep accurate records.
• Able to accurately input data onto systems.
• Competent in writing and implementing SOPs.
• Good team leader/ manager skills.
• Strong training skills.
• Generally able to deal with difficult, concerned, angry, disturbed patients, relatives, carers.
• Generally able to deal with difficult, angry, annoyed healthcare colleagues.
• Must be able to concentrate for prolonged periods yet be able to deal with interruptions.
• Able to plan, co‑ordinate and balance conflicting priorities.
• Able to demonstrate clear thinking and defend judgements.

Desirable Skills & Knowledge

• Understands JAC system and reports.
• Awareness of benefits of IT.

Personal Qualities

• Team player
• Enthusiastic, self‑motive and able to motivate others.
• Technical credibility with colleagues.
• Confident, but not overconfident.
• Appropriately persistent.
• Patient centred approach.
• Approachable.
• Aware of own limitations.
• Innovative.
• Appreciates feedback.
• Ability to create a rapport.

Other Job Requirements

• Some flexibility in working hours.
• Keyboard skills and general IT knowledge.
• Capable in Microsoft Outlook, Word.
• Able to use a VDU.
• Occasional moderate lifting.

Desirable Other Requirements

• Capable in Excel, PowerPoint.
• Driver, with use of motorised transport.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer Details

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

Warwick Hospital

Lakin Road

Warwick

CV34 5BW

Employer’s Website

https://www.swft.nhs.uk/ (opens in a new tab)