Lead Pharmacy Technician, Medicines Efficiency

Nhs View All Jobs; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group seeks an experienced Specialist Pharmacist/ Pharmacy Technician, Medicines Efficiency to lead and coordinate the Trust's Medicines Efficiency Programme.

You will support the safe implementation of medicines switches, cost-saving initiatives and formulary changes, with a focus on the LMWH Switch Programme—a strategic CIP with broad impact.

Qualifications

• Experience in medicines efficiency programmes, cost-saving initiatives or project management preferred.
• Experience delivering medicines efficiency changes and cost improvements within an NHS hospital setting.
• Knowledge of governance, audits, and KPI reporting requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and operational advice on medicines efficiencies.
• Lead and coordinate the Medicines Efficiency Programme across the Trust.
• Collaborate with pharmacy, finance, procurement and clinical stakeholders for efficiency projects.
• Ensure governance, audits and KPI reporting are maintained.
• Support the medicines efficiency work‑plan and assist teams to meet deadlines.
• Monitor medicines expenditure and identify plans to address cost pressures.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Problem solving

Teamwork

Education

BTEC/NVQ3 Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent

GPhC registration

Tools

Pharmacy systems (e.g., CMM)

Job description

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Specialist Pharmacist/ Pharmacy Technician, Medicines Efficiency to join our Pharmacy team and play a pivotal role in delivering the Trust's Medicines Efficiency Programme. This is an exciting opportunity for a pharmacy technician who wants to develop their leadership, influencing and project management skills while working at the forefront of medicines optimisation and cost improvement.

About the Role

Working closely with the Principal Pharmacist for Medicines Efficiency, you will lead and coordinate medicines efficiency initiatives across the Trust, supporting the safe implementation of medicines switches, cost improvement programmes and formulary changes.

A key focus of the role will be contributing to the Trust's flagship Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) Switch Programme - a highly visible and strategically important Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) with significant organisational impact. This programme offers an exceptional opportunity for the successful candidate to demonstrate and further develop project management skills, stakeholder engagement and change leadership across clinical, operational and corporate teams.

About You

Experience of medicines efficiency programmes, cost-saving initiatives or project management would be highly desirable, but most importantly we are looking for someone with the enthusiasm, drive and leadership potential to help deliver transformational change.

Main Duties

• The provision of technical and operational advice on all matters of medicines efficiencies
• To assist the Principal Pharmacist Medicines Efficiency to lead and coordinate the Medicines Efficiency Programme across the Trust, ensuring timely implementation of agreed switches and cost-saving initiatives
• To act in collaboration with the Principal Pharmacist Medicines Efficiency as key liaison between pharmacy, finance, procurement, and clinical stakeholders for medicines efficiency projects.
• To ensure compliance with governance, audit, and KPI reporting requirements.
• To support the overall medicines efficiency work‑plan, providing regular status reportsand assisting teams in achieving deadlines.
• To assist the Principal Pharmacist Medicines Efficiency to monitor and evaluate medicines expenditure across the Trust, identifying and putting plans in place to address cost pressures and Cost Improvement Plans
• To liaise with service managers, nursing and clinical leads to safely support the introduction of or switch to a new medication as part of a cost improvement plan.
• To ensure regular communication within the team needs to be maintained in relation to working practices, procedures and any changes.,

Qualifications – Essential

• BTEC/NVQ3 Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent
• Registration with GPhC
• Professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Qualifications – Desirable

• Educational Supervisor / NVQ Level 2 assessor
• Post registration management qualification
• Accredited checking technician
• Financial or procurement qualification

Skills and Ability – Essential

• Ability to organise own workload and that of others.
• Problem solving skills
• -You are able to communicate effectively to ensure high standards of care, treatment, service or support as appropriate to your role

Skills and Ability – Desirable

• Be able to analyse complex information relating to medicines efficiency programmes
• Demonstrates initiative

Knowledge and Experience – Essential

• Relevant post registration UK hospital experience
• Knowledge of finance systems and budget control
• Managing a team
• Experience of working with pharmacy systems (e.g., CMM).
• Experience of policy/procedure/SOP writing
• Experience of completing audits and implementing change.
• Appropriate experience at a minimum of band 6, working as a qualified pharmacist in an NHS hospital (Pharmacist)

Knowledge and Experience – Desirable

• Proven track record in implementing medicines efficiency or cost‑saving initiatives.
• Pharmacy stock control
• Experience of project management.
• Experience of working with clinical divisions/ directorates

Person Specification

• BTEC/NVQ3 Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent
• Registration with GPhC
• Professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Person Specification – Desirable

• Educational Supervisor / NVQ Level 2 assessor
• Post registration management qualificationAccredited checking technician
• Financial or procurement qualification

Person Specification – Skills and Ability – Essential

• Ability to organise own workload and that of others.
• Problem solving skills
• -You are able to communicate effectively to ensure high standards of care, treatment, service or support as appropriate to your role

Person Specification – Skills and Ability – Desirable

• Be able to analyse complex information relating to medicines efficiency programmes
• Demonstrates initiative

Person Specification – Knowledge and Experience – Essential

• Relevant post registration UK hospital experience
• Knowledge of finance systems and budget control
• Managing a team
• Experience of working with pharmacy systems (e.g., CMM).
• Experience of policy/procedure/SOP writing
• Experience of completing audits and implementing change.
• Appropriate experience at a minimum of band 6, working as a qualified pharmacist in an NHS hospital (Pharmacist)

Person Specification – Knowledge and Experience – Desirable

• Proven track record in implementing medicines efficiency or cost‑saving initiatives.
• Pharmacy stock control
• Experience of project management.
• Experience of working with clinical divisions/ directorates

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce. At gesh we are committed to supporting flexible working arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to discuss any flexibility they may need during the recruitment process.