Lead Pharmacy Technician - Stores and Distribution

Merseywestlancs; Knowsley; Remote; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking an enthusiastic Lead Pharmacy Technician to oversee Pharmacy stores and distribution, coordinating stock, storage, and delivery to wards and external service-users.

You will lead a team of Pharmacy Assistants, manage Omnicell systems, and ensure safe, accurate dispensing and compliance with procedures. NHS-trained candidates with GPhC registration are essential.

Qualifications

• UK professional registration with GPhC.
• NVQ/BTEC Level 3 Pharmacy Service skills or equivalent.
• Willing to gain accuracy checking qualification within 12 months.

Responsibilities

• To manage day-to-day Pharmacy stores and distribution.
• Lead Pharmacy Stores team and supervise staff.
• Ensure safe storage and stock control with audits.
• Coordinate Omnicell machines and assist new implementations.
• Distribute medicines to wards and external service-users.
• Ensure expiry checks and top-up processes.
• Write and update procedures; train staff.

Skills

Self-motivation

Verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Concentration under pressure

Attention to detail

Time management

Team leadership

Education

GPhC registration

NVQ/BTEC Level 3 in Pharmacy Service skills or equivalent

BTEC professional diploma in dispensing checking or equivalent

Tools

CMM pharmacy computer system

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join #TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations.

Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Lead Pharmacy Technician - Stores and Distribution

NHS AfC: Band 5

Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 5 Contract Permanent: Including participation in evening, weekend and bank holiday rotas Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (9.30am - 6pm Monday to Friday) Job ref 409-8334631

Site Whiston Hospital Town Prescot Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 30/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and innovative Pharmacy Technician to lead our Pharmacy Stores team. The post holder will co-ordinate the supply of medicines from Pharmacy stores, and will ensure the safe storage of Pharmaceuticals within the department.

You will lead a team of Pharmacy Assistants in providing high quality Pharmacy services to all wards and departments within the Trust.

Both the Pharmacy stores and Dispensary are automated and have Omnicell dispensing robots installed.

You should have a proactive approach and be willing to work with the dispensary and procurement teams to ensure the safe and secure receipt and supply of medicines.

Applicants must be have an NVQ / BTEC Level 3 Pharmacy Service skills or a recognised equivalent and ideally should possess BTEC Level 4 Professional Diploma in Dispensing Technician Checking or recognised equivalent, or must be willing to gain an approved accuracy checking qualification within 12 months,

Main duties of the job

To be responsible for the day to day management of the Pharmacy stores, and distribution section, including organisation of workload, correct storage of stock and supervision of designated staff. To ensure the safe and efficient delivery of medicines to both Trust and external service-users

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To manage all staff and activities in Pharmacy stores, in conjunction with the Senior Stores Assistant to ensure that work is completed accurately, promptly and in order of priority, addressing issues with individuals as they arise. To manage the stock in the Pharmacy stores area and ensure that it is stored correctly, including monitoring of temperatures and correct storage of fridge items, cytotoxic medicines etc. To ensure a full audit trail is maintained for the supply of stock to wards, ensuring easy identification of the person that picked, checked, delivered and received. To liaise with Trust wards and departments and other external customers regarding any stock problems. Ensure that ward and department stock lists are kept up to date by co-ordinating stock list reviews for all wards and clinical areas, including liaising with ward Pharmacists and ward based Pharmacy Technicians. To ensure that expiry date checks are carried out in stores and on the wards and clinics on a continuous rolling basis as part of the top-up process, and ensure that expiry date checks occur before stocks are sent to the wards. Systems and procedures for documenting this must be maintained. To supervise and maintain the safe processing, assessment and re-use or disposal of stock drugs returned from wards and departments. To ensure the timely replenishment of stock items in the Emergency Medicines room to ensure an out of hours supply of critical medicines is maintained. To work with the Senior Technician team to manage the current Omnicell machines and to assist with the implementation of new Omnicell machines within the Trust. To ensure that orders from Omnicell from various wards and departments are processed accurately, and in a timely manner, and delivered securely. To carry out regular top-up spot check assessments in order to confirm the quality of the service, ensuring staff are retrained where appropriate and formally managed when quality fails to improve despite support and training. To be responsible for writing, reviewing and implementing written procedures and to ensure that all staff in the area have read and understand any new or updated procedures. To co-ordinate daily stock checks (KADJM) and investigates any stock discrepancies in line with department procedures in order to maintain accurate stock levels. To monitor stock to-follows or lack or out of stock medicines required for ward top-ups and liaise regularly with procurement staff to ensure alternatives are supplied as quickly as possible. To lead weekly meeting within the stores area to communicate workload, performance, service updates and issues to all staff working in the area. To work with the Clinical Trials Pharmacist to co-ordinate the safe and accurate operation of clinical trials within the department, which involves the receipt, correct storage, dispensing processes and administration duties involved, and to ensure that other dispensing staff are kept up to date with training. To implement planned service developments effectively, and communicate to staff. To final accuracy check dispensed prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures To dispense prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices. To participate in the audit, returns and destruction of Controlled drugs in line with the relevant legislation and Trust procedures. To participate in the dispensing process of all prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices and departmental procedures, including; inpatient, outpatient, discharge prescriptions, Controlled drugs and Clinical trials.To ensure all staff comply with safe working regulations including wearing PPE/protective clothing where appropriate, and that that a safe, clean and tidy working environment is maintained. To participate in / lead other relevant department meetings and contribute to positive and effective communication within the department.

Person specification

Our Values

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications

• Btec NC & NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Service skills or GPhC recognised equivalent
• Btec professional diploma in dispensing checking or GPhC recognised equivalent which must meet the APTUK standard for accuracy checking whish is 1000 item log with checking test The APTUK standard must be met within 3 months of starting role
• Registered as a practising Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC

Experience

• Substantial post-qualification experience working in a pharmaceutical environment
• Understand issues involved in safe and secure stock control and distribution of medicinces
• Computer literate, with knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel etc.
• Experience in using the CMM pharmacy computer system

Skills

• Self-motivated with the ability to motivate team performance to achieve objectives
• Good verbal communication skills both face to face and using telephones
• Able to communicate effectively with patients, staff and other senior health care professionals of all grades
• Able to concentrate for long periods of time, work under pressure and deal with frequent interruption due to operational nature of the role
• Able to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
• Organised with good time management skills
• Able to manage a team and provide support in a clear and organised way

Other

• Physically fit and able to lift and handle weights of approx. 10kg-12kg daily
• Able to travel various hospital locations
• Able to participate in the department rota for 7 days working
• Presents a professional attitude
• Responsible to flexible attitude to work

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Gill Eddleston Job title Operational Team Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 0151 290 4289