Lead Pharmacy Technician - Virtual Wards, Hospital at Home and OPAT

NHS; Luton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is seeking a Lead Pharmacy Technician to enhance patient care through effective medicines management in Luton. The ideal candidate will communicate with multidisciplinary teams to conduct medicines reconciliation and support nurse-led care. Experience in clinical pharmacy services is desirable. This role emphasizes reducing medication-related problems and improving patient outcomes, offering opportunities for innovation and career development.

Benefits

Access to high-quality training and development programs

Commitment to staff wellbeing

Qualifications

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• BTEC National Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent.
• Accredited accuracy checking technician.
• Significant experience in ward-based medicines management.

Responsibilities

• Conduct medicines reconciliation for patients in the Virtual Ward.
• Support specialist nursing teams in planning and medicines management.
• Communicate effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Leadership skills

Excellent communication

Experience in medicines reconciliation

Proactive approach

Education

BTEC National Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science

NVQ level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent

Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Job description

Overview

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lead Pharmacy Technician to support the Virtual Ward (VW), Hospital @ Home (H@H), and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services. The closing date is 03 October 2025.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to enhance patient care by ensuring the safe, effective, and efficient use of medicines for patients receiving treatment at home. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams to conduct medicines reconciliation, identify and resolve discrepancies, and support specialist nursing teams in medication-related care. Effective communication with hospital teams, GPs, community pharmacies, and social care providers will be essential to ensure seamless transitions of care and accurate medication handovers. You will aim to reduce medication-related problems, prevent avoidable hospital admissions, and minimise medicine waste. In addition to patient-focused responsibilities, you will contribute to policy development, medication safety governance, and cost-effective prescribing within the service.

We are looking for a highly organised and proactive pharmacy technician with excellent communication and leadership skills. Experience in medicines reconciliation, clinical pharmacy services, and multidisciplinary working is desirable. If you are passionate about improving patient care and supporting innovative healthcare models, we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

• To promote a high-quality approach to the reconciliation of medicines of patients admitted to the Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and OPAT services) by effective communication with the hospital teams, patients/carers, colleagues in primary and social care and by promoting multidisciplinary and multi-way communications.
• Conduct medicines reconciliation for patients in the Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and OPAT services), identifying discrepancies and resolving them with appropriate clinicians.
• Pro-actively support the specialist nursing teams in planning and providing care in relation to medicines management for patients in the Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and OPAT services.
• To improve patient care, reduce medication related problems, avoidable hospital admissions and reduce drug costs and waste.
• To contribute to the strategic development of support for medicines management in the domiciliary setting in the context of the relationships between the Trust, hospital, other stakeholders and patients in the community.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

Full a full breakdown of roles and responsibilities please refer the job description and person spec attached.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• BTEC National Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science, NVQ level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent
• Accredited accuracy checking technician
• AIMM accreditation or relevant equivalent
• Train the Trainer qualification or relevant equivalent
• APTUK

Experience

• Extensive experience as a ward-based Medicines Management Technician
• Customer orientated service
• Customer orientated experience
• Training, mentoring and supervision of staff
• Experience of Team Leading
• Experience of participating in Quality Improvement work
• Experience of developing and delivering bite-sized staff education and training
• Experience of developing SOPs

Knowledge

• Understanding of customer care
• Understanding of the need of Information Governance and confidentiality awareness at all times
• Good up to date knowledge of medicines use
• Awareness of Quality Management Systems
• Confident use of standard Office IT programmes

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.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust