Pharmacy Technician

DrPA Secure; Shipton-on-Cherwell; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

DrPA Secure is seeking a qualified Pharmacy Technician to deliver medicines reconciliation and optimisation within Campsfield House IRC. You will support safe, compliant dispensing and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in a secure environment.

The role requires registration with the GPhC, NVQ Level 3/BTEC in Pharmacy Services, and strong organisational skills to manage workload in challenging conditions. On-site pharmacy operations and adherence to NHS standards are essential.

Qualifications

• Registered Pharmacy Technician with GPhC
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills
• Ability to work independently in a secure environment

Responsibilities

• Medicines reconciliation for new entries and transfers
• Medicines optimisation and patient counselling
• Audit, KPI reporting and formulary oversight
• Drug safety and controlled drugs custody and records

Skills

Pharmacy technician

Education

NVQ Level 3 / BTEC in Pharmacy Services

Job description

About Us

DrPA has been operating in secure environments since 2014 providing General Practitioner services and we are now growing to provide a complete healthcare service Campsfield House IRC commissioned by NHS England. This will be delivered directly or through a range of specialist partners who are experts in their field. We deliver our services based on our ethos of CARE:

• Compassionate care that is trauma informed and supportive
• Assurance that care is evidence-based & demonstrates high quality outcomes for our patients
• Respectful of people’s cultural and religious beliefs
• Equitable care that is in line with the community services

Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC)

Campsfield House IRC is a secure facility currently designed to accommodate up to 160 male residents in both single and dual occupancy rooms. The centre houses a combination of time-served foreign national offenders and immigration offenders while the Home Office arranges their removal from the UK.

Residents are not permitted to leave the centre or access the local area. Consequently, recreational, educational, healthcare, living, and faith‑related facilities are provided entirely onsite.

The healthcare department provides a range of services including primary care, mental health, substance misuse, pharmacy, dental, optometry, physiotherapy, podiatry, and audiology delivered either by us or our specialist partners.

Join us at the beginning…This role may be starting before we go live to provide local support and help setting up. During this period, you will be helping prepare documentation, setting the pharmacy up, going through the processes, ensure we have the right stock, and much more.

Job Summary

To deliver a safe, effective, patient‑centred pharmacy and medicines optimisation service, supporting the health needs of people in a secure environment in line with Royal Pharmaceutical Society Professional Standards for Optimising Medicines in Secure Environments, NICE guidelines on medicines reconciliation and medicines safety, national standards, NHS England specifications for primary care in secure settings, and local policies.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

Medicines Reconciliation & Admission Screening

• Undertake comprehensive medicines reconciliation for new receptions and transfers, ensuring accurate and timely identification of current therapy, reducing medication errors and wastage
• Identify and resolve discrepancies, liaising with prescribers, community pharmacies, and external healthcare providers as needed

Medicines Optimisation & Patient Support

• Perform medication checks to optimise therapy, reduce polypharmacy, and support adherence
• Support the pharmacist in delivering Medicines Use Reviews (MURs) and patient counselling to improve understanding and safe use of medication
• Provide clear, individualised advice on in‑possession medicines, side effects, and correct use

Substance Misuse & Withdrawal Management

• Recognise and escalation signs of drug or alcohol withdrawal
• Support patients with substance misuse concerns and those at risk of self‑harm or suicide, working closely with healthcare and IRC staff

Audit, KPI Reporting & Formulary Oversight

• Conduct regular audits on prescribing, reconciliation, administration, and formulary compliance
• Monitor use of the allocated formulary, identifying opportunities for cost‑effective prescribing
• Provide accurate data and insights for KPI and contract performance reports

Drug Safety & Controlled Drugs

• Promote and monitor medicines safety, ensuring compliance with controlled drug legislation and secure custody protocols.
• Maintain meticulous, contemporaneous records of all pharmacy activities.

Collaborative Working & Governance

• Communicate effectively with multidisciplinary teams, prison officers, and external agencies, both verbally and in writing.
• Participateinclinicalmeetingsandgovernanceactivitiestodrivecontinuousimprovementinpharmacyservices
• Takedirectionfromthepharmacistandchiefpharmacisttosupportservicedevelopment

Professional Practice & Development

• Functionautonomouslywithinyourscopeofcompetencewhileservingasarolemodelandresourcetojuniorstaff
• Maintainup‑to‑date knowledge of best practice, guidelines, and professional standards.
• EngageincontinuousprofessionaldevelopmenttomeetGPhCrequirements

Criteria

Essential

• Registered Pharmacy Technicianwiththe General Pharmaceutical Council(GPhC)
• RelevantNVQLevel3 / BTECinPharmacyServices(orequivalent)
• Accreditationinmedicinesreconciliationoraccuracychecking(desirable)
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skillstomanage workload in a challenging environment.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, particularly with patients who may be vulnerable or distressed.
• Commitment to medicines safety, audit processes, and high standards of record keeping.

Desirable

• Previous experience within a secure setting
• Ability to participate in multi professional teamwork.
• SystmOne experience

General Information

The post holder may be required to perform other relevant and appropriate duties as reasonably needed. This list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check & CTC Clearance

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.

This post will require the holder to undertake and successfully complete the Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC) process.

Please note, in order to apply, all applicants need to have been living in the United Kingdom (with residency in the UK, such as UK/Irish/EU Passport, or an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa) for the last 5 years with no more than a 28 day break being outside of the UK and no gaps in employment during this time