Pharmacy Technician - Primary Care

NHS; Southampton; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A health services organization in Southampton is seeking a motivated Pharmacy Technician to support patient care through medication management and reviews. This role offers the opportunity for professional development in a collaborative environment, focusing on enhancing patient outcomes and integrating pharmacy services across healthcare settings.

Qualifications

• Experience in primary care, hospital, or community pharmacy is essential.
• ACPT accreditation and supervisory experience are desirable.
• Knowledge of mental health medicines is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation.
• Assist the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews.
• Manage shared care protocols with Clinical Pharmacists.

Skills

Organisational skills

Communication skills

IT skills

Education

NVQ level 3 in Pharmaceutical Services

Registered Pharmacy Technician

Tools

EMIS

SystmOne

WellSky/JAC

Job description

Overview

Pharmacy Technician - Primary Care

The closing date is 05 October 2025

We are seeking a motivated Pharmacy Technician to join our expanding medicines management team within Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. You will play a vital role in improving safe and cost-effective prescribing, supporting Structured Medication Reviews, and enhancing patient outcomes across GP practices, community services, and hospital settings.

Your work will include medicines reconciliation, repeat prescribing, long-term condition reviews, and providing lifestyle advice. You will liaise with GPs, community pharmacists, and hospital teams to ensure smooth transfers of care, respond to medicines queries, and support audits, service development, and training.

You should have experience in primary care, hospital, or community pharmacy, with strong organisational, communication, and IT skills and will gain diverse experience while pursuing the PCPEP, with full support and study time dedicated to your development.

We are looking for someone who is detail-focused, able to work independently or in a team, and committed to medicines safety and continuous professional development. ACPT accreditation, supervisory experience, and knowledge of mental health medicines are desirable.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain cross-sector experience in a supportive, forward-thinking environment. We will support your ongoing development, including CPD, and you will be part of a team committed to making a real difference to patient care across our communities.

Main duties of the job

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare (HIOWH) NHS Foundation Trust is expanding its pharmacy technician team in Southampton. This role will be crucial in driving meaningful change and improving services within our hospital sites and partner Primary Care Networks (PCNs).

The Pharmacy Technician role supports medicines optimisation across the Trust, with flexibility to work in cross-sector environments including hospital, community, and PCN settings. The post holder will play a key role in improving safe and cost-effective prescribing, enhancing patient outcomes, reducing health inequalities, and supporting public health initiatives.

We welcome applications from Pharmacy Technicians at all career stages and in any branch of the profession. Candidates will need to enrol in the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) if they haven't already undertaken.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

• Supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medications during patient transfers, working with local community pharmacies.
• Assisting the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) by organising necessary monitoring tests.
• Addressing public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice and information to tackle health inequalities.
• Managing shared care protocols and collaborating with Clinical Pharmacists for complex patients.
• Promoting antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
• Implementing national prescribing policies in GP practices and care homes.
• Supporting the PCN in achieving the QIPP agenda, QOF, and enhanced services.
• Building relationships with pharmacy professionals and multidisciplinary teams to enhance integration across health and social care.
• Training administrative staff on issuing repeat and acute prescriptions and ensuring compliance with safety protocols.
• Assisting with medicines reconciliation and updating patients' medical records.
• Helping achieve the Practice's QOF targets for prescribing and contributing to the improvement of repeat prescribing systems.
• Providing advice on changes in prescribing to improve safety and effectiveness.
• Participating in medication audits and assisting in managing prescribing budgets with the Medicines Management team.
• Raising awareness about medication throughout the clinical team and responding to medication queries from patients and staff.
• Presenting at patient group meetings and other relevant events.
• Undertake cross-sector work as required, including hospital ward/dispensary duties.
• Clinical and Professional Responsibilities: Assist in the medication reconciliation process by confirming medications currently taken by the patient, gathering information from patient, relatives, GP, discharge summaries, or clinic letters, and updating the electronic record. Resolve discrepancies and intervene in collaboration with the prescriber; refer to pharmacist as needed and document interventions.
• Complete all relevant electronic forms if any errors are found and inform the pharmacist and lead GP of identified errors.
• Ensure all necessary documentation is correctly completed in the units visited.
• Arrange for prompt dispensing of non-stock supplies for inpatients, following the hospital formulary and guidance on restricted medications, and in accordance with established procedures.
• Ensure medications are transferred with the patient between settings to avoid duplication of supply.
• Assess the suitability, quality, and identity of patients' own drugs (PODs) for extended use and dispose of any discontinued or unsuitable PODs according to local procedures and guidance.
• Evaluate the suitability of patients\' own drugs for discharge medications, and organise a timely supply of new or additional items according to local procedures and guidelines.
• Comply with legislative changes related to the Falsified Medicines Directive.
• Provide medicines management support to other community and primary care service areas as agreed by the line manager, and cover for other team members\' leave and sickness across all sites provided by the medicines management team.
• Develop the role of the Medicines Management Technician.
• Communication Responsibilities: Undertake sessions within a dispensary to maintain ACT competency, targeting two hours per week. Ensure compliance with accreditation requirements in areas such as ACPT.
• Assess patient compliance with medication and ability to self-medicate, including home visits when needed. Organise compliance aids (e.g., blister packs, Dossett boxes).
• Respond professionally to medication queries from patients, staff, and other healthcare providers; refer to the appropriate multidisciplinary team member as per protocols.
• Liaise with GP practices, community pharmacists, and hospital teams regarding medication-related issues to ensure smooth transition from secondary to primary care.
• Provide information and counselling on medicines to patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals, considering their understanding and well-being.
• Assess patients for smoking and alcohol use, providing brief advice and referrals as needed using IT systems or documented protocols.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team and participate in team meetings; liaise with prescribers and appliance contractors to ensure appropriate prescription requests.
• Attend and actively participate in team meetings.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 in Pharmaceutical Services (or equivalent)
• Pharmacy Technician Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council
• Evidence of CPD

Experience

• Experience of working in GP practice or NHS provider (hospital or community pharmacy)
• A sound knowledge of the workings of General Practice and NHS Primary Care
• Experience with clinical computer systems such as EMIS, SystmOne, WellSky/JAC
• Experience in coordinating and prioritising daily workload
• Experience of supervising and training pharmacy staff
• Problem solving/decision making

Additional Criteria

• Excellent attention to detail
• Highly motivated and enthusiastic
• Familiarity with drug names and terminology
• Effective in both verbal and written communication
• Knowledge of safe and secure handling of medicines
• Understanding of requirements for unlicensed medicines
• Ability to follow standard operating procedures
• Capable of identifying and addressing personal learning needs
• Able to work calmly and accurately under pressure

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 CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£31,049 to £37,796 a yearBased on full time hours