Pre Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician

Merseywestlancs; Knowsley; Remote; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave (pro rata)

NHS pension scheme

Flexible working options

Job summary

MWL invites applications for a fixed-term 2-year Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician role at Whiston and St Helens Hospitals. You will rotate across the Pharmacy team, learn dispensing, and work toward GPhC registration.

Must commit to college work (~10 hours weekly) and have GCSEs in Maths and English with two Science subjects, or NVQ L2 with a science assessment. Successful completion leads to Year 2 progression.

Qualifications

• GCSEs or equivalent required with Maths, English and 2 Science subjects.
• NVQ L2 in Pharmacy Service skills or equivalent qualification accepted.
• Commitment to completing the Pharmacy Technician (Integrated) Level 3 Apprenticeship.

Responsibilities

• Assist in receiving prescriptions according to safe practices.
• Assist in dispensing according to safe practices.
• Rotate through Pharmacy sections (inpatient, outpatient, stores) and learn dispensing systems.
• Assist in dispensing controlled drugs and maintain records.
• Support stock control and ordering for the Pharmacy.

Skills

GCSEs

Maths

English

Science subjects

Education

GCSEs or equivalent with Maths English and 2 Science subjects

NVQ L2 in Pharmacy Service skills

Pharmacy Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship

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.

NHS AfC: Band 3

Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Fixed term: 24 months (Must participate in evening, weekend and Bank holiday rotas) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Working hours Monday - Friday 9:30am - 6pm) Job ref 409-8357929

Site Whiston Hospital Town Prescot Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 09/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Team MWL as a Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician in our Pharmacy team based at Whiston and St Helens Hospitals

On successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, you will become a qualified Pharmacy Technician , and be able to register with GPhC.

You must be willing and able to follow an academic and practical training course and commit to undertaking at least 10 hours per week of your own time to complete college assignments.

Applicants must have at least 4 GCSEs or Equivalent, at grade C (or grade 4 or above) which must include Maths, English, and 2 Science subjects

Or

If you have 2 years Pharmacy experience and already have your NVQ L2, then you may apply but will need to pass a science assessment before being offered the post.

You must be able to provide the original certificates (or certified copies) of these qualifications at the interview stage. Statement of results will not be accepted.

This post is offered on a fixed-term basis for 2 years. Due to the significant training and development investment associated with this role, applicants must be committed to completing the full 2-year term of the contract and be able to demonstrate their entitlement to work in the UK for the full duration of the appointment.

Main duties of the job

You must be willing and able to follow an academic and practical training course and commit to undertaking at least 10 hours per week of your own time to complete college assignments. Successful completion of this training will allow you to register with the GPhC as a practicing Pharmacy Technician.

As a Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician, you will rotate through different sections of the Pharmacy department, including Inpatient and Outpatient dispensing Ward services and Pharmacy stores, where you will be working with our newly installed automated dispensing systems. You will be preparing and dispensing a broad range of medicines including controlled drugs learning how to undertake a medicines reconciliation at ward level, final accuracy checking of prescriptions as well as providing advice and guidance to patients about their medicines.

As an apprenticeship this role is supported by an accompanying assessment and skills development programme, during which the post holder will gain the skills and knowledge relevant for this role. Learning will be a mix of in the workplace, formal on and off the job training, and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment. On successful completion of their Apprenticeship, they will have the right knowledge, skills, and behaviours they need for their chosen role.

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 assist in the receipt of prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices.
• To assist in the dispensing of prescriptions accurately and according to safe working practices.
• To fully participate in the Trainee technicians’ rota through each area of the pharmacy, including the dispensaries at St Helens and Whiston, Pharmacy stores, Medicines information and the Aseptic dispensing unit.
• To assist in the dispensing of controlled drug prescriptions and associated record keeping.
• To assist in stock control within the Pharmacy, wards, departments, and clinics.
• To request stocks and special line items in order to fulfil prescriptions.
• To take payment for prescriptions according to the departmental procedure.
• To assist in the preparation and assembly of supplies for delivery to wards and departments.
• To assist in the dispensing of extemporaneous medicines, using specific equipment (e.g., fume cupboards and weighing balances) and taking protective measures. Weighing and measuring must be accurate as there are narrow margins for errors.
• To assist in the preparation and dispensing of aseptically prepared products and cytotoxic drugs in accordance with agreed procedures of good practice and safety.
• To assist other members of staff in the performance of their duties.
• To answer phone calls and queries from patients and other healthcare professionals and refer to the appropriate person when necessary.
• To assist in the provision of individual dose dispensing and blister packing services for patients who have difficulty with normal medicines packaging.
• To assist in the preparation and assembly of resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes according to Trust Policy.
• To participate as necessary in weekend, evening, bank holiday and on-call rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• To work to the code of ethics and standards of practice as laid down by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• To undertake and successfully complete all aspects of the Approved training course for Pre-registration Pharmacy Technicians, including work-based projects and college assignments, as employment and progression to year 2 of the course is entirely dependent on completing year 1.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• To use the CMM computer system and input data responsibly and accurately, for all duties requiring it’s use.

RESEARCH & AUDIT

• To assist in departmental audit research projects to improve and develop the service provision, and to record and information required and assist in the compilation of necessary data.

Person specification

Our Values

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

Qualifications

• Minimum entry requirement Educated to GCSE Grade C/4 in English and Maths and/or equivalent qualification. For those with an education, health and care plan or legacy statement, the Apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is equivalent to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
• Minimum entry requirement 2 years current experience working in a Pharmacy setting, combined with a NVQ L2 in Pharmacy Service skills or other GPhC recognised qualification, with or without a science subject. For candidates without the above experience and qualification, they must have at least one science qualification GCSE Grade A-C.
• Qualification to be gained over the period of the apprenticeship: Commitment to and completion of the Pharmacy Technician (Integrated) Level 3 Apprenticeship qualification

Experience

• Able to communicate with a range of people, in a way that is clear and understood
• Demonstrate an ability to work as part of a teamwork to achieve a common goal
• Can plan, organise, and effectively prioritise tasks to achieve the required objectives
• Can effectively manage own time and activity to meet deadlines
• Demonstrates an understanding of the NHS
• Knowledge & Experience to be gained over the period of the apprenticeship: IT skills with knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office package
• Previous experience working in a Pharmacy setting

Skills

• Skills to be gained over the period of the apprenticeship: Ability to use own initiative and show resilience
• Good verbal and communication skills
• Ability to work and follow instruction accurately
• Well organised with good time management skills
• Ability to work accurately and under pressure
• Ability to be part of a team
• Reliable, trustworthy, and able to maintain confidentiality

Other

• Other will be gained over the period of the apprenticeship to obtain: Always comply with Trust policies and procedures at all times
• Ability to travel between hospital locations
• Ability to participate in the department rota for late and weekend working
• Supportive of colleagues of all grades
• Presents a professional image/appearance

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [e-mail]

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

eVisa Update
For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK.
Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account.
Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:

• Understand how to generate an eVisa share code

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

• All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
• There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
• Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here .

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.