Pre – Registration Training Pharmacy Technician (PTPT)

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is offering a Pre–Registration Training Pharmacy Technician (PTPT) role on a 2-year training contract in Dorchester. The post requires weekend and bank holiday rostered work.

You will rotate through the pharmacy, gain practical experience in dispensary, distribution and ward-based medicines management, and study toward a Level 3 qualification funded over the training period.

Qualifications

• GCSEs at grade 4 or above in Maths, English and 1 Science subject.
• NVQ 2 or equivalent in Pharmacy Services.
• Experience dealing with the public.

Responsibilities

• Dispense prescriptions for inpatients and outpatients per procedures.
• Dispense Controlled Drugs per procedures.
• Dispense prescriptions for external pharmacy customers per procedures.
• Provide cover for ATO annual leave and sickness.
• Provide medicines reconciliation for inpatients.
• Provide final accuracy check for medications for DCHFT.

Education

GCSEs (Maths, English, Science)

NVQ 2 in Pharmacy Services

Job description

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Pre – Registration Training Pharmacy Technician (PTPT)

The closing date is 19 November 2026

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team on a 2 year training contract. We are looking for versatile individuals who can adapt and cope with high pressured situations. The successful candidate will be able to prioritise their own workload and work flexibly within the team. There is a requirement for all staff to work weekends and bank holidays on a rostered basis. This is currently 1 bank holiday per year and 1 weekend (Sat & Sun) every 8 weeks. The successful candidate will need to be able to accommodate this.

The purpose-built Pharmacy provides a clinical pharmacy service to Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Dorset University Foundation Trust (DHUFT). The pharmacy has undergone a refurbishment and has a state of the art dispensary with benefits of a new ARX robot installation, Prescription Tracking System (PTS) with full Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) throughout the hospital.

Main duties of the job

Within the workplace, you will rotate through areas of the Pharmacy department, working alongside our friendly and experienced team. You will have the opportunity to gain practical experience in dispensary, distribution & ordering and being part of the medicines management team on the wards. You will also gain knowledge in more specialised areas such as Aseptic services.

Person care is at the centre of all we do within the pharmacy and as a Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician (PTPT) you will play a crucial role in this. This includes helping patients with their medication adherence and optimisation also healthy lifestyle advice.

As a student you will study towards becoming a registered Pharmacy Technician, this is a Level 3 qualification and is fully funded throughout the 2 year training period. This course is delivered as a blended learning experience. With plenty of on the job learning as well as 20% of off the job learning time provided. Whilst this time is provided there is an expectation that additional study will be completed outside of working hours. The course is assessed by a variety of assessments, course work and case studies culminating in a final portfolio.

Right to Work in the UK: This role is not available for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to support visa applications for this post in line with UKVI regulations.

About us

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.

We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

Job responsibilities

After suitable training the post holder will:

• Dispense prescriptions for inpatients and outpatients in accordance with current procedures
• Dispense Controlled Drugs in accordance with current procedures
• Dispense prescriptions for external pharmacy customers in accordance with current procedures
• Provide cover for the Assistant Technical Officers (ATO) annual leave and sickness
• Provide medicines reconciliation for inpatients at DCHFT
• Provide a final accuracy check for medications dispensed for the patients of DCHFT

Once qualified you will be able to register as a pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). This is the governing body that ensures that all pharmacy professionals are working to the correct standards.

Our DCHFT Job Description and Person Specification (attached) tells you all about this role, what to expect and what is needed to succeed. When completing your application please make sure to tell us how your experience and skills fit the person specification.

Please contact us at [e-mail] if you are unable to view or download the attachment.

For all our roles, we are looking for staff who hold our Trust Values of Integrity, Respect Teamwork and Excellence, and who are passionate about providing the best patient care. To read more about our Trust and our Values search Dorset County Hospital online.

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications & Training

• Minimum 3 GCSEs at grade 4 or above (A-C) in Maths, English and 1 Science subjects (Alternatives may be considered on a case-by-case basis)
• NVQ 2 or equivalent in Pharmacy Services

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of dealing with the public
• Experience in a pharmacy environment/setting
• Experience in a hospital pharmacy

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent written/verbal communication with all levels of staff and patients
• Has understanding, knowledge and a specific interest in hospital pharmacy
• Good interpersonal skills
• Able to prioritise and manage own time and workload
• Good organisational skills and the ability to work unsupervised
• Able to follow written and verbal instructions
• Able to work in a busy environment and remain calm under pressure
• Evidence of ability to solve problems
• Able to demonstrate a good level of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills
• Able to work accurately/attention to detail
• Ability to travel for face-to-face study days
• Understands the importance of good communication.

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.

Employer name

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£28,392 to £31,157 a yearAnnex 21 (70% - 75% top of Band 4/Min wage - whichever is higher)