Specialist Pharmacy Technician (Emergency Department)

Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Nhs Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a motivated Band 5 Specialist Pharmacy Technician to join the Emergency Department at Southport Hospital. You will provide a hands-on clinical service within ED and SDEC, focusing on medicines reconciliation, optimisation and timely discharge.

You will work with pharmacists and the wider team, contribute to training, audit and service improvement, and support patient care in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• BTEC Diploma in Principles and Practices for Pharmacy Technicians or GPhC recognised equivalent.
• BTEC professional diploma in dispensing checking or GPhC recognised equivalent which must meet the APTUK standard for accuracy checking.
• Registered as a practicing Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC.

Responsibilities

• Provide a hands-on clinical pharmacy technician service within the Emergency Department and SDEC, including medicines reconciliation and optimisation.
• Support safe and timely supply of medicines and patient discharge.
• Counsel patients and provide medicines advice.
• Participate in training, audit and service improvement.
• Work independently in a clinical ward environment.
• Attend weekend, late-night and bank holiday rotas as required.
• Maintain dispensary skills and competencies.

Skills

Good communication

Motivate team

Attention to detail

Time management

Organised

Administration skills

Communication with stakeholders

Education

BTEC Diploma in Principles and Practices for Pharmacy Technicians

BTEC professional diploma in dispensing checking

GPhC registration

Tools

JAC pharmacy computer system

LEAN principles

Job description

Job summary

An exciting new opportunity has arisen for a motivated and dynamic Pharmacy Technician to join our busy Emergency Department (ED) Department Pharmacy team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Band 5 Specialist Pharmacy Technician to join our pharmacy team, providing a specialist clinical pharmacy technician service within the Emergency Department at Southport Hospital.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of urgent and emergency care, supporting medicines reconciliation, medicines optimisation, patient counselling and timely discharge, while helping to improve patient flow and reduce delays.

You will work closely with pharmacists and the wider multidisciplinary team, supporting the ongoing development of pharmacy services within ED. The role also includes training and supporting colleagues, audit and service improvement, making it ideal for a pharmacy technician looking to develop their clinical skills and take the next step in their career.

If you are proactive, organised and passionate about delivering high-quality patient care in a fast-paced environment, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

As our Specialist Pharmacy Technician for the Emergency Department, including SDEC, you will:

• Provide a hands‑on clinical pharmacy technician service within the Emergency Department and SDEC, including medicines reconciliation, medicines optimisation, POD assessment and supporting timely discharge.
• Prioritise patients, identify medication discrepancies and work closely with pharmacists, medical, nursing and wider healthcare teams.
• Support the safe and timely supply of medicines, helping to reduce missed doses, maintain patient flow and ensure medicines are transferred with the patient when they move between clinical areas.
• Provide medicines advice and counselling to patients and support colleagues working within the department.
• Get involved in training, audit and service improvement, helping us continue to develop our pharmacy service within ED and SDEC.
• Due to the fast‑paced and complex nature of the Emergency Department, applicants will need previous experience working as a ward‑based Pharmacy Technician and be confident working independently within a clinical ward environment.
• Remain an active member of the wider pharmacy team, participating in the weekend, late‑night and bank holiday rotas, as required.
• Maintain dispensary skills and competencies through regular scheduled dispensary sessions.

We're looking for someone proactive, confident and adaptable who enjoys clinical ward‑based pharmacy and wants to make a real difference to patient care, safety and flow.

About us

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.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

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 and Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing and AHP Preceptorship Programme

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role and main responsibilities. Interviews will take place on 26th November, 2026.

Person Specification

Values (Essential)

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

Qualifications (Essential)

• BTEC Diploma in Principles and Practices for Pharmacy Technicians or GPhC recognised equivalent
• BTEC professional diploma in dispensing checking or GPhC recognised equivalent which must meet the APTUK standard for accuracy checking (1000 item log with checking test). The APTUK standard must be met within 3 months of starting role.
• Registered as a practicing Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC

Qualifications (Desirable)

• BTEC Level 4 Professional Diploma Pharmacy Clinical Service

Knowledge (Essential)

• Significant post‑qualification experience working in a pharmaceutical environment
• Experience of completing medicines reconciliations using several sources of information
• Experience working in a clinical pharmacy team in a ward environment
• Experience of dispensing for discharge and medicines management

Knowledge (Desirable)

• Experience in using the JAC pharmacy computer system
• Knowledge of LEAN principles

Skills (Essential)

• Demonstrates ability to motivate team performance to achieve objectives
• Good communication skills both verbal and written
• Ability to talk to patients, staff and other senior health care professionals
• Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able to work under pressure
• Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
• Well organised with good time management skills
• Good administration skills including accurate record keeping

Skills (Desirable)

• Good negotiation skills

Other (Essential)

• Ability to participate in the department rota for 7 day working
• Supportive of colleagues of all grades

Other (Desirable)

• Ability to travel various Hospital locations by own car or assisted driver

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here: Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address: Southport Hospital, Town Lane, Kew, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom

Employer's website: https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact:

Deputy Chief Pharmacy Technician: Claire Richardson, [e-mail], 01704704166

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