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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
Year 1 – 70% Band 4 / Year 2 – 75% Band 4
Contract
Fixed term: 24 months (Weekend and late shifts)
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (Weekend and late shifts)
Job ref
179-6698834-C
Employer
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Town
Bury St Edmunds
Salary
£26,530 - £29,114 Year 1 – 70% Band 4 / Year 2 – 75% Band 4
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
17/11/2024 23:59
Interview date
28/11/2024

Employer heading

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust logo

Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician Apprentice

Year 1 – 70% Band 4 / Year 2 – 75% Band 4

Job overview

As an apprentice pharmacy technician, you will be trained across an acute care setting using both on and off the job learning. This will provide you with the underpinning knowledge and skill set necessary for you to dispense medications, receive and validate prescriptions, communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals and optimise patients’ use of medications. 

 

As an apprentice working within a hospital setting under the supervision of pharmacists and qualified pharmacy technicians, you will be trained to work as part of a multi-professional team, checking patients own medications, suppling medications to individuals, obtaining accurate drug histories for individuals and counselling patients for best practice on the use of their medications.

You will complete a 2-year course provided by the University of East Anglia which includes:

•    attending at mixture of face to face and online study days

•    completing online assessments

•    completing an e-Portfolio of work-based assessments and other evidence designed to meet the GPhC standards of initial education and training of pharmacy technicians

To support you in completing this work you will be provided with study time during working hours but will also be expected to commit to at least 8-10 hours of study per week outside of the workplace.  

 

You will be allocated an education supervisor who will support you in the workplace, and a UEA tutor who will support you with the course.

Main duties of the job

Pharmacy Technicians manage the supply of medicines and devices in pharmacy, assist Pharmacists with advisory services and are responsible for carrying out both routine and specialist services, including highly complex activities requiring them to use their professional judgement. They are expected to work both individually and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. They are able to work with minimum supervision, with a high degree of autonomy, taking responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the work that they have undertaken and that of others.

 

As a Pharmacy Technician Apprentice, you will be trained with the knowledge and skills to optimise patients’ use of medicines.

 

In the dispensary: Dispense medication, receive and validate prescriptions, communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals.

 

In the ward setting: Work as part of a multi-professional team to check patients own drugs and supply medications for individuals, take patient drug histories, undertake medicines reconciliation, counsel patients on the use of their medicines as required under supervision of a Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician.

Working for our organisation

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

 

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Personal Specification attached to view main responsibilities of role. 

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • • Four GCSEs grade C/level 4 or above (or equivalent qualification), including Mathematics, English Language, Science and one other
Desirable criteria
  • • Level 2 in Pharmaceutical Science
  • • Two A levels (or working towards) or equivalent
  • • Experience of working in a Pharmacy or Healthcare environment

Experience & Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • • Good IT skills
  • • Ability to work as a team and under own initiative
Desirable criteria
  • • Leadership experience

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • • Expected to deal with members of the public and other health care workers in a professional manner
  • • Close liaison with co-workers in the department is vital
  • • Expected to participate on Saturday, Sunday, Bank holiday and late rotas

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • • Good team member
  • • Good communications skills (both verbal and written)
  • • Ability to work in an organised and calm fashion in a busy environment
  • • Flexibility to work in different sections of the department
  • • Ability to work to deadlines and to meet agreed objectives
  • • Ability to lift, using appropriate lifting aids if necessary
  • • High level of self-motivation
  • • Positive attitude towards personal / self-development
  • • Good time keeping
  • • Trustworthy and reliable
  • • Attention to detail
  • • Able to accept direction
  • • Able to demonstrate a commitment and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs Show professional attitude and demeanour including courteous interaction with team members, managers, other staff members and patients.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardDisability confident employerArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Fiona Brame
Job title
Education & Training Pharmacy Technician
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01284712928
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