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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Fixed term: 24 months (with view to extending following successful implementation period)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Late shifts, weekends and bank holidays)
Job ref
418-DTO6385-KA-A
Employer
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Luton and Dunstable Hospital
Town
Luton
Salary
£37,338 - £44,962 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
15/05/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Lead Pharmacy Technician - Virtual Wards, Hospital at Home and OPAT

NHS AfC: Band 6

Job overview

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lead Pharmacy Technician to support the Virtual Ward (VW), Hospital @ Home (H@H), and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services. This role offers an exciting opportunity to enhance patient care by ensuring the safe, effective, and efficient use of medicines for patients receiving treatment at home.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams to conduct medicines reconciliation, identify and resolve discrepancies, and support specialist nursing teams in medication-related care. Effective communication with hospital teams, GPs, community pharmacies, and social care providers will be essential to ensure seamless transitions of care and accurate medication handovers. You will aim to reduce medication-related problems, prevent avoidable hospital admissions, and minimise medicine waste.

In addition to patient-focused responsibilities, you will contribute to policy development, medication safety governance, and cost-effective prescribing within the service.

We are looking for a highly organised and proactive pharmacy technician with excellent communication and leadership skills. Experience in medicines reconciliation, clinical pharmacy services, and multidisciplinary working is desirable. If you are passionate about improving patient care and supporting innovative healthcare models, we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

  • To promote a high-quality approach to the reconciliation of medicines of patients admitted to the Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and OPAT services by effective communication with the hospital teams, patients/carers, colleagues in primary and social care and by promoting multidisciplinary and multi-way communications.

 

  • Conduct medicines reconciliation for patients in the Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and OPAT services, identifying discrepancies and resolving them with appropriate clinicians.

 

  • To pro-actively support the specialist nursing teams in planning and providing care in relation to medicines management for patients in the Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and OPAT services.

 

  • To improve patient care, reduce medication related problems, avoidable hospital admissions and reduce drug costs and waste.

 

  • To contribute to the strategic development of support for medicines management in the domiciliary setting in the context of the relationships between the Trust, hospital, other stakeholders and patients in the community.

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton.  Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Full a full breakdown of roles and responsibilities please refer the job description and person spec attached

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
  • BTEC National Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science, NVQ level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent
  • Accredited accuracy checking technician
Desirable criteria
  • AIMM accreditation or relevant equivalent
  • Train the Trainer qualification or relevant equivalent
  • APTUK

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive experience as a ward-based Medicines Management Technician
  • CPD portfolio demonstrating competent pharmacy practice as a senior pharmacy technician
  • Customer orientated service
  • Customer orientated experience
  • Training, mentoring and supervision of staff
  • Report writing
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of Team Leading
  • Experience of participating in Quality Improvement work
  • Experience of developing and delivering bite-sized staff education and training
  • Experience of developing SOPs

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Understanding of customer care
  • Understanding of the need of Information Governance and confidentiality awareness at all times
  • Good up to date knowledge of medicines use
Desirable criteria
  • Awareness of Quality Management Systems
  • Confident use of standard Office IT programmes

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024Employer with Heart

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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
Peter Seymour
Job title
Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0773307611
Additional information

To arrange a site visit please contact Peter Seymour as per the details above

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust
Lewsey Road
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU4 0DZ
Telephone
01582 497325
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