Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 234-25-E1058
- Employer
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital
- Town
- Norwich
- Salary
- £27,485 - £37,796 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/11/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 12/11/2025
Employer heading
Pharmacy Technician - Dispensary & Medicines Management
NHS AfC: Band 5
At NNUH it is our privilege to provide healthcare to over one million people across Norfolk and surrounding areas. Our vision is to ‘provide the best care for every patient’, and if this inspires you and you share our values, we really want you to join our team.
NNUH is currently the busiest Trauma Unit in the East of England caring for almost 850 trauma patients annually many with complex care needs. We are enhancing our urgent and emergency care specialist services for patients with significant injuries as a result of trauma and have an ambition to become a Major Trauma Centre.
Our values support our vision and guide the behaviour of everything we do, these are:
People-focused
We look after the needs of our patients, carers and colleagues, to provide a safe and caring experience for all.
Respect
We act with care, compassion and kindness and value others’ diverse needs.
Integrity
We take an honest, open and ethical approach to everything we do.
Dedication
We work as one team and support each other to maintain the highest professional standards.
Excellence
We continuously learn and improve to achieve the best outcomes for our patients and our hospital.
Wish you were here? So do we.
We want all our staff to achieve a balance between work and personal life and understand how important flexible working can be. We welcome applications on a full or part time basis, various shift patterns and hybrid working, where roles allow.
At the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), we know the benefits diversity can bring to our organisation such as creativity, innovation and compassion. All of which have a direct impact towards our staff and patient experience. We are committed to being a Hospital for All – being equitable and inclusive, and a place where all feel a sense of belonging. We therefore particularly encourage and welcome applications from candidates who are underrepresented in NNUH’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, people with diverse abilities and people within the LGBT+ community.
Job overview
The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is a modern, forward thinking teaching hospital offering acute care to a population of over 1 million. Electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA) has been implemented across all inpatient wards, the Emergency Department and outpatients.
We have strong links with both the School of Pharmacy and the Medical School at the nearby University of East Anglia with onsite teacher practitioner posts. The Pharmacy Department provides a fully comprehensive pharmaceutical service across the Trust and to a number of external community units. We are a large and very busy department with over 180 members of staff including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, admin and clerical staff and apprentices. There are many varied roles and we all work as a team to provide the different functions and services whilst maintaining a high level of patient care.
The Pharmacy Department is at the forefront of healthcare delivery with a strong focus on medicines management and innovative pharmaceutical practice. It is challenging the current professional roles resulting in a number of innovative pharmacy led developments and new posts, including pharmacy technicians working within pre-op assessment, in our ED and admissions units. We are investing in the clinical training of our pharmacy technicians to develop their clinical ward-based roles even further.
Main duties of the job
Are you an established Pharmacy Technician looking for a new challenge or newly registered / soon to be registered (within 6 months) Pharmacy Technician looking to develop and enhance your practice and skills?
This post is an exciting opportunity to develop a Band 4 Pharmacy Technician with the required knowledge and skills to become a Band 5 Pharmacy Technician. Support, training, and assessment will enable you to achieve the core and enhanced competencies required for the post.
This is an opportunity to work within our large and busy dispensary and at ward level to enhance your practice within the pharmacy and multidisciplinary team. As the post holder, you will be required to gain final accuracy checking (ACPT) accreditation, medicines management skills (assessment of patients own drugs, supply of medicines for inpatient use and discharges), medicines related patient counselling, drug history taking and medicines reconciliation, to demonstrate effective leadership and be a role model to junior members of the pharmacy team.
You should be dedicated, flexible and able to work in a high pressured, busy and demanding working environment. You will need to be enthusiastic, have excellent communication skills and a genuine interest in developing your skills and knowledge. You will be expected to use a number of computer-based systems and, therefore, will have good IT skills.
We have a full time post available and the possibility of a fixed term post for up to a year.
Working for our organisation
Join us at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and be part of a workforce of over 10,000 staff!
The NNUH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing first-class acute care for around one million people, living in Norfolk and surrounding areas. We are a teaching and research hospital, at the forefront of innovation, home to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Quadram Institute. We are pleased to work closely with the University of East Anglia, providing teaching opportunities for our staff and placement opportunities for their students. We attract some of the best and leading professionals from across the country and are proud that our workforce represents 94 countries from across the world.
We are a friendly, collaborative hospital, working with local services and home to N&N Hospitals Charity
We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:
- Flexible working hours
- Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
- Multi Faith prayer room
- Discounted gym memberships
- Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
- Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
- Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH site
- Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
- On-site Nursery
- On-site cafes offering staff discounts
- Support in career development
- Flexible staff bank
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Our Trust values of People Focused, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence are essential to a role working in the Pharmacy Department. We are a very busy, large department in a fast-paced teaching hospital; therefore, the ability to be able to work under pressure and respond to a frequently changing environment is essential.
- To organise and undertake the dispensing and distribution of all medicines against a previously clinically checked prescription or request in line with departmental policies and procedures and the Medicines Act 1965 using the JAC computer system. To include the dispensing of all prescriptions.
- To dispense all controlled drugs (CDs) against a recognised order or
previously clinically checked prescription in line with departmental policies and procedures and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 using the JAC computer system. - To maintain documentation to support the dispensing of all medicines including CDs.
- To assist in the replacement of Dispensary stock including the ordering, receipt and maintenance of stock records.
- To issue medicines to all outpatients attending the Pharmacy Department to include giving appropriate advice and counselling to ensure the effective use of medicines by the patient.
- To provide, in conjunction with the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technicians, a medicines management service on specified wards.
- To check patients’ own drugs (PODs) in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures to ascertain suitability for use and to ensure a continued supply.
- To ensure that medicines are supplied to allocated wards as required for specific patients according to Standard Operating Procedures.
- To undertake drug history taking in conjunction with the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist on specified wards.
- To escalate any discrepancies to the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist
Please see the attached job description for full details.
If you are considering applying for this post on a secondment basis, please discuss with your Line Manager prior to applying to ascertain whether this could be supported.
Please note that this advertised position, which is part of occupation code 3212 does not meet the UKVI eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa. The Trust would not be able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacy Technician or suitable for registration in the next 6 months
- Pharmacy Technician level 3/4 qualification
Desirable criteria
- Accredited Final Accuracy Checking
- Medicines Management Accreditation including Drug History Taking
Experience
Essential criteria
- Accurately dispense medicines (either hospital/community/GP dispensing practice)
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to use initiative, recognising limitations of role
Attitude, aptitude
Essential criteria
- Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH’s PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
- Demonstrates understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Alison Duckett
- Job title
- Pharmacy Administrator
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01603 286286
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