[ref. a97805000] Pre-Registration Student Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeship QE & UHL

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

pharmacy technician.

We would like you to join us now to start gaining experience and providing essential pharmacy services, this is a fixed term post for 2 years, starting the qualification in September 2025.

The qualification will be a mixture of studying and showing competence within the workplace.

One day a week is dedicated towards the study component of the course but there must be a commitment to study in your own time

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post

Main duties of the job

The post holders will be required to participate in rotations to include in-patient, dispensary services, outpatient pharmacy placements, ward-based medicines management and stores/procurement.

The appointed candidates will need to demonstrate that they are patient focused, have good interpersonal and communication skills, be a quick learner, keen to get involved and be committed to the training programme. The ability to cope with the discipline of studying whilst working as part of a team throughout this busy department is essential; therefore, a professional approach is key.

Applicants require a minimum of 4 GCSEs including Maths and English at grade 4 or C or above and 1 in Science subjects at grade 4 or C. As the training course is from the government funded apprenticeship scheme, please note that some qualifications you currently hold may render you ineligible to apply for this post, as funding is dependent on previous qualifications.

If you do not hold the required qualifications or already hold a Degree in a closely related subject for the post that you have applied for, unfortunately you will not be eligible for this apprenticeship and you will not be shortlisted. We expect applicants to have a clear understanding of the role of a Hospital Pharmacy Technician.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To train as a pharmacy technician to undertake technical work under supervision.
2. To participate in rotation as a full team-member providing services according to current procedures in dispensary, distribution, and wards.
3. This is a fixed term post of 2 years for the period of training only. There is no guarantee that candidates who fail either year will be employed to repeat the year or that successful candidates will be offered employment as a qualified technician.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To undertake the BTEC Level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians qualification, which will be a mixture of studying and showing competence within the workplace.
2. This may require working additional hours occasionally and some study will be required outside of working hours for completion of assignments competency paperwork.
3. To learn and practice good teamwork, good communication techniques and customer care.
4. To participate fully in the development of own learning and proactively seek learning opportunities, meeting deadlines as agreed.

1. To accurately dispense prescriptions for both in and outpatients. Prescription types will include outpatients; inpatients; discharges; controlled drugs and clinical trials. This will involve inputting of patients details into the Pharmacy computer system and subsequently produce dispensing labels. The label, prescription and product are collected together and assembled. Any additional items such as spoons, bags etc are also added. The prepared items are checked for accuracy and passed to the pharmacist/accredited technician for final checking.
2. To receive drug charts and prescriptions from the inpatient hatch and record details in the dispensary logs.
3. To answer queries, both in the telephone and in person, with medical, nursing staff and patients and seek help from a pharmacist when necessary.
4. To help investigate stock level discrepancies within the dispensary in line with current procedures.
5. To perform the stock check of the emergency cupboard ensuring correct temperature and medicine expiry dates.
6. To issue completed prescriptions and controlled drug supplies to ward staff.
7. To undertake training to be able to accurately check the final dispensing of others.

1. To undertake the in house medicines management training for ward based pharmacy technicians
2. To work on designated wards and perform a range of pharmacy related duties in accordance with set procedures.
3. To assist the Pharmacists and Medicines Management Technicians at ward level in providing a medicines management service to the wards.
4. To reduce wastage of medicines by assisting with medication transfer within the trust.
5. To be a point of contact for healthcare professionals and pharmacy staff on ward related issues.
6. To participate in the dispensing of pharmaceuticals for in-patients and support ward dispensing initiatives.
7. To ensure that clinical areas are adequately stocked with pharmaceuticals and according to departmental standards.
8. To complete all necessary training to meet the standards required for working at ward level.
9. To identify new patients and complete medicines reconciliations on admission, along with the clinical pharmacist, highlighting any discrepancies/missed items
10. Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with members of the healthcare team and pharmacy team to support a seamless medicines management process

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• 4 GCSEs or equivalent Grade 9 - 4 (A* - C), including 1 core science subject plus English and Math

• NVQ/BTEC Level 2 in Pharmacy Services

Experience

• Previous experience of Pharmacy
• Previous experience of working towards and meeting deadlines

Knowledge and Skills

• Literate and numerate
• Ability to organise and manage own time
• Verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrates enthusiasm and initiative
• Ability to work accurately under pressure with frequent interruptions

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.