Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician

Posting date:	26 June 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	Negotiable
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	12 July 2025
Location:	Barnsley, S71 5PN
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	B0243-25-0037

Summary

Community Pharmacy responsibilities: Work under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacy professional and liaise effectively with other members of the pharmacy team. Consistently adhere to all Standard Operating Procedures in the pharmacy setting. Gain a thorough understanding of Medicines Optimisation and the valuable role Pharmacy Technicians play in delivering Community Pharmacy services through direct patient interaction. Assist the Pharmacist in the retrieval and handling of electronic prescriptions, following SOP guidelines. Receive prescriptions, verify their legality and validity, and guide patients in completing relevant declarations. Use the pharmacys dispensing system to maintain accurate Patient Medication Records and generate labels. Dispense a range of prescriptions, including NHS, private prescriptions, and monitored dosage systems, ensuring accuracy in line with community pharmacy SOPs. Hand out medications and provide clear patient counselling on appropriate medicine usage. Safely manage the disposal of returned or unwanted medicines in compliance with disposal protocols. Record controlled drugs in the CD register and perform regular balance checks according to legal and procedural requirements. Manage stock processes including ordering, receiving, storing, and maintaining inventory in line with SOPs. Support the Pharmacist in conducting medicines reconciliation, ensuring accurate and up-to-date patient medication records, particularly during care transitionsliaising with GP practices where necessary. Conduct over-the-counter sales and offer advice for common minor ailments under supervision. Assist the Pharmacist in delivering key pharmacy services such as the Medicines Use Review, New Medicines Service , and Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. Contribute to the provision of commissioned enhanced services e.g., smoking cessation support, under the supervision of the Pharmacist or trained pharmacy staff. Communicate effectively with General Practice teams to resolve prescription-related queries and support seamless patient care. General Practice Responsibilities Work under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacy professional and liaise effectively with other members of the practice team. Always Adhere to all relevant Standard Operating Procedures within the workplace. Gain an understanding of Medicines Optimisation and the role of Pharmacy Technicians in General Practice, including working in both face-to-face and telephone-based patient interactions. Use the clinical IT system to accurately document consultations, conduct searches, and communicate via tasks with other healthcare professionals. Process prescription requests from patients, care home staff, community pharmacists, and GPs within 48 hours for routine prescriptions and on the same day for urgent requests. This may include directing prescriptions to out-of-hours pharmacies where necessary. Develop knowledge and support the use of practice templates for monitoring high-risk medication. Learn to manage blood test monitoring, recalls, and reviews in line with established protocols, involving appropriate clinicians as needed. Review hospital discharge summaries and clinical letters to reconcile medications, identify discrepancies, and escalate concerns to the pharmacist or designated GP under supervision. Contribute to the effective management of prescribing budgets through regular audits, data analysis, and by supporting the implementation of cost-effective prescribing strategies remaining aware of current incentive targets. Assist pharmacists and clinical staff with annual medication reviews e.g. for asthma, ensuring patients are prescribed the most cost-effective formulary items and demonstrate correct usage e.g. inhaler technique, under supervision. Perform regular audits of medicine storage to ensure compliance with local and national guidelines, reporting any issues to the appropriate manager. Ensure regular checking of in-practice medicines, identifying and appropriately disposing of expired stock in accordance with SOPs. Promote medicines waste reduction through the use of appropriate resources and patient education. Carry out patient interventions both face-to-face and via telephone as directed by the pharmacist, and ensure all consultations are properly documented and reported to the relevant clinician. Undertake prescribing audits to assess practice or Primary Care Network prescribing patterns, benchmark against national and local targets, and identify areas for improvement. Support prescription clerks by assisting with queries related to medication requests. Contribute to the ongoing development and safety of the prescription process by resolving queries and ensuring prescriptions are issued within agreed timelines, in collaboration with the practice pharmacist. Assist the pharmacist in managing drug recalls, safety alerts e.g., MHRA, and medicines supply issues. Promote seasonal health promotion initiatives e.g., Stoptober, Antibiotic Awareness Week, Flu Campaigns, including the creation of informative patient-facing displays. Encourage the use of digital health tools such as Patient Access, the NHS App, and Electronic Repeat Dispensing , promoting these to patients and staff as directed by the Practice Manager. INFORMATION SUPPORT AND RECORD KEEPING To keep an accurate record of all activity undertaken within practices and community pharmacy. To ensure all patient interventions are recorded on the practice/community pharmacy computer in accordance with the working procedures developed with the practice/community pharmacy. To be responsible for keeping accurate retrievable records of all formal queries, data collection exercises, and audits. To be confident and competent with using the pharmacy and practice computer systems, always complying with confidentiality and the data protection act. To understand and be able to use Word, Msteams, Excel, internet explorer and email. TRAINING AND EDUCATION Successfully complete a General Pharmaceutical Council -accredited course, GPhC-recognised qualification, or GPhC-approved apprenticeship pathway to meet the eligibility criteria for registration as a Pharmacy Technician. Dedicate one day per week or equivalent time to structured study using online learning platforms and resources. Commit to independent study outside of working hours as required to support learning and progression. Complete all mandatory and statutory training relevant to each workplace setting. Undertake and complete local competency-based assessments as required. Ensure the minimum required hours of work-based experience are achieved, in line with GPhC standards, to support successful registration as a qualified Pharmacy Technician. PLANNING AND ORGANISATION: FREEDOM TO ACT Work under the direct supervision of a registered Pharmacist or qualified Pharmacy Technician at all times, whether based in a community pharmacy or primary care setting. All duties must be performed in line with Standard Operating Procedures, local policies, and the scope of practice as defined by the training programme and relevant regulatory standards. The PTPT is not authorised to act independently in any clinical or dispensing role until deemed competent in specific tasks through assessment and sign-off, in accordance with the training programme. As competencies develop, certain responsibilities may be carried out with reduced direct supervision, provided this is formally agreed with the supervising pharmacist or technician. The PTPT is expected to maintain professional behaviour and adhere to GPhC guidance, reporting concerns, errors, or uncertainties to their supervisor immediately. The level of autonomy will gradually increase only as competence is demonstrated and documented through the accredited training and assessment process. COLLABORATIVE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS Participate in the PCN MDT Foster and maintains strong links with all services across the PCN Explore the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships Attend ICB Medicine Optimisation Team meetings and peer groups Attend ICB Medicine Optimisation Team training and development sessions Liaise with colleagues including ICB Medicine Optimisation Team on prescribing matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit Participate in the ICB Medicine Optimisation Team medicines related projects and workstreams Liaise and integrate with colleagues in the ICB Medicine Optimisation Team to benefit from peer support Work with primary care to ensure practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved To support public health campaigns and to provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public KEY RELATIONSHIPS Liaise with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients, key relationships include (but are not limited to): Patients and their representatives GPs, nurses and other practice staff Social prescribers, first contact physiotherapists, physician associates and paramedics Community pharmacists and support staff ICB Medicine Optimisation Team including pharmacists and technicians Locality/GP prescribing lead Locality Managers Community nurses and other allied health professionals Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation