Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Pharmacy Technician

The closing date is 10 June 2025

Job summary

Are you ready tounlockyour potential within a challenging, creative and fast paced work environment? Do you want toescapeyour current job role and work with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past? Now is the time tobreakintooffender healthcare and develop your career.

Due to our ongoing success as the healthcare provider at HMP Portland, we are currently expanding opportunities due to additional commissioned services. We are currently looking for acompassionate, knowledgeable and motivatedSenior Pharmacy Technician to join our friendly team atHMP Portland.

Our healthcare team have a real impact on promoting health and well-being to those in prison and we pride ourselves on using skills and strategies that instil hope for patients future resettlement back into the community. We directly deliver Mental Health, Physical Health, Pharmacy and Clinical Substance Misuse in an integrated healthcare delivery model to provide effective and responsive care to improve wellbeing and support better outcomes in the future.

As part of ourPharmacy team, you will enjoy all the benefits of NHS AfC employment (inc pension) with the opportunity to work within a forward-thinking service, who encourage career and personal development to all staff to increase their clinical and interpersonal skills.

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Pharmacy Technician you will be responsible for the daily management of the medicines management service at HMP Portland. This will include overseeing a team of 4 Pharmacy Technicians and 3 Pharmacy Assistant, ensuring all daily duties are carried out, complete supervisions and 121's, and completing PDRs and appraisals.

You will manage the medicines administration service as well as the printing and coordination of the repeat prescription process. You will administer medicines to patients against a valid prescription on the wings and support junior colleagues with any queries relating to medicines administration.

You will work closely with the Regional Pharmacist to participate in audits, quality improvement projects, developing any implementation of service improvements and updates to SOP's.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

  • We're Kind
  • We're Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Details

Date posted

30 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-6942010-PORT-A

Job locations

HMP Portland

104 Grove Road

Portland

DT5 1DL


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To provide a medicines management service to the allocated prison(s) on a daily basis with the professional support of a prison services pharmacist.
  • To oversee the ordering/supply of repeat prescriptions.
  • To utilise stock supplies and out of hours supplies when patients own medication is not available.
  • To have accreditation as a checking technician and/or medicines optimisation.
  • To ensure high standards of work and that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are read and adhered to.
  • To facilitate the medication supply on repeat prescriptions (using System1), this will include tasking GPs/NMPs to generate repeat prescriptions, ensure they are signed and given to pharmacy promptly with in the Repeat Prescription management process.
  • To supervise and assist staff to ensure prompt medicine administration times are adhered to.
  • To be competent in advising patients in all aspects of their medication to ensure adherence and compliance. This should, include but not be exclusive to, inhaler technique, interaction, mechanism of drug action/normal doses regimen, side effects.
  • To ensure high standards of work and to ensure all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Oxleas and Oxleas Prison Services Policies including Standards of Medicine Management, IP Policy, Homely Remedies Policy are read, understood, and adhered to.
  • To have, or work towards, an awareness/knowledge of medicines information to support adherence and compliance by using BNF, BNF-e, e-MC, Medicines information line and other recognized sources of information.
  • To escalate any concerns about patients and their medication including non-compliance to appropriate staff and within confidentiality guideline, including concerns of patients who need support from the Mental Health Team, Substance mis-use team or Prison staff.
  • Controlled Drugs to order, monitor and maintain all legal paperwork concerning medication patients with controlled drugs in accordance with local policy.
  • Cool chain management and administration of fridge line medication to ensure daily fridge temperatures checks are completed and recoded and any breaches of the cold chain are escalated according to SOP/Policy.
  • To use System1 to document any information about patients and their medication- non-compliance/non- attendance (intentional and unintentional), allergies and raise concerns with appropriate staff/teams.
  • To use System1 to create ledgers and call up lists for patients to attend Healthcare/Houseblock treatment rooms to facilitate medicines administration daily.
  • Record keeping to ensure all policies and protocols are adhered to and documented on S1 as well as keeping meticulous paper records.
  • To Administer medicines to offenders against a valid prescription on the house blocks/Healthcare safely and promptly whilst adhering to all policies and SOPs using S1 to facilitate this.
  • To use Datix to report any incidents or concerns.
  • To have knowledge of the Critical medication List to administer critical medication when required and report any concerns/non-compliance to appropriate teams /staff.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To provide a medicines management service to the allocated prison(s) on a daily basis with the professional support of a prison services pharmacist.
  • To oversee the ordering/supply of repeat prescriptions.
  • To utilise stock supplies and out of hours supplies when patients own medication is not available.
  • To have accreditation as a checking technician and/or medicines optimisation.
  • To ensure high standards of work and that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are read and adhered to.
  • To facilitate the medication supply on repeat prescriptions (using System1), this will include tasking GPs/NMPs to generate repeat prescriptions, ensure they are signed and given to pharmacy promptly with in the Repeat Prescription management process.
  • To supervise and assist staff to ensure prompt medicine administration times are adhered to.
  • To be competent in advising patients in all aspects of their medication to ensure adherence and compliance. This should, include but not be exclusive to, inhaler technique, interaction, mechanism of drug action/normal doses regimen, side effects.
  • To ensure high standards of work and to ensure all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Oxleas and Oxleas Prison Services Policies including Standards of Medicine Management, IP Policy, Homely Remedies Policy are read, understood, and adhered to.
  • To have, or work towards, an awareness/knowledge of medicines information to support adherence and compliance by using BNF, BNF-e, e-MC, Medicines information line and other recognized sources of information.
  • To escalate any concerns about patients and their medication including non-compliance to appropriate staff and within confidentiality guideline, including concerns of patients who need support from the Mental Health Team, Substance mis-use team or Prison staff.
  • Controlled Drugs to order, monitor and maintain all legal paperwork concerning medication patients with controlled drugs in accordance with local policy.
  • Cool chain management and administration of fridge line medication to ensure daily fridge temperatures checks are completed and recoded and any breaches of the cold chain are escalated according to SOP/Policy.
  • To use System1 to document any information about patients and their medication- non-compliance/non- attendance (intentional and unintentional), allergies and raise concerns with appropriate staff/teams.
  • To use System1 to create ledgers and call up lists for patients to attend Healthcare/Houseblock treatment rooms to facilitate medicines administration daily.
  • Record keeping to ensure all policies and protocols are adhered to and documented on S1 as well as keeping meticulous paper records.
  • To Administer medicines to offenders against a valid prescription on the house blocks/Healthcare safely and promptly whilst adhering to all policies and SOPs using S1 to facilitate this.
  • To use Datix to report any incidents or concerns.
  • To have knowledge of the Critical medication List to administer critical medication when required and report any concerns/non-compliance to appropriate teams /staff.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services (or equivalent)
  • Registration with GPhC as a Pharmacy Technician
  • Accredited Medication Optimisation Checking Technician Certificate

Experience

Essential

  • 5+ years of working in a pharmacy

Desirable

  • Prison/Secure environment experience
  • Mental Health experience
  • Management experience

Skills

Essential

  • Good oral and written communication skills
  • Knowledge of writing and working within a set of SOP's
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services (or equivalent)
  • Registration with GPhC as a Pharmacy Technician
  • Accredited Medication Optimisation Checking Technician Certificate

Experience

Essential

  • 5+ years of working in a pharmacy

Desirable

  • Prison/Secure environment experience
  • Mental Health experience
  • Management experience

Skills

Essential

  • Good oral and written communication skills
  • Knowledge of writing and working within a set of SOP's

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Portland

104 Grove Road

Portland

DT5 1DL


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Portland

104 Grove Road

Portland

DT5 1DL


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Pharmacist (Dorset)

Kwance Kwok

kwance.kwok3@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

30 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-6942010-PORT-A

Job locations

HMP Portland

104 Grove Road

Portland

DT5 1DL


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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