Job summary
Are you interested in becoming a GPhC registered Pharmacy Technician? We are offering one apprenticeship role for someone who is motivated and prepared to undertake a Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician work-based learning programme. The majority of the course will be delivered online and through work-based tasks with occasional face-to-face training days organised by the training provider. This course will enable you to become a qualified Pharmacy Technician.
The Pharmacy Team will provide rotational opportunities across clinical and operational aspects of the role, supporting the successful applicant to complete the required assessments. This two year fixed-term contract position will enable you to gain extensive work experience within a diverse mental health pharmacy setting.
On completion, you will be able to register as a pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and we will offer you a substantive role subject to availability. Applicants can choose their base for work (either Calne, Wiltshire or Callington Road, Bristol).
Please note the salary of this apprenticeship is Annex 21 of Band 4 and starts at 70% in the first year rising to 75% in the second year.
We are looking for the successful applicant to start in September 2024.
Main duties of the job
To undertake this apprenticeship role, you must be highly self-motivated, enthusiastic, hardworking and possess excellent time management skills. To support your training and development, you will have an educational supervisor assigned to you for your overall training, and several practice supervisors as you move through the different teams within Pharmacy. We offer 20% off-the-job training time to study, with the expectation that you will also invest your own personal time to further support your development.
The AWP pharmacy team provides a medicines optimisation service to those living with mental health issues across the areas of Bristol, Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, North Somerset and Bath. As well as managing the medicines supply chain in the Trust, we support the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the organisation through our clinical work, enquiry answering, medicines governance activity and many other roles. We have two dispensaries: one in Calne (Wiltshire) and one at Callington Road Hospital (Bristol). The roles can be based at either of our dispensaries, and the clinical elements will be provided at our inpatient and community teams across the catchment area.
Previous pharmacy experience is desirable but not essential, as full training will be provided.
About us
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for details about the main responsibilities of the post.
Your normal hours of work will be Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.00pm. We operate a weekend and bank holiday pharmacy service at either the Calne or Callington Road dispensary. This is approximately 1 in 10 working from 10-1pm, enabling a good work life balance.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for details about the main responsibilities of the post.
Your normal hours of work will be Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.00pm. We operate a weekend and bank holiday pharmacy service at either the Calne or Callington Road dispensary. This is approximately 1 in 10 working from 10-1pm, enabling a good work life balance.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Eligible for enrolment in the Pharmacy Technician Level 4 Apprenticeship programme
- Minimum of 4 GCSEs (at grade C/4 or 5, or above) and must include maths, English (or functional skills equivalent) and 1 science subject
Desirable
- NVQ Level 2 (or equivalent) in Pharmacy Services
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- Understands the values of the NHS
- Knowledge/interest in pharmacy
Desirable
- Previous hospital experience
- Previous pharmacy experience
- Knowledge of EMIS (Ascribe)
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Effective listening skills
- Able to work flexibly within a team
- Able to work independently and show initiative within limits of own authority whilst following agreed procedures
- Able to work calmly under pressure and have capacity for problem solving
- Non-judgemental & objective. Able to look at things objectively and to be able to weigh that information consistently to make appropriate decisions
- Effective communication skills, to communicate with a wide range of people (e.g. patients, carers, nursing and medical staff). Confident and assertive, but non-aggressive manner
- Able to prioritise tasks and respond to urgent demands whilst managing own workload
- Able to assist in training staff in dispensary practices and the pharmacy computer systems
- Computer literate including Word, Outlook, internet, intranet and email
- Effective customer services skills
- Mobile with the facility to move quickly across a geographically dispersed area with limited access to public transport
- Requirement to handle and move heavy objects, e.g. intravenous fluids, boxes of enteral feeds, boxes of archived documents
Desirable
- Able to handle conflict effectively and differences of opinions in a mature and professional manner
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Eligible for enrolment in the Pharmacy Technician Level 4 Apprenticeship programme
- Minimum of 4 GCSEs (at grade C/4 or 5, or above) and must include maths, English (or functional skills equivalent) and 1 science subject
Desirable
- NVQ Level 2 (or equivalent) in Pharmacy Services
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- Understands the values of the NHS
- Knowledge/interest in pharmacy
Desirable
- Previous hospital experience
- Previous pharmacy experience
- Knowledge of EMIS (Ascribe)
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Effective listening skills
- Able to work flexibly within a team
- Able to work independently and show initiative within limits of own authority whilst following agreed procedures
- Able to work calmly under pressure and have capacity for problem solving
- Non-judgemental & objective. Able to look at things objectively and to be able to weigh that information consistently to make appropriate decisions
- Effective communication skills, to communicate with a wide range of people (e.g. patients, carers, nursing and medical staff). Confident and assertive, but non-aggressive manner
- Able to prioritise tasks and respond to urgent demands whilst managing own workload
- Able to assist in training staff in dispensary practices and the pharmacy computer systems
- Computer literate including Word, Outlook, internet, intranet and email
- Effective customer services skills
- Mobile with the facility to move quickly across a geographically dispersed area with limited access to public transport
- Requirement to handle and move heavy objects, e.g. intravenous fluids, boxes of enteral feeds, boxes of archived documents
Desirable
- Able to handle conflict effectively and differences of opinions in a mature and professional manner
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.
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).
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.
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).
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