About this role
Job summary
We are looking for a motivated, dynamic, and innovative individual capable of leading a team and representing pharmacy internally and externally to become our first, Trust wide, MWL Chief Pharmacy Technician
You will need excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to organise and prioritise your work as well as that of others within your team.
The successful candidate will have a primary base at one of our main hospital sites across the Trust but will be expected to have visible presence across the MWL Trust footprint.
The role will be expected to contribute to our extended hours rotas on a site of their choice.
Main duties of the job
To be part of the Pharmacy Management Team with specific responsibility for being the Pharmacy Technician professional and operational lead on aspects of the pharmacy service across multiple functions (including aseptics, dispensary, distribution, procurement and homecare) alongside providing strategic professional leadership to the cross-site pharmacy department and off-site services.
To support the Chief Pharmacist and wider Pharmacy Management Team in the strategic operational management of the Pharmacy Service delivering the Medicines Optimisation Strategy in conjunction with the department.
To ensure that all relevant standards are met in the provision of the Pharmacy service.
To act as a professional lead for all members of the Pharmacy department with a specific focus on pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants, actively demonstrating integrity, ownership and leadership in all aspects of the role.
To provide professional advice to internal and external stakeholders on the role and contribution of pharmacy technicians as a registered profession as part of workforce development, reform and legislation changes, to enable effective skill mix and clinical/technical service development within the trust and ICB.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
o Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
o Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
o National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description Job responsibilities
The Chief Pharmacy Technician will undertake the following key duties:1. Responsible for the delivery and development of Pharmacy Technician led services throughout MWL Trust. Specifically, the dispensary and clinical services, procurement and distribution, business support team and pharmacy technician education and training.2. To be a role model for all registered and pre-registration pharmacy technicians in the service, always upholding professional standards3. To lead the development of pharmacy technician roles within the trust to ensure structured career pathways, innovative and impactful roles, and appropriate training and development structures for technical staff.4. To develop innovative technical and clinical support roles for pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants, to ensure that the overall skill and grade mix for the service is safe, cost effective and meets the strategic aims of the service.5. To ensure professional standards within Technician led pharmacy services are maintained, and that supportive action is taken to address any deficiencies.6. Produce and present reports and audits on behalf of the Trust on medicines management issues and assist the Chief Pharmacist with mandatory internal and external reports.7. Active participant in the Northwest Regional Chief Pharmacy Technician Network and represent the pharmacy service at relevant national, regional and local health and other meetings as agreed with the Chief Pharmacist.8. Lead on the production of business plans, development & capital bids for the pharmacy service which pertain specifically to those elements of the service within their portfolio.9. To contribute to the business planning process and strategic planning for the pharmacy service.10. To develop excellent working relationships with clinical services in the Trust to ensure that pharmacy services and policies are developed and improved jointly to meet patient needs and to achieve the Trusts strategic objectives.11. To be an active member of the Senior Pharmacy Management Team.12. To be an authorised financial signatory for the Pharmacy Department including authorisation of orders and invoices in line with trust Standing Financial Instructions (up to £50k), and for booking bank staff, authorising rosters and time sheets, and other HR activities.13. To be responsible for managing and direct allocation of resources and budgets within their portfolio.14. Deputise for the Chief Pharmacist at Divisional and Trust Operational/Governance-related groups as required.15. Assist the Chief Pharmacist in the production, implementation and audit of the Trust Medicine Policy to ensure the safe prescribing, storage and administration of Medicines.16. Interpret and implement National and Trust policies pertaining to services within their portfolio advising the Chief Pharmacist and Pharmacy Senior Management team of any resultant action plans.17. To monitor and manage, performance, sickness absence, capability and other staff issues within relevant policies and procedures and with the assistance of Human Resources and Occupational Health.18. To ensure that the service meets activity and outcome requirements and can produce written performance and outcome reports as specified by the trust.19. To participate and contribute to audit and benchmarking as required.20. To lead on Pharmacy service response to complaints relating to services within their portfolio.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Professional knowledge acquired through successful completion of UK Pharmacy technician training e.g. BTEC / NVQ LEVEL III, appropriate level Pharmacy Technician apprenticeship training Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council Accredited Checking Pharmacy Technician Leadership/Management qualification or equivalent experience Professional qualification relevant to healthcare management
Desirable
PRINCE-2 or other project management qualification or significant experience
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Significant experience in hospital pharmacy technician management at a senior level post qualification. Knowledge of key pharmacy, medicines and wider healthcare policy and strategy and drivers Knowledge of Pharmacy and medicines professional standards and regulatory requirements Proven track record in successfully managing teams and complex services across ward and dispensary-based pharmacy services Experience of budgetary management Experience in provision of medicine usage and expenditure reports and use of financial reports to influence business cases and clinical practice Experience of implementing service change Experience in delivering management and clinical supervision and staff appraisal Extensive experience in Excel, data capture and analysis Demonstrable Experience in Audit and report writing
Skills Essential
Excellent managerial, leadership and organisational skills. Demonstrates excellent communication skills, both written and verbal with the ability to network and build relationships at all levels, using excellent influencing and negotiation skills. Ability to motivate and develop all teams of Pharmacy Technicians and support workers across departments. Ability to lead a team and implement change in practice Ability to pay attention to detail Political astuteness, understanding what can and cannot be delivered at senior level. Ability to work across professional teams and organisational boundaries. Ability to work to a high specification of accuracy Ability to understand the importance of confidentiality Pleasant, helpful disposition Commitment to Continual Professional Development Good time management skills
Other Essential
Ability to travel between sites and to regional meetings
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 Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address Whiston Hospital
Warrington Road
Prescot
L35 5DR
Employer's website https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)