We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations.
Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.
Trainee Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technician (Apprentice)
NHS AfC: Band 3
Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract 24 months (Fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (9.30am - 6pm Monday to Friday- involves participation in evening, bank holiday and weekend rotas) Job ref 409-7544976
Site Whiston Hospital Town Prescot Salary £24,937 - £26,598 24-month training post, 37.5hours per week Salary period Yearly Closing Today at 23:59 Interview date 10/11/2025
After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Team MWL as a Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician in our Pharmacy team based at Whiston and St Helens Hospitals. This is a 2-year fixed term training post of 37.5 hours per week. On successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, you will become a qualified Pharmacy Technician, and be able to register with GPhC. As an apprenticeship this role is supported by an accompanying assessment and skills development programme, during which the post holder will gain the skills and knowledge relevant for this role. Learning will be a mix of in the workplace, formal on and off the job training, and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment. On successful completion of their Apprenticeship, they will have the right knowledge, skills, and behaviours they need for their chosen role.
This opportunity includes:
* Paid employment with holiday leave
* Hands-on-experience working in a leading NHS organisation
* 6 hours per week time, pro rota off-the-job learning
* Support to gain a nationally recognised qualification
The post holder will be supported to work towards successful completion of:
* Pharmacy Technician (Integrated) Level 3
Main duties of the job
You must be willing and able to follow an academic and practical training course and commit to undertaking at least 10 hours per week of your own time to complete college assignments. Successful completion of this training will allow you to register with the GPhC as a practicing Pharmacy Technician.
Applicants must have at least 4 GCSEs or Equivalent, at grade C (or grade 4 or above) which must include Maths, English, and Science
Or
If you have 2 years Pharmacy experience and already have your NVQ L2, then you may apply but will need to pass a science assessment before being offered the post.
You must be able to provide the original certificates (or certified copies) of these qualifications at the interview stage.
As a Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician, you will rotate through different sections of the Pharmacy department, including Inpatient and Outpatient dispensing Ward services and Pharmacy stores, where you will be working with our newly installed automated dispensing systems. You will be preparing and dispensing a broad range of medicines including controlled drugs learning how to undertake a medicines reconciliation at ward level, final accuracy checking of prescriptions as well as providing advice and guidance to patients about their medicines.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to gain significant new knowledge and skills and boost your career within Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Working for our organisation
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:
* Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
* Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
* National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
* To assist in the receipt of prescriptions accurately according to safe working practices.
* To assist in the dispensing of prescriptions accurately and according to safe working practices.
* To fully participate in the Trainee technicians’ rota through each area of the pharmacy, including the dispensaries at St Helens and Whiston, Pharmacy stores, Medicines information and the Aseptic dispensing unit.
* To assist in the dispensing of controlled drug prescriptions and associated record keeping.
* To assist in stock control within the Pharmacy, wards, departments, and clinics.
* To request stocks and special line items in order to fulfil prescriptions.
* To take payment for prescriptions according to the departmental procedure.
* To assist in the preparation and assembly of supplies for delivery to wards and departments.
* To assist in the dispensing of extemporaneous medicines, using specific equipment (e.g., fume cupboards and weighing balances) and taking protective measures. Weighing and measuring must be accurate as there are narrow margins for errors.
* To assist in the preparation and dispensing of aseptically prepared products and cytotoxic drugs in accordance with agreed procedures of good practice and safety.
* To assist other members of staff in the performance of their duties.
* To answer phone calls and queries from patients and other healthcare professionals and refer to the appropriate person when necessary.
* To assist in the provision of individual dose dispensing and blister packing services for patients who have difficulty with normal medicines packaging.
* To assist in the preparation and assembly of resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes according to Trust Policy.
* To participate as necessary in weekend, evening, bank holiday and on-call rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
* To work to the code of ethics and standards of practice as laid down by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
* To undertake and successfully complete all aspects of the Approved training course for Pre-registration Pharmacy Technicians, including work-based projects and college assignments, as employment and progression to year 2 of the course is entirely dependent on completing year 1.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
* To use the Pharmacy computer system and input data responsibly and accurately, for all duties requiring it’s use.
RESEARCH & AUDIT
* To assist in departmental audit research projects to improve and develop the service provision, and to record and information required and assist in the compilation of necessary data.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Educated to GCSE Grade C/4 in English and Maths and/or equivalent qualification. For those with an education, health and care plan or legacy statement, the Apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is equivalent to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
* 2 years current experience working in a Pharmacy setting, combined with a NVQ L2 in Pharmacy Service skills or other GPhC recognised qualification, with or without a science subject. For candidates without the above experience and qualification, they must have at least one science qualification GCSE Grade A-C.
Knowledge & Experience
* Able to communicate with a range of people, in a way that is clear and understood.
* Demonstrate an ability to work as part of a teamwork to achieve a common goal.
* Can plan, organise, and effectively prioritise tasks to achieve the required objectives.
* Can effectively manage own time and activity to meet deadlines.
* Demonstrates an understanding of the NHS.
* Previous experience working in a Pharmacy setting.
Skills
* Good verbal and communication skills
* Ability to work and follow instruction accurately
* Well organised with good time management skills
* Ability to work accurately and under pressure
* Ability to be part of a team
* Reliable, trustworthy, and able to maintain confidentiality
Other
* Ability to travel between hospital locations
* Ability to participate in the department rota for late and weekend working
* Supportive of colleagues of all grades
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship: Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
eVisa Update: For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK. Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account. Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:
* Understand how to generate an eVisa share code
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions. Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
* All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
* There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
* Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is important; we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments where applicable, 27 days annual leave on commencement, and access to NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.
The Trust is non-smoking across all sites. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.
Additional Information
Before applying, review the Trusts Values and Behaviours: We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE. An applicant guide is available in supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name Katie Wilson-Kennedy
Job title Senior Pharmacy Technician, Education Lead
Email address Katie.WilsonKennedy@MerseyWestLancs.nhs.uk
Telephone number 01512904282
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