Job overview
Do you want to put your clinical knowledge to greater use? Are you a registered Pharmacy Technician looking for a more meaningful role, where you can make a real difference to patients and collaborate closely with other healthcare professionals? If so, like many others, you may be seeking a rewarding, clinically focused career in hospital pharmacy. At Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, we share this vision and are passionate about supporting technicians who are ready to join us on this exciting journey.
In this role, you will play a key part in delivering a patient‑centred ward pharmacy service. You will support pharmacists with drug history taking to ensure medicines reconciliation is completed within 24 hours of admission.
This opportunity offers the chance to build on your existing clinical experience. We are fully committed to your training and development, enabling you to maximise your contribution to patient care, and we will actively support you as you grow in the role.
As a GDE exemplar site, we are a digitally advanced Trust. We have had electronic prescribing in place since 2015, an Automated Dispensing System on each site, more than 200 electronic discharge referrals to community pharmacies each month, and a wide range of other innovative digital solutions. We offer excellent support for technicians at all levels and remain dedicated to your personal and professional development.
What are you waiting for — apply today!
Main duties of the job
1. Provide medicines management services to adult wards, including compiling accurate medication histories and completing medicines reconciliation.
2. Undertake day‑to‑day supervision of junior pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants within the team.
3. Deliver training on pharmacy procedures, stock control, and electronic prescribing systems, including signing off training logs for all staff.
4. Offer straightforward advice on pharmaceutical products and supply.
5. Work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals at ward level.
6. Act as a professional role model for junior pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants, demonstrating integrity, ownership, and leadership in all aspects of the role.
7. Contribute to the wider pharmacy service, including dispensing and issuing prescriptions in both the satellite and main dispensaries, which will also involve accredited checking of prescriptions
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
8. Provide a medicines management service at ward level, including ensuring the safe storage of medicines and managing medicine returns.
9. Obtain accurate patient medication histories using all available sources—such as patients’ own medicines and the Summary Care Record—in line with departmental processes and SOPs, ensuring patient consent is obtained. This includes entering the patient’s admission medication history onto the electronic prescribing system (ePMA).
10. Carry out straightforward Level 2 medicines reconciliation in accordance with relevant policies and SOPs
11. Communicate medicine‑related information clearly, both verbally and in writing, to patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals. This includes counselling and demonstrating the correct use of inhalers and other medical devices
Please see full Job Description and Person Specification attached. If further information is required, please speak to our contact on the advert.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
12. Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Pharmacy Service Skills / Level 3 Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent
13. Registered with GPhC
14. Accredited Checking Pharmacy Technician
Desirable criteria
15. Clinical pharmacy qualification or accreditation
16. Member of APTUK
Other
Essential criteria
17. Able to cope with frequent, light manual handling activities
18. Able to work accurately under pressure and interruptions
Skills
Essential criteria
19. Ability to analyse problems and devise workable solutions
20. Ability to work independently and as part of a team
21. Ability to prioritise ad-hoc work tasks
Desirable criteria
22. Good interpersonal skills
23. Ability to support with others learning
Experience
Essential criteria
24. Customer orientated services
25. Experience of supervising staff
Desirable criteria
26. Experience of contributing to SOP development
27. Ward/ Clinic based experience
Communication
Essential criteria
28. Good verbal and written communication skills
29. Experience of patient medication counselling
Desirable criteria
30. Empathetic communication skills
31. Able to communicate with a range of people and adapt communication style appropriately
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.