Lead Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary in Bedford

This is a challenging and rewarding role requiring strong leadership, organisational, and communication skills, together with the ability to work independently, prioritise effectively, and manage a varied workload. The post holder will have line management responsibility for a number of staff within the Pharmacy department, providing leadership, support, and guidance to the team. This is an exciting time to join the department as we continue to develop and expand our Senior Dispensary Team. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of the service and support the delivery of high-quality pharmacy services.

Applicants must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as a Pharmacy Technician and hold Accredited Checking Technician (ACT) status.

Main duties of the job:

• Lead and coordinate the day-to-day work of the Pharmacy Dispensary Team, as directed by the Principal Pharmacy Technician - Dispensary, ensuring an effective and efficient service.
• Prioritise workload and allocate staff appropriately across dispensary areas, maintaining flexibility to meet operational and service demands.
• Work collaboratively with the Principal Pharmacy Technician - Dispensary to promote a positive team approach and support the delivery of high-quality pharmacy services.
• Maintain accountability for the quality of your own work and the performance of staff within your area of responsibility.
• Support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of service developments and improvements.
• Provide line management and day-to-day support to designated members of the Dispensary Team.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of the electronic Controlled Drug management system, acting as the system manager.
• Work closely with the Lead Pharmacy Technician for IT and Automation to support the Prescription Tracking System (PTS), resolving issues and ensuring effective use to maintain workflow.
• Support the investigation of dispensing errors and near-misses, identifying trends and contributing to improvements in practice.
• Develop, review, and maintain dispensary procedures, ensuring they remain accurate, current, and aligned with relevant policies and standards.

About us: 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 familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities:

• Ensure high standards of customer care are consistently maintained, with a strong focus on patient needs and experience.
• Supervise and coordinate the day-to-day activities of the Dispensary, seeking guidance from the Principal Pharmacy Technician Dispensary where required.
• Oversee the technical aspects of the dispensing process undertaken by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pre-registration/trainee technicians, senior pharmacy assistants, and trainee pharmacists.
• Receive prescriptions into the Dispensary, ensuring prescription charges are collected where applicable and in accordance with departmental procedures.
• Participate in the labelling and dispensing of inpatient, outpatient, controlled drug, day-case, and discharge prescriptions, ensuring compliance with departmental procedures and relevant standards.
• Provide support and guidance to staff in resolving operational issues, including liaising with other healthcare professionals where appropriate.
• Undertake line management responsibility for designated members of the Dispensary Team, as agreed with the Principal Pharmacy Technician Dispensary.
• Monitor near-miss dispensing errors, identify trends, and support the development and implementation of appropriate actions to address identified issues or training needs.
• Support the Principal Pharmacy Technician Dispensary in investigating dispensary-related incidents, including near-misses and Trust-wide reports, and contribute to learning and service improvement.
• Support the safe and efficient operation of the robotic dispensing system, working with the Lead Pharmacy Technician for IT and Automation and contributing to the robot maintenance rota as required.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), BTEC National Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science, NVQ level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent, Accredited accuracy checking technician, Educational supervisor for ACPT, Leadership and Management qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience: Competence in medication counselling of patients, Experience of dispensary services and service development, Formulation of standard operating procedures, Customer orientated experience, Training, mentoring and supervision of staff, Staff recruitment, Significant hospital experience of a range and level relevant for the post, Experience of Team Leading, Conducting and supervising audits.
• Knowledge: Up to date knowledge of current legislation and accepted standards of practice, pharmaceutical guidance and Medicines Optimisation, Good IT literacy skills to be able to use computers in all aspects of the job including a working knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams and other commonly used applications, An understanding of incident reporting and risk management systems, To be able to deal with complaints from patients and other healthcare staff, Understanding of importance of monitoring quality of service and clinical audit skills.
• Personal Skills: Strong team working skills and ability to work effectively with other teams, Good verbal and written communication skills, Able to thrive on development/change, Ability to lead a team, Self-motivated and organised, Ability to plan and organise ongoing service delivery, Ability to appropriately prioritise competing demands, Ability to plan and organise ongoing training programmes.

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.