Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeship

Find out about the current vacancies available at the Trust and take the next step in your career with us.

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, our main priority is providing safe and high-quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. If you share our passion then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients’ experience the best it can possibly be.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.

Job overview

Pharmacy technicians are a vital part of the pharmacy team. They work under the supervision of a pharmacist to ensure the safe running of the pharmacy and that patients get the most from their medicines. The role will enable successful candidates to undertake the necessary training and development to register as Pharmacy Technicians with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Our Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician Apprentices undertake a 2-year distance learning training programme with the University of East Anglia, with lots of support from our dedicated and experienced training team. You will attend virtual training to study for your Certificate of Higher Education in Pharmacy Technician Practice coursework.

To be eligible to apply for the Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician, you will need:

• 4 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including Maths, English, and science (or a combined science award with one qualification at C/4 or above plus another GCSE).
• Maths and English Functional skills levels 2 can also be accepted.
• Pharmacy experience is not essential, but would be desirable; an NVQ2 in pharmacy is not an alternative to the academic requirements above.

Proof of the above qualifications will be requested at the interview.

Career opportunities following qualification and registration include:

• Medicines management roles
• Aseptic preparation
• Staff training
• Clinical trials
• Procurement
• And many more.

Main duties of the job

Our PTPTs support the medicines supply and optimisation throughout the Trust. You will need to demonstrate that you are a team player, a proactive learner, and can plan and organise your workload. You need to be flexible in your approach to work and have good attention to detail. Excellent communication skills are a must, and most importantly, a professional attitude and patient-centred approach.

During your training, you will be involved in supporting the efficient delivery of medicines, including dispensing, stock control, aseptic production, and quality control. This will be across our Pharmacy Departments at the University Hospital of North Tees, University Hospital of Hartlepool, along with Stockton Quality Control Laboratory, which is the specialist regional service for the North East and North Cumbria.

You will gain experience working in the hospital inpatient wards, delivering pharmacy ward-based services. You will take patient medication histories, assess patients' drugs, and educate patients on how to optimise their medicines. As part of the programme, you will gain the knowledge and skills required to final accuracy check on dispensed medicines and products.

Working for our organisation

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust now form University Hospitals Tees and as such you may be required to work at any site across both Trusts.

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, we want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.

We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Attached you will find the person specification document, which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application, as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.

Please note that you may be required to travel to various sites within the locality and attend training venues outside of the locality.

Person specification

Qualifications:

• GCSE English at Grade C/Level 4 or above
• GCSE Maths at Grade C/Level 4 or above
• Minimum of 1 GCSE Science at Grade C/Level 4 or above
• Level 2 qualification in Pharmacy or equivalent
• A Level English at Grade C or above
• A Level Maths at Grade C or above
• A Level in a Science at Grade C or above

Experience:

• Work experience in a hospital or a community pharmacy
• Experience within a customer or healthcare role

Skills:

• Experience producing assignments using a computer to high level
• Experience of working in a team environment
• Communication ability to communicate clearly in written format

Please be aware: Once sufficient applications have been received this vacancy may close early.

Disclosure and Barring Checks (DBS)

It is the policy of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, that all successful candidates who are new to the Trust who require DBS clearance for the post they have been offered, are required to pay the cost for their DBS certificate. The method of payment for this is via salary deduction from your first month's pay on commencement with the Trust. The DBS check will be undertaken during the pre-employment check screening.

New Starters – Probationary Period

For any new employees commencing employment with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, you will be subject to satisfactory completion of a 6 month probationary period. Please note that internal applications and individuals that are appointed to fixed term appointments of less than 6 months duration are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or a bank member of staff).

Employment References

As part of our pre-employment screening process, all applicants are required to provide references covering their last three years employment history including any gaps. Applicants are requested to ensure e-mail addresses for all referees are included on their application form. Personal references are not acceptable.

Working Hours

If the hours advertised for the post are up to full time (37.5 hours per week), applications are still welcomed from individuals who may be seeking to work less than full-time hours and all requests will be considered in line with the post being appointed to for the successful applicant.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The details in the Monitoring Information section of your application will be used for monitoring our recruitment process and will not be seen by the interview panel. The information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence. To meet its commitment to promoting equality of opportunity, the Trust's policy is that individuals will be recruited, trained and promoted according to ability and job requirements only. As such we welcome your application irrespective of your gender, race, disability, colour, ethnic or national origin, and nationality, and marital status, responsibility for dependants, religion, trade union activity and age.

Right to Work in the UK

The Trust welcomes applications from all candidates who meet the criteria for the role. Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless they have permission to work via another route. Non UK/RoI candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here: Work in the UK - GOV.UK.

Please provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Your current immigration status will not be considered as part of the shortlisting or interview process.

Please note that not everyone needs a 'Skilled Worker' visa. If you are applying for health or adult social care, you may be eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead.

Please note: if the job you are applying for does not meet the eligibility criteria above, we will be unable to offer you sponsorship and you will need to explore whether you may be eligible to apply for an alternative immigration route which will secure your right to work in the UK before you apply. If you are in the UK already on a visa, please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post.

Disability

The Trust gives full and fair consideration to applications for employment received from disabled people. We are a “Positive about Disabled People” employer, and we hold the 'two ticks' Disability Symbol, which is a recognition given by Jobcentre Plus to employers who have agreed to meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people. If you have a disability, which makes it difficult for you to complete our application form, please do not hesitate to contact the recruitment team.

Further Important Information

Please check your email on a regular basis for updates on your application. If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be invited to email via this method.

Please ensure you read the 'Guidance Notes for Applicants' document attached to this advert before completing and submitting your application.