Job Summary
Due to the planned retirement of the current chief pharmacy technician, an exciting opportunity has arisen at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead for a Band 8a Chief Pharmacy Technician.

We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, experienced and motivated pharmacy technician who is passionate about pharmacy services. You will be responsible for the professional leadership and management of the Trust's pharmacy technician workforce.

You will have knowledge and experience of national developments in medicines management and the role pharmacy technicians play in driving forward pharmacy and medicines management services.

Main duties of the job
This role brings together the management of pharmacy operations and medicines management services. The post holder is responsible for the professional leadership and management of the Trust's pharmacy technicians and provides oversight of the education, training and development of pharmacy technicians, pharmacy support staff and administration staff within the department.

As a key member of the Pharmacy Senior Team, the post holder works closely with senior pharmacy colleagues in promoting a collaborative culture, embedding effective leadership, inputting to strategic planning, and supporting the Trust's governance framework and transformation agenda.

The post holder focuses on best practice and managing risk, whilst driving initiatives to make optimal use of finite resources and new technologies. The role includes responsibility for the management of relevant aspects of pharmacy operational budgets, contribution to cost improvement programmes, implementation of evidence-based improvements, and monitoring against relevant national standards.

The role requires excellent organisation and leadership skills, a patient-centred approach, strong communication and influencing skills, resilience, and an ability to secure engagement from staff and service users. The Chief Pharmacy Technician role supports the regulatory compliance (GPhC/CQC/MHRA/NHSE) of the pharmacy service.

About us
Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym ICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

Job responsibilities

• Line manage and supervise the lead pharmacy technicians delivering the pharmacy services
• Responsible for the operational delivery of medicines supply services across the Trust to wards, clinics and community teams; ensuring the procurement and supply of medicines to patients follows all legal and statutory controls in a safe and effective manner
• Ensure on a day-to-day basis that adequate levels of technical and support staff, with training appropriate to their roles, are available across the Trust to deliver the expected pharmacy services.
• Actively contribute to the development and delivery of the pharmacy departments strategy
• Actively contribute to the development and delivery of the pharmacy departments Education and Training Strategy
• Actively contribute to the development and delivery of the pharmacy departments digital programme of work
• Develop, implement, monitor and report KPIs for pharmacy operations and medicines management services
• Optimise service delivery by effective deployment of the workforce, implementing human resources guidance and policy, e.g. recruitment and selection, absence management reviews, grievance and disciplinary processes, employee health and wellbeing support. Where appropriate delegate to team managers, seek advice from HR professionals and escalate as appropriate
• Lead and develop specialist pharmacy technician roles and functions within the pharmacy services
• Provide support to the Lead Clinical Pharmacists to ensure the clinical services provided by the clinical pharmacy technicians meet the needs of the users and complies with best practice and legislation
• Develop efficient communication channels with the rest of the pharmacy team to ensure a good understanding of the service and the roles and responsibilities of staff
• Ensure that the principles of safe and secure handling of medicines are adopted and take part in quality assurance systems for pharmacy and medicines management services
• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and records for the inpatient pharmacy service
• Support the Chief and Deputy Chief Pharmacists in operational and strategic workforce development, transformational initiatives for improved service delivery and health and wellbeing of staff
• Support the Chief and Deputy Chief Pharmacists in identifying business and productivity opportunities and implementation within the department
• Be a person of responsibility in the departments business continuity plan, including as an initial point of contact
• Ensure the appropriate stock control and storage of materials and safe maintenance of equipment used in the provision of the services managed by the post holder
• Be responsible for the management of risk in relation to services managed by the post holder
• Act as a pharmacy robot super-user
• Develop and maintain a culture within the department that encourages and allows staff participation and contribution to the achievements of the department and Trust aims and objectives
• Participate and co-operate to provide a 7-day pharmacy service, which includes Bank Holidays and late nights
• Participate in the dispensary rota for accuracy checking technicians
• Develop, implement, maintain, and promote local and national best practice policies, standard operating procedures, guidelines, and recommendations relating to pharmacy and medicine management within the organisation

Person Specification
Experience and Knowledge
Essential

• Considerable experience working in hospital pharmacy
• Experience of service development and project management
• Experience of training and staff appraisal

Desirable

• Educational supervisor
• Member of Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK
• Knowledge of NHS finances

Qualifications
Essential

• GPhC registered Pharmacy Technician
• Management or professional qualification or equivalent experience
• Accredited checking technician (ACT)

Desirable

• Leadership or management qualification

Skills/Personal Attributes
Essential

• Team player and ability to build good relationships with colleagues
• Evidence of leadership skills including conflict management
• Commitment to continuous improvement of patient-focused services

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.

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, NE96SX, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.qegateshead.nhs.uk

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Deputy Chief Pharmacist
Venessa Echanique
v.echanique@nhs.net
01914452315

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.