Job summary

Are you a dedicated, compassionate mental health professional committed to providing great care? Do you want the chance to help shape a new and genuinely innovative service for the women of Kent and Medway?

We're creating Kent and Medway's first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and are seeking a talented, qualified Clinical Pharmacy Technician to help us deliver this vital service.

Please note: this is a 12-month maternity cover post.

This role would suit pharmacy technicians with previous mental health and hospital experience who are looking to consolidate their skills, as well as those with genuine interest in mental health from another sector. You will also have the opportunity to work across all the bedded wards in the Dartford locality.

Our Pharmacy Technicians are provided with opportunities for personal growth and development, including support to do accredited medicine management qualification and NHS leadership courses.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team committed to delivering excellent care and support for service users and their loved ones.

All positions also benefit from a High Cost Area allowance.

Main duties of the job
In this role, you will support the Lead Pharmacy Technician and Lead Clinical Pharmacist in delivering a high-quality, patient-centred medicines management service within the locality. Key responsibilities include:

• Completing medicines reconciliation on admission.
• Supporting safe and timely discharge through effective medicines management.
• Providing patient counselling to ensure understanding and adherence.
• Coordinating the supply of medicines in line with clinical needs.
• Ensuring patients receive evidence-based pharmacological treatment, are involved in shared decision-making, and are regularly monitored for therapeutic response and potential side effects.
• Attending multidisciplinary team meetings and offering expert advice and support on medication-related issues.
• Contributing to audit, service development, and teaching initiatives.

About us

We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.

Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

Working as a pharmacy technician in our inpatient services, including a newly established female Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), is both highly rewarding and professionally fulfilling. Were also honest about the challengesits a demanding role that involves supporting individuals with severe and complex mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and PTSD.

The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.

As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.

5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,346 per year and a maximum payment of £2,270 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly) (2026/27 figures)

Person Specification

Qualification

• Essential
• NVQ level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians or similar
• Registered with GPhC
• Medications management knowledge including appropriate policies and legislation acquired through formal education and specialist training
• Desirable
• Accredited Medicine management qualification
• Accredited accuracy checking qualification

Experience

• Essential
• Minimum of 12 months post-qualification experience
• Working within a clinical/ward environment
• Working in various disciplines and across organisational boundaries, linking primary and secondary care
• An interest in mental health
• Desirable
• Experience of working on a female psychiatric ward or psychiatric intensive care unit

Knowledge and Skills

• Essential
• Advanced IT literacy, especially Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Good understanding of primary care and secondary care
• Able to work as part of a team
• Able to work alone to short deadlines
• Good at practical problem solving
• Excellent communication skills
• Good presentation skills - both written and oral
• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise own workload
• Able to co-ordinate around a number of complex activities which may require the adjustment of plans
• Desirable
• Good understanding of the issues affecting mental health prescribing
• Project management skills

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.

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