Band 6 Lead Education and Training Pharmacy Technician

Job content

Are you a Pharmacy Technician who is passionate about training and development of the pharmacy workforce? If so, AWP are looking for a forward-thinking, enthusiastic and knowledgeable Technician to join our team.

The main purpose of the role is to organise, facilitate and deliver the training and development of various members of pharmacy staff, including but not limited to Pharmacy Technicians, pre-registration trainee Pharmacy Technicians, pharmacy assistants, pre-registration Pharmacists and work experience students. The post holder will also act as line manager for for pre-registration trainee Pharmacy Technicians.

We are working with our partners in BNSSG and BSW IBCs to develop cross-sector shared apprentice pharmacy technician posts.

The successful candidate would also be deputy chair the Workforce Education and Development group, working closely with the lead Education and Training Pharmacist to oversee all training and development opportunities for the pharmacy team.

In addition to the education and training role, the post holder will provide medicines optimisation services at ward level, as well as accuracy checking and leadership and management support.

• Lead the improvement, delivery and evaluation of pharmacy workforce development
• Develop a competent, motivated and versatile clinical pharmacy workforce across the service
• Highlight any additional training needs within the department
• Co-lead on educational material to support training to staff alongside relevant lead
• Present regular updates to the senior pharmacy team
• Development and implementation of SOPs, guidelines and policies relating to workforce development
• Maintain competency as a medicines optimisation technician
• Maintain accuracy checking competency through regular checking sessions
• Management duties to trainee members of the technical team

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

The AWP pharmacy service employs approximately 60 staff. There are two technician-led dispensaries in the Trust (one in Bristol, and one in Calne, Wiltshire), and clinical pharmacy teams embedded in the locality ward/community team bases. Each locality has a locality lead pharmacist, clinical pharmacists and medicines optimisation technicians. As well as managing the medicines supply chain in the trust, we support the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the organisation through our clinical work, enquiry answering, medicines governance activity and many other roles. The team are friendly, dynamic and evolving, with aspirations to improve patient care across the AWP geography.

Please read the full job description, person specification for the role to ensure you meet the essential criteria.

Leadership and management
1. To work with the service leads, to continually review the training programmes within the Trust
Pharmacy service, undertaking training needs analysis and identifying requirements for improvements in the training provided
2. To contribute to developing policies, strategies and plans to ensure that training and
development produces pharmacy staff who are able to deliverthe services required, to the standards demanded.
3. To be line manager for the pre-registration trainee Pharmacy Technicians, including leading on
recruitment and selection process, managing performance issues, sickness management and any associated grievance, capability or disciplinary issues
4. When appointing students, work with AWP learning and development and the apprenticeship co-ordinator, as well as external stakeholders, to ensure registration with the awarding body/course facilitator
5. Provide input into the recruitment and selection of work experience pharmacy students
6. Work in partnership with Lead Technician (Technical Services)to explore how we can better
utilise technician workforce within the Trust and mental health services
7. Support the review and prioritisation of training requests to ensure that a balance is met between service delivery requirements and efficient use of Trust financial resources
8. To support in maximising income generation opportunities for providing training to external customers
9. To manage, co-ordinate and monitor the training of designated Pharmacy staff
10. To act as a mentor and supervisor, delegating as appropriate
11. Organise and produce staff training plans, programmes and materials
12. To manage the training workload, ensuring work flow is maintained and KPIs are met.
Identify any service needs, monitor standards of training
13. Prioritise work in conjunction with the service leads where appropriate, and deciding where fast tracking of training is appropriate - communicating these decisions to all affected staff
14. To ensure all Pharmacy staff are trained in good customerservice techniques
15. To produce and regularly update training standard operating procedures(SOPs)
16. To support the training required for implementation of new technology and associated
service redesign, in conjunction with the Pharmacy IT system managers
17. To organise regular training team meetings and attend departmental meetings to raise any relevant training issues
18. To ensure that all department staff are kept up to date with any relevant information regarding training strategy and provision
19. To provide leadership,motivation and direction to other Pharmacy staff
20. To plan, co-ordinate and deliverinduction programmesfor all new Pharmacy staff, ensuring competencies are achieved and recorded within the first months of employment
Education and Training
1. The Lead Education and Training Pharmacy Technician post oversees training requirements
for the Pharmacy department as a whole
2. To develop the educational curriculum to improve technical knowledge of working in mental health, to identify training opportunities to deliver this
3. Co-ordinate lunch time learning agenda alongside Lead Education and Training Pharmacist within the department for all grades of staff
4. To ensure the training needs ofstaff are met by co-coordinating/delivering suitable training to enable them to safely and confidently perform their duties
5. To organise, facilitate and support delivery of the training and development of Pharmacy
6. Ensure staff competencies are maintained and thatrecords are up to date
7. To oversee the provision of training and the ongoing competency of all staff within the department
8. To provide training, awareness and escorted tours of the department to non-pharmacy staff, whenever appropriate
9. To make recommendations and take an active partin the development of training packages to enhance the training of pharmacy staff
10. Lead in the support of mandatory training for the department
11. To perform the role of Educational Supervisor, to lead in development of other assessors within the pharmacy department. Allocate assessor responsibilities and workload, provide support and guidance, and review assessment techniques of those involved in the assessment process
12. To undertake all relevant personal training to support thisrole, demonstrate and maintain commitment to CPD, and be informed of currentissuesin pharmacy practice. Support staff to be aware of revalidation requirements with the GPhC, and circulate any developments
13. Be a key point of contactfor AWP forthe Pharmacy Workforce Development South (PWDS) office