Principal Pharmacy Technician

Band 6

Main area

Pharmacy

Grade

Band 6

Contract

12 months (Fixed term to cover maternity cover for a period of 12 months.)

Hours

Full time hours per week (The post includes one weekend shift every seven weeks, with two rest days provided associated to the weekend duty.)

Job ref

FM-AG-R-VCG

Site

Epsom Hospital

Town

Epsom

Salary

£44,485 - £52,521 pa pro rata incl. HCAS outer

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

25/12/2025 23:59

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.

Job overview

We are looking for a motivated and forward-thinking Principal Pharmacy Technician to join us for a 12-month maternity leave cover, starting 2 March 2026. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, confident technician to step into a key leadership role within our busy Patient Services team at Epsom and St Helier.

In this pivotal position, you will take responsibility for the operational management of our dispensaries, ensuring we deliver a safe, efficient and patient-centred service. You'll provide technical leadership to the team, oversee workflow and staffing, maintain high professional standards, and contribute to ongoing service improvements.

You'll work closely with senior pharmacists and technicians, support staff induction and training, and help drive developments that enhance both patient experience and operational performance. Your expertise in accuracy checking, stock management, supervision and day-to-day organisation will be central to the smooth running of the service.

If you are an ACPT with strong communication skills, proven supervisory experience and a genuine passion for developing others, we would be delighted to welcome you into our friendly and supportive team. This fixed-term role offers a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact while advancing your leadership experience.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties of the Job

• Lead the day-to-day operational running of the inpatient, outpatient and discharge dispensaries, ensuring safe, timely and accurate dispensing.
• Provide technical leadership to the Patient Services team, supporting staff across all aspects of dispensing, workflow and service delivery.
• Maintain ACPT status and carry out final accuracy checks in line with departmental protocols.
• Oversee stock management, including ordering, stock levels, expiry checks, and the provision of emergency and resuscitation boxes.
• Support the dispensing and documentation of clinical trial medicines.
• Counsel patients and carers on the safe and effective use of their medicines.
• Coordinate induction, training and development for technicians, assistants, trainees and work experience students.
• Produce and maintain rota arrangements, ensuring appropriate cover and skill mix for daily operations, weekends and Bank Holidays.
• Contribute to service development, audits, performance monitoring and the implementation of updated procedures.
• Lead on the reporting and investigation of incidents, errors and complaints in line with Trust policy.
• Deputise for the Principal Pharmacist, Patient Services when required.

Working for our organisation

ESTH is an incredibly diverse workplace, which is reflected in our pharmacy team. Celebrating our differences together is something truly valued by all our staff, we foster a supportive and collaborative work environment where pharmacy technicians feel valued and respected for their contributions.

Overall, we have created a genuinely friendly workplace where pharmacy technicians feel supported, valued, and motivated to excel in their careers – and we also love to laugh

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective medicines management within the Trust. If you're ready to step up and lead, we'd love to hear from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see job description for a more detailed expectation of the post holder including the person specification.

Person specification
Qualifications and Skills
Essential criteria

• BTEC / NVQ Level 3 or equivalent. Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Accredited Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) Certificate

Desirable criteria

• Good IT skills
• Experience with the CMM pharmacy computer system
• Familiarity with Datix.
• Risk assessment, Complaint and incident investigation experience

Experience
Essential criteria

• Extensive hospital experience across various pharmacy departments.
• Experience in supervision of staff.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge and experience of appraisal.
• Knowledge of NVQ process

Your recruitment team

The NHS South West London Recruitment Hub is your dedicated recruitment team, here to support you at every stage of the process. If you have a query, please contact us:

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Your application

Please ensure your supporting statement clearly reflects the job description and person specification, as shortlisting will be based on these criteria.

Please refer to the latest UKVI guidance and ensure you have the appropriate right to work before applying for this role.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to draft your application. We value authentic, individual responses that reflect your own experience and communication style.

References

Please provide a minimum of 3 years' employment and/or education history, including professional email addresses (not personal accounts such as Hotmail or Gmail). If you cannot provide these, please inform the interview panel to avoid delays in pre-employment checks.

Closing date

To help us manage recruitment efficiently, some vacancies may close early once we have received a sufficient number of applications.

Shortlisting

If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be contacted by email or SMS from the South West London Recruitment Hub. Please check your registered TRAC email regularly.

Application feedback

If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Safeguarding and DBS Checks

We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

This vacancy may have an application cap, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. Ensure your supporting statement clearly shows how you meet the job specifications.

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