Pharmacy Technician

Sunderland | Full Time | 37.5 Hours

Build stronger pharmacy partnerships. Expand access. Improve health outcomes.

Change Grow Live is a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to the lives of the people who use our services. We offer support and respect in a safe environment, treating every individual as unique and working alongside them to identify the treatment and care options that best meet their needs.

Our core values are "Be Open, Be Compassionate and Be Bold", and our team members demonstrate these values every day to help people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to their full potential.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Pharmacy Technician to join Sunderland.

The role will support healthcare and operational colleagues to maximise the contribution of community pharmacies, enhance the quality of pharmacy-delivered interventions, and promote the safe and effective use of medicines for people accessing our services. The successful candidate will be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and have experience in medicines management, harm reduction, partnership working, and improving outcomes for service users.

You will focus on developing and maintaining effective partnerships with community pharmacies and other stakeholders, supporting the delivery of supervised consumption, needle exchange, naloxone provision, and other pharmacy-based interventions. The successful candidate will act as the key pharmacy link across Sunderland, supporting community pharmacy engagement, medicines governance, service development, data analysis, audit activity, training delivery, and incident management.

This role will require regular travel across the designated area to visit operational services, community pharmacies, and partner organisations.

Details

Location: Sunderland, with flexibility to work across local operational sites
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and any associated payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

About the role:  

• Act as the primary point of contact for community pharmacy contractors and the LPC, ensuring regular, high-quality communication with these partners.
• Attend meetings with the LPC and Controlled Drugs Local Intelligence Network (CDLIN) as required.
• Promote the work of Change Grow Live across the Service, maximising the use of community pharmacies to support positive health outcomes for service users.
• Ensure that community pharmacies are providing a range of interventions including supervised consumption, needle exchange, and naloxone.
• Use PharmOutcomes and other systems to collect, collate and analyse data.
• Provide specialist advice on medicines governance and the management of pharmaceutical products and controlled stationery in line with organisational policies and procedures.
• Support the prescribing of cost-effective pharmacotherapies in line with best practice and organisational policies.
• Provide medicines-related advice and recommendations, within scope of practice and competency, to prescribers and other healthcare professionals.. This could include, but is not limited to, optimal prescribing doses, reviewing medication suitability (e.g. contra indications, interactions and cautions such as QT interval prolongation).
• Support the response to relevant organisational directives and drug alerts overseen by the Central Pharmacy Team.
• Dispense and administer medicines within onsite dispensaries, including under and Patient Group Directions (PGDs), where appropriate.
• Provide advice and oversight on the safe storage, handling, and management of medicines, pharmaceutical products, and controlled stationery.
• Support staff training and development to ensure safe medicines management practices and compliance with organisational policies and procedures.
• Monitor stock management processes, including stock rotation, storage suitability, and adherence to health and safety requirements.
• Ensure controlled drugs and controlled stationery are stored, managed, and recorded securely in accordance with legal, regulatory, and organisational requirements.

About you:  

• GPhC-approved pharmacy technician course/qualification
• Current registration with GPhC
• At least 2 years’ experience as a registered Pharmacy Technician.
• Experience of multi-agency working, with the ability to build effective partnerships across professional groups (e.g. mental health services, criminal justice agencies, and community groups) to achieve positive outcomes for service users.
• Experience working in an outcomes-focused environment, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and demands effectively.
• Computer literate with Microsoft packages; proficient in the use of Microsoft Excel.

What we will give to you:  

• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays. Additionally, you'll receive one extra day of annual leave for each year of service during your first five years, therefore you will enjoy 30 days of leave after five years with us. 
• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme  
• Contributory pension scheme  
• Several benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc.  
• A friendly and supportive team  
• Training, career development & progression opportunities  
• Generous Refer-a-Friend Scheme  

A note about using AI in your application

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this opportunity early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Please note: This opportunity is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Help build pharmacy partnerships that make treatment easier to access and better connected across Sunderland.