Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeship (The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust)

Summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe and is ranked as one of the top NHS Trusts in the country in the NHS national performance ranking.

Wage

£25,760 a year

Training course

Pharmacy technician (integrated) (level 3)

Hours

Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 26 October 2026

Duration

2 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Our Pharmacy Department plays a key role in maintaining and enhancing the Trust’s reputation. This post is a great opportunity to train as an Apprentice Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician. This training programme will equip learners with the clinical knowledge, confidence, practical and professional skills to practise as pharmacy technicians.

Full support will be given to the suitable candidates to complete their training to become a qualified pharmacy technician in a specialist cancer hospital.

This is a 2-year full-time post based at one of our main hospital sites (Sutton or Fulham). There may be a requirement to travel to another site.

The Pharmacy Technician Training Programme (Apprenticeship Pathway) enables learners, with relevant work experience, to apply for registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

You will engage in a rotational training programme covering various aspects such as ward-based medicines management, the in-patient dispensary, aseptics, clinical trials, the outpatient dispensary, pharmacy stores, and procurement. This hands-on experience will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the pharmacy technician role in different healthcare settings.

You will integrate into our pharmacy team working within the Dispensary and Day Units helping to deliver an effective and safe service and assisting with the day to day running of the clinical pharmacy services. This will include labelling and dispensing medications, discharge medicine supply, and patient counselling to ensure in-patients and day-unit patients are discharged in a timely manner with the correct medication and advice. On the day units you will help with counselling and handing out medications to patients and organising the medications to be available from the outpatient pharmacy for the patients before their appointment time, learning how to deliver excellent patient care.

Additional duties on the wards include the assessment of patients own drugs, taking drug histories, medication ordering, assisting in medication reconciliation, and audits.

Duties:

• Assisting in stock management
• Labelling medicines
• Dispensing medicines
• Ordering stock for the dispensary
• Checking patient's own medication
• Counselling patients on their medicines

Where you'll work

Downs Road
Sutton
SM2 5PT

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

BUTTERCUPS TRAINING LIMITED

Training course

Pharmacy technician (integrated) (level 3)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Recognise and work within their scope of practice and skills,
• Use relevant data and information to make effective decisions
• Accurately retrieve and reconcile information about a person’s medicines
• Accurately assemble prescribed items
• Issue prescribed items safely and effectively and take action to deal with discrepancies carry out an accuracy check of dispensed medicines and products
• Accurately perform pharmaceutical calculations to ensure the safety of people
• Apply the principles of clinical governance and ensure person’s confidentiality
• Assess a person’s present supply of medicines and order appropriate medicines and products.
• Receive requests for medicines, including prescriptions, and check for their validity, safety and clarity, taking action to deal with any problems with the person directly
• Demonstrate operational skills within their scope of practice
• Provide a safe, effective and responsive pharmacy service
• Take personal responsibility for the legal, safe and efficient supply of medicines
• Apply the principles of governance to pharmacy operational processes
• Ensure the confidentiality of patient data.
• Communicate and work effectively with members of the multidisciplinary team
• Explain the impact of audit and evaluation on the quality of pharmacy operations and services
• Engage others in the improvement of processes and systems
• Effectively use systems to support the safe and effective management and supply of medicines
• Listen to a person, understand their needs and interpret what matters to them.
• Give the person all relevant information and advice in a way they can understand, so they can make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing
• Optimise a person’s medicines to achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Obtain relevant information from people – including patients, carers and other healthcare professionals – and use it to optimise care appropriately
• Adapt information and communication to meet the needs of particular audiences
• Check and review their own and others work effectively
• Suggest and implement personal goals and methods of improvement
• Maintain CPD outcomes that meet with regulatory requirements
• Identify and respond effectively to errors and near misses
• Ensure effective safeguards are in place particularly for children and vulnerable adults
• Prioritise time and resources effectively to achieve local and national objectives
• Respond to medical emergencies
• Ensure that health and safety controls are embedded and working
• Effectively supervise other members of the team
• Recognise and work within their scope of practice and skills,
• Use relevant data and information to make effective decisions
• Accurately retrieve and reconcile information about a person’s medicines
• Accurately assemble prescribed items
• Issue prescribed items safely and effectively and take action to deal with discrepancies carry out an accuracy check of dispensed medicines and products
• Accurately perform pharmaceutical calculations to ensure the safety of people
• Apply the principles of clinical governance and ensure person’s confidentiality
• Assess a person’s present supply of medicines and order appropriate medicines and products.
• Receive requests for medicines, including prescriptions, and check for their validity, safety and clarity, taking action to deal with any problems with the person directly
• Demonstrate operational skills within their scope of practice
• Provide a safe, effective and responsive pharmacy service
• Take personal responsibility for the legal, safe and efficient supply of medicines
• Apply the principles of governance to pharmacy operational processes
• Ensure the confidentiality of patient data.
• Communicate and work effectively with members of the multidisciplinary team
• Explain the impact of audit and evaluation on the quality of pharmacy operations and services
• Engage others in the improvement of processes and systems
• Effectively use systems to support the safe and effective management and supply of medicines
• Listen to a person, understand their needs and interpret what matters to them.
• Give the person all relevant information and advice in a way they can understand, so they can make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing
• Optimise a person’s medicines to achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Obtain relevant information from people – including patients, carers and other healthcare professionals – and use it to optimise care appropriately
• Adapt information and communication to meet the needs of particular audiences
• Check and review their own and others work effectively
• Suggest and implement personal goals and methods of improvement
• Maintain CPD outcomes that meet with regulatory requirements
• Identify and respond effectively to errors and near misses
• Ensure effective safeguards are in place particularly for children and vulnerable adults
• Prioritise time and resources effectively to achieve local and national objectives
• Respond to medical emergencies
• Ensure that health and safety controls are embedded and working
• Effectively supervise other members of the team

Training schedule

Buttercups Training is a trusted specialist in pharmacy and healthcare training, supporting learners and employers across community, hospital, and primary care. We design high-quality, career-shaping apprenticeship programmes that build confidence, strengthen clinical practice, and meet the evolving needs of the healthcare workforce. Our collaborative learning approach encourages shared insight and practical application, helping professionals grow together to deliver safer care and better patient outcomes across the organisations and communities they serve.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

4 GCSE - Inc English, Maths & 1 Science subject. (grade grade 4/C)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Organisation skills
• Team working
• Word/excel
• Listening skills
• Time management skills
• Positive attitude
• Friendly
• Determination

Other requirements

Desirable

• Level 2 Apprenticeship in Pharmacy Services or equivalent

Essential

• 4 GCSE to include minimum grade 4/C including English, Maths & 1 Science subject.

• No degree level qualification related to pharmacy