NHS pharmacy technician: supporting information with a worked example

Updated · By the Tick the Spec team

Registered pharmacy technician posts in the NHS are commonly advertised at Band 5, with more senior or specialist posts at Band 6 and above, and trainee pharmacy technician posts at lower bands. The person specification almost always requires registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or eligibility to register, and asks for evidence of accurate dispensing, medicines knowledge, communication with patients and colleagues, and following standard operating procedures. Your supporting information should prove each with specific examples, showing accuracy, safety and professional judgement.

What the person specification usually asks for

  • Qualifications: GPhC registration as a pharmacy technician (or due to register), which requires an approved qualification and work-based training. Accredited checking technician (ACT) or medicines management accreditations are often desirable or essential for some posts.
  • Experience: hospital or community pharmacy experience; specific areas such as dispensary, aseptic services, ward-based medicines management or procurement.
  • Knowledge: medicines legislation in outline, controlled drugs procedures, the importance of standard operating procedures (SOPs), and GPhC standards.
  • Skills: accuracy and attention to detail, prioritising a workload, communicating with patients, nurses and doctors, IT and pharmacy systems.
  • Qualities: professionalism, ability to work under pressure, commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) and revalidation.

Step by step

  1. Start with registration: your GPhC status, or when you expect to register. Do not include your registration number in anonymised boxes unless asked.
  2. Show accuracy with a real example: a dispensing or checking error you prevented, and how you followed procedure.
  3. Show medicines knowledge in use: a medicines reconciliation, a patient counselling conversation, or a supply problem you solved.
  4. Show safe practice: controlled drugs, SOPs, incident reporting.
  5. Show communication: with patients (in plain language) and with clinical teams.
  6. Show CPD: courses, accreditations in progress, and how you reflect on practice for revalidation.

Worked example (fictional)

This is invented. The applicant, employers, patients and figures are fictional, and no real patient details are used.

Applicant: Daniel, a registered pharmacy technician in a busy community pharmacy for three years, applying for a Band 5 hospital post with a ward-based medicines management role.

Registration. I have been registered with the GPhC as a pharmacy technician since 2023 and complete my revalidation records each year.

Accuracy and safe dispensing. I dispense around 150 items a day and carry out accuracy checks on items dispensed by colleagues under our SOP. During one check I found that a prescription for a modified-release tablet had been dispensed as the immediate-release version. I stopped the item, informed the pharmacist, corrected it, and recorded the near miss on our reporting system. At our team meeting I suggested we separate the two strengths on the shelf with warning labels, which we did, and we have had no repeats.

Medicines knowledge and patient communication. I regularly explain new medicines to patients collecting prescriptions. When an older patient told me he had been taking two different brands of the same blood pressure medicine because the packs looked different, I checked his record with the pharmacist, explained clearly which to stop, and arranged a review. I understand that in a hospital role, medicines reconciliation on admission catches exactly this kind of problem.

Working with other professionals. I contact GP practices daily to resolve prescription queries, giving clear, specific information so they can act quickly.

CPD. I have completed a medicines reconciliation e-learning module and I am keen to work towards an accredited checking qualification.

Moving from community to hospital pharmacy

Panels understand that many applicants come from community pharmacy. Show what transfers (accuracy, patient communication, SOPs, controlled drugs) and what you have done to learn about hospital practice, such as ward work, medicines reconciliation or aseptic services. Be honest about what is new.

Common mistakes

  • "I am very accurate" without an example.
  • Not stating registration status clearly.
  • Describing what the pharmacist did instead of your own role.
  • Identifiable patient details in examples.
  • Ignoring the specialty (aseptic, ward-based, procurement) in the advert.

Pay

In England, from 1 April 2026, Agenda for Change Band 5 is £32,073 to £39,043 a year for full-time staff, before any high cost area supplement. Check the advert for the band offered.

Tick the Spec's free shortlisting sheet shows which criteria in the job pack your CV already evidences and which need an example. For the overall structure, see how to write NHS supporting information.

Sources

All guides