How PCMS Secured an Outstanding Pharmacy Technician Candidate Amidst a Competitive Market

Background

A Primary Care Network (PCN) faced increasing demand in prescription processing and clinical oversight due to a backlog of repeat medication reviews and growing acute prescription requests. To address these issues, the PCN required urgent pharmacy support structured as follows:

Clinical Pharmacist (Project-Based, 3–5 Months, Self-Funded):
Focused on cleansing and aligning repeat medications, ensuring accurate read coding, setting recalls, and conducting clinical reviews.

Pharmacy Technician (Long-Term, ARRS-Funded):
Tasked with managing acute prescription requests, reviewing and processing repeats that had breached medication review dates, and maintaining daily prescription operations.

Process Overview and Role Design

To avoid duplication and optimise clinical resource use, PCMS supported the PCN in establishing clearly defined, scenario-based workflows:

Pharmacy Technician Responsibilities:

Issuing prescriptions for acutes and overdue repeats.

Reviewing acute requests for clinical appropriateness (e.g., overuse, unclear indication).

Moving suitable acute items to repeat, aligning medication review dates and setting recalls.

Replacing the reception team's role in processing prescriptions to ensure clinical oversight.

Clinical Pharmacist Responsibilities:

Identifying patients requiring reviews via audits and repeat breaches.

Conducting structured medication reviews.

Cleaning up patient records, read codes, and aligning long-term medication plans.

This division ensured the pharmacist could focus on clinical optimisation, while the technician managed the operational workload.

The Recruitment Challenge

Pharmacy technicians are in critically short supply, and many PCNs across the region have struggled for months to recruit a single qualified candidate — particularly one eligible for ARRS reimbursement (i.e., enrolled in or completed the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway).

Given the urgency and specificity of the roles, timely recruitment was a key success factor.

Outcome: Rapid Delivery of Exceptional Candidate

Despite the market challenges, a suitable pharmacy technician candidate was identified within days — a turnaround considered exceptional in current conditions.

Key attributes of the successful candidate included:

Extensive cross-sector experience in community pharmacy, hospital, urgent care, and primary care.

Strong operational and clinical background, including:

Controlled drug governance

SOP development

Chronic disease monitoring

Medication audits and QOF delivery

Fully trained in NHS systems such as EMIS, SystemOne, Docman, AccuRx, and others.

Remote-ready and adaptable, with experience delivering care in both remote and on-site settings.

ARRS-compliant, actively engaged in the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway.

The pharmacist role was also filled promptly, enabling the project to start on schedule and deliver immediate impact.

Results and Impact

Backlog Reduction: The pharmacist began work immediately, targeting repeat prescription cleansing and aligning recalls.

Operational Efficiency: The pharmacy technician began managing all acute requests, significantly easing administrative pressure on the wider team.

Clinical Safety: Structured review processes reduced risk associated with unmanaged repeats and inappropriate acute use.

ARRS Reimbursement Alignment: Pharmacy technician recruited in full compliance with funding requirements, ensuring cost-efficiency for the PCN.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates the effectiveness of a structured, responsive staffing approach. Through rapid mobilisation and a clear division of responsibilities, the PCN was able to:

Deploy two high-performing pharmacy professionals within days.

Improve clinical safety and prescription workflow efficiency.

Secure ARRS funding eligibility without delays.

Maintain continuity of care with minimal disruption.