Apprentice Rotational Pharmacy Assistant

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in London is seeking an enthusiastic Apprentice Rotational Pharmacy Assistant. This role offers full training and supports the career development of the successful candidate. The apprentice will rotate between the dispensary and goods receipt, gaining the skills needed for a permanent Band 2 Pharmacy Assistant position. Applicants should have at least 5 GCSEs including Maths, English, and Science. The salary is £24,464 yearly, and the position is full-time for 15 months.

Qualifications

• Minimum entry requirement: 5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above or equivalent including Maths, English and Science.
• Proven work record in a pharmacy.
• Flexible to work shifts to cover defined core hours of service.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to service provision in Goods Receipt, Distribution and the Dispensary.
• Participate in ward top-up service.
• Ensure defined stock management processes are maintained.

Skills

Good oral and written communication skills

Organisation and prioritisation of workload

Basic mathematical calculations

Education

5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above including Maths, English and Science

Tools

JAC stock control system

Job description

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Apprentice Rotational Pharmacy Assistant

The closing date is 09 December 2025

Apprentice Rotational Pharmacy Assistant

We currently have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and self-motivated Apprentice Rotational Pharmacy Assistant. The successful candidate will rotate between sections including dispensary, goods receipt and distribution as well as partake in ward top ups. We are committed to supporting and developing the roles of all our staff and provide career development opportunities.

You will receive a full programme of training and the necessary support to undertake and complete the Pharmacy Services Assistant Apprenticeship. On completion of your apprenticeship, you will be qualified and have the necessary skills to apply for a permanent Band 2 Pharmacy Assistant role within a range of areas. In addition, this post is a great opportunity for you to gain the necessary skills, abilities and knowledge to help you apply for a Pre‑registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician Level 3 Apprentice post.

Minimum entry requirement: 5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above or equivalent including Maths, English and Science

You will be expected to participate in weekend working, bank holiday and shift work. You will also be expected to work flexibly.

Our team approach guided by Trust Values ensures that we provide the highest level of care for our patients whilst promoting employee well‑being.

Main duties of the job

To contribute to the service provision in Goods Receipt, Distribution and the Dispensary and work to ensure an efficient and safe service is maintained on a rotational basis whilst undertaking training for a Health Pharmacy Services Level 2 nationally recognised qualification. To support the introduction of and maintenance of defined stock management processes and standards. To work with the goods receipt team and distribution team to ensure defined key performance indicators are achieved.

About us

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children's services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.

We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.

The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Job responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities

General

• Undertake training in line with defined objectives.
• Undertake relevant Health Pharmacy Services Level 2 unit(s) in line with GPhC requirement
• Participate in ward top‑up service.
• Return to stock or dispose of all medicines returned from wards / departments covered on top up rota immediately on return to department.
• Ensure defined stock management processes and standards are introduced and maintained.
• Keep up to date with and follow relevant departmental procedures.
• Participate in the training of new staff.
• Attend and participate in departmental meetings and departmental quality initiatives.
• Act in a professional manner at all times and maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Be responsible for self‑directed learning in order to support collection of a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate competence.
• Follow legal, ethical, professional and employers code of conduct and work within departmental policies and procedures.
• Undertake any other duties as reasonably required by the Chief Pharmacist.

Dispensary

• Accurately dispense and issue prescriptions including controlled drugs.
• Identify potential problems regarding the lack of availability of medicines for individual prescriptions, seeking advice on suitable alternatives or agreed delivery timetable.
• Ensure medication is dispensed to meet agreed delivery times and to minimise waiting times for patients.
• Maintain high quality of data input of patient information into the pharmacy computer system in order to ensure excellent labelling standards for dispensed medicines
• Ensure stock levels of all products are accurate and support the appropriate ordering of stock through liaison with the buying office. Inaccuracies in all medicines should be investigated before being referred to line manager without delay.
• Responsible for the maintenance of a specific area of the dispensary in order to make sure that medicines are stored appropriately and in‑date.
• Involved in the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) including relevant documentation for unlicensed medicines, to‑follows and controlled drugs etc. within each rotation.
• Perform the daily KTAKEM count.

Goods Receipt

• Receive and book in goods.
• Odeliv goods onto JAC.
• Deal with and respond appropriately to booking in discrepancies / issues and communicate with suppliers as needed.
• Move stock into designated areas in the pharmacy department.
• Ensure all deliveries are processed and stock is move into storage such that defined key performance indicators are achieved.
• Support the implementation of any remedial actions in order to ensure key performance indicators are achieved.
• Store goods in the appropriate areas of the pharmacy and in line with the departments defined stock storage management standards.
• To ensure that all unlicensed medicines received are quality assured before distribution.
• Maintain stock levels of Medical gases and Liquid Oxygen.
• Support the maintenance of the cleanliness and tidiness within the IV fluid store room, medical gas room and the goods receipt area.
• Ensure that medicines delivered for clinical trials are identified as such and are unpacked appropriately and in a timely manner. Medicine should be handed to the named individual, or stored in the appropriate area for clinical trials.

Distribution

• Participate in a stock supply to wards, clinics and departments based at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, healthcare centres and GP surgeries. This includes performing top ups, inputting orders on JAC, picking and checking medicines and packing appropriately for distribution to wards/departments.
• Process top up ward orders via ARX robot and manually as needed.
• Deal with and respond appropriately to stock discrepancies / issues and communicate with buying office, dispensary and ward pharmacists as required.
• Ensure all to‑follows are processed in timely way and any stock issues are communicated to the relevant staff.
• Ensure all Blist orders and ad hoc requests are processed efficiently, safely and to ensure defined key performance indicators are achieved.
• Support the implementation of any remedial actions in order to ensure key performance indicators are achieved.
• Maintain the appropriate storage of pharmaceutical goods in the appropriate areas of the pharmacy and in line with the departments defined stock management standards.
• Support the maintenance of the cleanliness and tidiness within the distribution area in pharmacy.
• Maintain systems relating to the issue of and the monthly recall of Minijets
• Support the implementation of pharmacy initiatives and projects such as the ward box pilot, automated ward cabinets and Baxter managed inventory service and any other initiatives.

Other

• Participate in extended roles as required by service need, for example ward based dispensing
• Provide cross cover as required.

Team work and values

Work to meet departments expectations relating to team work and supports the Trusts values. To include:

• Working harmoniously with the direct team and wider team to achieve the objectives of the service.
• Demonstrate an ability to work well with all co‑workers, peers and managers.
• To work constructively with all team members and to actively support each other to cover the workload of the service.
• To communicate effectively and professionally in order to ensure that the service delivered by the department is of the highest quality. This includes attendance at and participation in department meetings.

This job description may be subject to change according to the varying needs of the service. Such changes will be made after discussion between the post holder and his/her manager.

All duties must be carried out under supervision or within Trust policy and procedure. You must never undertake any duties that are outside your area of skill or knowledge level. If you are unsure you must seek clarification from a more senior member of staff.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

• English, Maths GCSE grade C/4 or above or equivalent
• Science grade C/4 or above or equivalent

Experience

• Proven work record in a pharmacy
• Pharmacy stock control systems
• Knowledge of JAC stock control system

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Perform basic mathematical calculations in relation to work
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Basic word processing and accurate data entry
• Organise and prioritise workload
• Familiar with pharmacy procedures and workflow

Aptitude and Personal Characteristics

• Enthusiasm for position
• Methodical with attention to detail
• Friendly, empathetic and reliable team worker
• Able to relate to all grades of staff
• Ability to cope well within a busy environment
• Flexibility to work shifts to cover defined core hours of service

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£24,464 a year per annum (No HCAS - Spot salary)

Contract

Duration

15 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

289-CS-214-A

Job locations

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust