Distribution Assistant

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Southampton; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous NHS pension

NHS terms of service and annual leave

Discount platform for groceries, high‑

street shopping, family outings, and

holidays and more

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Distribution Assistant to join the UEL supply chain team at Southampton General Hospital. The role covers ensuring timely delivery of items from Pharmacy/Goods In to wards and departments in a busy trauma hospital, with emphasis on safe handling and efficient stock movement.

Hours are 37.5 per week, Monday to Friday, with shift 11:30–20:00. The role offers NHS terms, pension, and access to employee discounts, with flexible working

Qualifications

• Essential criteria: English and Maths GCSE (or equivalent)
• Basic level of experience with Microsoft Office including Word and Excel
• Good literacy and numeracy with clear verbal communication
• Lifting and handling up to 20kgs
• Able to manoeuvre cages, pallets and trolleys safely
• Experience in Stores/Distribution and stock control
• Experience creating organised workloads and prioritising tasks
• Experience in customer support and managing expectations

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely delivery of items from Pharmacy/Goods In to wards/departments within a busy hospital
• Work as part of the UEL supply chain team to support estate operations and materials handling
• Support safe movement of goods using equipment like pump trucks and trollies when required

Skills

English GCSE

Maths GCSE

MS Office

Lifting & Handling

Pallet Trucks

Stores / Distribution

Stock Control

Customer Support

Organisational Skills

Education

GCSEs English & Maths (or equivalent)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to join our team at UHS Estates Ltd (UEL).

Employee Benefits

• Generous NHS pension scheme
• NHS terms of service and annual leave
• Access to an employee benefits platform offering discounts on groceries, high street shopping, family outings, holidays, and more

Southampton offers an excellent quality of life, located on the south coast with an international airport and direct train links to London. The area boasts the stunning New Forest National Park, beautiful beaches along the Jurassic Coast, and living costs around 20% lower than London. With 14 Ofsted-rated "Outstanding" schools, it's a great place to live and work.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Distribution Assistant to join our hard working and friendly team within the UEL Supply Chain department at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

The Distribution team form part of the wider UEL Managed Services. This role is to be part of the supply chain team in a busy trauma hospital ensuring the timely delivery of items from Pharmacy/Goods In onto the relevant wards/departments. This role is physically demanding, involving a lot of walking and handling of heavy items (tools such as pump trucks are available to assist with this).

Working for our organisation UHS Estates Limited (UEL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS). The company is responsible for the design and construction of new buildings, and the ongoing provision of services, including estates maintenance, soft facilities management and the management of equipment, consumables and materials, in support of one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

The working 37.5 hours per week is from Monday to Friday, 11:30 - 20:00 based at the Southampton General Hospital.

UEL recognises and rewards staff, as an employee you are our greatest asset. Our employees are eligible for all standard NHS terms and conditions of service including a generous NHS pension scheme and a wide range of competitive benefits and services, including access to numerous discounts on goods and services and support for your wellbeing from our occupational health team.

As a company we offer flexible work locations across the trusts hospitals and flexible working patterns will be considered against the needs of the service. We offer learning and development opportunities to progress and be promoted in your career as we believe you deserve the support to do your job to your best ability.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience

Essential criteria

• English and Maths GCSE (or equivalent qualification or equivalent relevant experience)
• Basic level of experience of Microsoft Office applications including Word and Excel
• Good literacy and numeracy skills including clear verbal communication skills
• Lifting and handling boxes of varying shapes, sizes and weights (up to 20kgs)
• Manoeuvre cages/pallet trucks/flatbed trolleys of goods (up to 180kgs) safely through busy corridors from Stores area to ward or department
• Experience or working in Stores / Distribution services role and an operational environment, contributing to operational objectives
• Knowledge of receipting, distribution and stock control
• Have experience in previous job roles which required good organisational skills and prioritisation of own workload
• Experience in providing customer support and managing their expectations

Desirable criteria

• Basic Manual Handling techniques
• Experience of using moving and handling equipment such as, roll cages, pallet trucks and flatbed trollies
• Vehicle Banksman experience in a Loading Bay environment