Personal Assistant/Admin Team Leader

Transformation Unit; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Preston is seeking a Personal Assistant/Admin Team Leader to provide high-level PA and secretarial support to the Chief Pharmacist, SMT and PMU teams at Royal Preston Hospital.

You will lead a small admin team, develop efficient, paper-light processes, manage meetings and agendas, and ensure confidentiality and professional service across pharmacy administration.

Qualifications

• Prior PA experience and staff management knowledge.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion.
• Proven secretarial and admin skills in a healthcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide full PA secretarial service for Chief Pharmacist and Pharmacy teams.
• Supervise General Pharmacy Administration staff and administer processes.

Skills

Previous PA experience

Experience of staff management

Education

Good General Education

ECDL or equivalent experience

Job description

Employer Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Preston Hospital Town Preston Salary £28,392 - £31,157 Per Annum, Pro Rata Salary period Yearly Closing 20/10/2026 23:59

Personal Assistant/Admin Team Leader

Band 4

Job overview

The post holder is responsible for:

Effective Personal Assistant and secretarial support for the Chief Pharmacist, Senior Management Team and wider Pharmacy and Pharmacy Manufacturing Unit (PMU) Teams providing an efficient, confidential and quality administrative service.

Produce concise minutes and agendas for trust and departmental meetings which are managed within Pharmacy.

Lead the effective provision of a high quality, professional admin service within the Pharmacy department providing a comprehensive, flexible and confidential support service.

The supervision and management of the General Pharmacy Administration staff

Setting and maintaining the standards for administrative processes which are paper light, timely and involve minimal bureaucracy

The PA/Admin Team Manager will work on specific projects for the purposes of developing effective processes, meeting targets and maintaining effective services to the pharmacy Department.

Cover the duties of the Rota Co-ordinator in their absence.

Main duties of the job

Provide a full PA secretarial service for the Chief Pharmacist, Associate Directors of Pharmacy, wider Pharmacy and PMU Teams.

Supervises and manages the General Pharmacy Administration staff

Acts as a role model, presenting a positive image of self, team and the organisation.

Develop positive relationships with internal and external key personnel.

Comply with legal and organisational requirements, standards and codes of practice on equality, diversity, discrimination and rights relevant to own role and responsibilities.

Maintain and develop own competence and seeks to extend the scope of personal knowledge and skills within scope of role and professional practice, policies and legislation.

Supports the training and development of administration team.

To ensure the quality of service provision.

Comply with current legislation, policy, good practice, organisational and professional codes of practice and ethical standards.

To ensure any incidents and near misses are identified, reported and recorded according to Trust policy.

Contribute to the formal handling and investigating of complaints, error reports, accident/incident reports and monitor for preventative and/or corrective action and improvement.

Proactively manage risk and maintain safety, conforming to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

Authorise routine expenditure from the Directorate budget up to an agreed amount in line with Trust Standing Financial instructions .

Working for our organisation

The pharmacy departments of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are looking for outstanding applicants with a high degree of enthusiasm, flexibility and commitment to come and be a part of our fantastic team. The post holder will play a crucial role in the operation of our department, assisting and supporting our teams working across pharmacy in both sites of the Trust

We are looking for a candidate with prior experience of working in a clerical and/or secretarial role, who possesses the ability to effectively manage a busy workload and to deal with situations with tact, sensitivity, diplomacy and confidentiality. The successful candidate will possess excellent communication and organisational skills.

LTHTR provides hospital services to 370,000 people in the Preston and Chorley area as well as Specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire and Cumbria.

Our aim is to provide excellent care with compassion for every patient and their families on every occasion and our values define the high standards of behaviour we expect from our staff to ensure we deliver that care.

We provide a range of specialist tertiary services including oncology, renal, plastics and burns, neurosciences and specialist mobility and rehabilitation and are the major trauma centre and major vascular centre for Lancashire and South Cumbria, which means our hospitals deliver the latest treatment for a broad spectrum of serious, complex and uncommon conditions

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

• Good General Education
• ECDL or equivalent experience

Knowledge & Experience

• Previous PA experience
• Experience of staff management

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, neurodiversity or veteran status are encouraged to apply for this post. Our Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders is available Here

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Supporting Information

The supporting information section is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person. Our recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. They will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations. Share work-related successes and challenges you’ve navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.

Working Smarter pledge

We are reminded everyday of how important life is, so as part of our Working Smarter pledge we offer a variety of flexible working options and wellbeing support to enable our people to find and maintain the right work-life balance.

Secondments

If you are applying for a secondment role please ensure you have agreement from your current line manager prior to attending an interview. Also please ensure you have read the LTHTR Secondment Policy. A copy of this can be found on the intranet or by contacting [e-mail]

Please note a young person must be in part-time education or training until they’re 18. therefore if you are under 18 we are unable to employ you on a full time basis, unless it is in an apprenticeship role.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

If the role you’ve applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this on your behalf and the cost will be recovered from your salary, either as a one-off payment, or over 3 months. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £26.40 Standard DBS check £26.40 and Enhanced DBS check £54.40. You should be aware that if you are successful in obtaining a position that requires a DBS check but later withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check. DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions. The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here .

In line with guidance from United Kingdom Health Security Agency, all staff and volunteers are required to comply with Trust Infection Prevention and Control processes in relation to safe working. This includes mask wearing and adherence to social distancing at all Trust sites.

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We look forward to hearing from you soon!