Pharmacy Assistant

NHS; Banbury; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity for a motivated Pharmacy Assistant to join the cancer pharmacy team at a leading NHS trust. The role involves providing high-quality pharmacy services, supporting patients, and working closely with healthcare professionals. Ideal for candidates with hospital or community pharmacy experience. Training provided for those transitioning into a hospital environment.

Qualifications

• Experience as a qualified Pharmacy Dispensing Assistant.
• Good communication and organisational skills.
• Ability to work under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily support to the dispensary workforce.
• Dispense inpatient and outpatient prescriptions.
• Assist in the transfer of medicines between wards.

Skills

Communication

Organisational

Interpersonal

Teamwork

Initiative

Education

NVQ2 in pharmaceutical sciences

Tools

Pharmacy computer system

Microsoft Office

Job description

Go back Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Pharmacy Assistant

The closing date is 14 May 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and proactive pharmacy assistant with excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills to join the cancer pharmacy team at the Horton.

This post would suit somebody with either a hospital pharmacy background, or with community pharmacy experience wishing to make a change into the hospital environment, for which appropriate training will be provided. You must have successfully achieved the relevant units of pharmacy services skills NVQ level 2 (QCF) or an equivalent GPhC accredited training programme. Applications for part-time/flexible working considered..

Did you know that there is an estimated 3 million people living with cancer in the UK, rising to 3.5million by 2025, 4 million by 2030 and 5.3 million by 2040? And on average, someone is diagnosed with cancer every 90 seconds in the UK?

However, it's not all doom and gloom! Average survival is now estimated to be over 10 years from diagnosis (up from average survival time of one year In the 1970s and six years in 2007).

Main duties of the job

Key roles include:

• Work in reception area taking in prescriptions
• Delivery of high-quality pharmacy services for out-patientsand day treatment patients
• Labelling and dispensing prescriptions
• Providing support and ordering medications for patients on oncology and haematology wards following suitable training
• Provide Support to the Cancer Pharmacy Team
• To be aware of and be involved in customer service
• Patient counselling
• Working as part of a team
• Opportunity to work in both ward and dispensary area.

About you:

• You will respond to enquiries and requests from staff, patients and carers and ensure appropriate and accurate information is readily available, and to escalate questions and problems to other members of the pharmacy team when needed. You will be expected to form good working relationships with staff from all the different groups within the Cancer Services and work together as part of a team.
• You should ideally have experience of working as a qualified Pharmacy Dispensing Assistant, using computer systems for dispensing and stock control and have good communication, be well organised and able to use your own initiative.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. Find out more here www.ouh.nhs.uk

The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

COVID-19 Vaccination Update: There has been a national announcement that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandatory for all patient-facing staff from 1 April 2022. This role could be affected by this, we therefore urge all applicants to consider this before applying. Patient-facing staff who have not had both vaccinations by 1 April 2022 will not be able to continue in their role.

Job responsibilities

Dispensary

• To provide daily support to the dispensary workforce.
• To use the pharmacy computer system to produce dispensing labels and to make stock issues, receipt, and transfers.
• To dispense inpatient, outpatient clinical trial and controlled drug prescriptions according to dispensary procedures.
• To assist the Stock Management Team with unpacking deliveries and filling the automated dispensing system.
• To participate in conducting of regular Controlled Drug stock checks alongside a Registered Technician.
• To be responsible for putting away dispensing stock including part packs and maintaining tidy storage areas.
• To participate in extemporaneous dispensing e.g. preparing creams, ointments and liquid preparations.
• Maintaining equipment used in the dispensing process.
• To participate in the training and induction of pre-registration students and ATOs.
• To participate in the audit and development of the dispensary service.
• To provide reception cover as per the Dispensary rota, and to answer the telephone and direct queries as appropriate.

Ward-based

• To be responsible for the supply and delivery of any medicines required during inpatient stay according to the local procedures and guidance to reduce the number of missed doses.
• Assist in the transfer of medicines between wards and locating medicines that have been left behind when patients transfer wards.
• Dealing with problems associated with the ordering of stock on behalf of the ward or refer where appropriate, liaising closely with the relevant pharmacy staff.
• To be involved in expiry date checking of ward stock.
• To work closely with the pharmacy top-up assistant in maintaining a well-controlled and appropriate medication and fluid stock holding.
• To provide support to the ward technician(s) and pharmacist(s) to ensure medicines management, including safe and secure storage of medicines, return of medicines into Local Funding, and facilitating near-patient dispensing.
• To return unused medicines from the ward(s) back to pharmacy.
• To ensure correct segregation and disposal of all types of waste such as cytotoxics both at ward level and in the dispensary.
• To be an advocate for good communication between ward staff, pharmacists, medicines management technicians and the dispensary.
• To undertake extended roles at ward level according to local Standard Operating Procedures, following a period of supervised practice. This may include writing-controlled drug (CD) orders in ward CD order books.
• To monitor and report any issues regarding the safe storage of drugs to the ward pharmacist and/or ward manager.
• Photocopying, filing, and scanning documents when necessary. Collecting and disseminating documents received within pharmacy. To collect essential documentation, such as working copies, on behalf of the pharmacist to support swift discharge of patients.
• To contact GP surgeries or community pharmacies as requested by other members of the pharmacy team to either provide or retrieve information relating to medicines management.

General role

• To provide training, including induction, to pharmacy support staff as required
• To undertake in-house and/or external training appropriate for the role
• To complete reports and audits as requested
• To participate in a programme of work-based training, development, and appraisal.
• To ensure confidentiality is always maintained.
• To maintain a tidy and clean working environment.
• To participate in early and late duties, evening, weekend, and bank holiday working according to the departmental rotas.
• Any other duties as requested by the Lead Pharmacist, Ward Based Technician Manager or Clinical Director of Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

Person Specification

Qualities

• NVQ2 in pharmaceutical sciences
• Experienced dispenser
• Experience of stock management
• Able to work as part of a team and independently
• Able to use own initiative appropriately
• Willing to travel between sites
• Enthusiastic and responsible attitude
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Adaptable to change
• Respectful towards colleagues and patients
• Willing to work in clinical areas with infectious diseases patients
• Previous NHS experience
• Experience of using the local pharmacy computer system
• Experience of hospital pharmacy
• Well organised
• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs
• Experience of a changing work environment

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

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£24,071 to £25,674 a yearper annum pro rata