Pharmacy Assistant

NHS; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A community health service provider in Crawley is seeking a reliable Pharmacy Assistant. The successful candidate will manage medicines and support a friendly pharmacy team while traveling between various sites in East Sussex. Applicants should have a minimum of 5 GCSEs, including Maths and English, and experience in a pharmacy setting. With a commitment to compassionate care, this role offers flexible working options and opportunities for training and development.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Excellent training and development opportunities

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Qualifications

• Educated to secondary school standard.
• One year's experience as a pharmacy assistant or related work.
• Knowledge of medicines management legislation.

Responsibilities

• Dispense medicines for patients.
• Support and manage medicines stock.
• Travel between different East Sussex sites.

Skills

Good communication skills

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Computer skills

Reliable

Ability to work under pressure

Education

5 GCSEs including Maths and English

Working towards NVQ 2

Dispensing Assistant Course (NVQ Level 2 Equivalent)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are looking for a reliable and conscientious person, with an aptitude for thoroughness and accuracy, to fill the highly valued role of a Pharmacy Assistant. The successful candidate will be a member of a friendly and supportive pharmacy team and will be based at the pharmacy department in Crawley Hospital but there is some flexibility to be based elsewhere in East Sussex.

As we are a Community Trust, the ability to travel between our different sites is essential. The role will be based in Crawley for 3 days and 2 days will be spent travelling between the East Sussex units and this gives the role a nice variety. The units in East Sussex are located in Crowborough, Uckfield, Lewes, Haywards Heath and Hove. Travel, if using your own car, is paid for to and from the base location or there is access to a trust pool car in Brighton General Hospital.

Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk websitebefore applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.

Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes - GOV.UK

Health and Care Worker visa: If you'll need to meet different salary requirements - GOV.UK

Main duties of the job

• General distribution activities including ward-based top up of medicines
• Support and administrative duties including helping to manage medicines stock
• Dispensing medicines for patients
• Assisting with purchasing of medicines and with the receipt of medicine deliveries.

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trusto
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Job responsibilities

Good communication and organisational skills are important, along with the ability to work both on your own initiative as well as part of a team. Working in our team is a great opportunity to learn new skills and to gain well-rounded experience in Pharmacy.

Please see the Job Description and Person Specification as well.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to secondary school standard.
• 5 GCSEs (pass level C or above or equivalent including Maths and English).
• Working towards NVQ 2 or equivalent experience.
• Dispensing Assistant Course (NVQ Level 2 Equivalent) accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Experience

• One year's experience as a pharmacy assistant (or pharmacy related work) or the ability to demonstrate the equivalent level of pharmacy knowledge and procedures.
• Previous experience working in a community, hospital or clinical commissioning group medicines management team.
• Working in an inpatient environment including wards with direct patient contact either within an acute trust, community or similar setting.
• Safe and secure handling of medicines processes
• Working with NHS pharmacy procurement, distribution (including cold chain), safe storage and transportation of medicines processes.
• Multi-disciplinary working.

Skills and Knowledge

• Able to cope with medicine names.
• Good organisation and prioritisation skills
• Good verbal communication skills - face to face and via a telephone.
• Able to work to protocols, procedures and guidelines.
• Able to keep accurate records.
• Able to resolve simple problems.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Computer skills. This includes keyboard skills and the ability to use IT software, e.g. Internet, Intranet, Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook).
• Reliable, enthusiastic and self-motivated.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Willing to undertake some routine/repetitive work.
• Able to work within teams, good interpersonal abilities.
• Adaptable to change and ability to support change issues.
• Ability to work alone or under supervision.
• Honest and trustworthy.
• Uses initiative, but recognises personal limitations, able to identify when advice needs to be sought.
• Knowledge of medicines management and relevant legislation and policies.
• Knowledge of safe and secure handling of medicines processes.
• Knowledge of stores/stock keeping processes.
• Experience of working with ward top-up or Patients' Own Drugs Schemes.
• An understanding of information management and technology in the management of pharmaceutical services. Other requirements

Other requirements

• Flexible approach.
• Able to concentrate on tasks for an extended period.
• Able to cope with interruptions when busy.
• Able to working to deadlines i.e. transport, bedded units requiring medication.
• Ability to work on multi-sites and to travel between multi-sites using own mode of transport.
• Able to lifting / carrying pharmaceutical goods.

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.