Pharmacy Assistant

NHS; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare facility in Dorchester is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join their Pharmacy team as Pharmacy Assistants. This position offers development opportunities, the chance to work in a busy dispensary, and a potential pathway to certification as a Pharmacy Technician. Candidates must possess good communication skills, a flexible approach, and experience in pharmacy work is desirable.

Qualifications

• Must have experience in pharmacy work.
• GCSE grade C or above in Mathematics and English required.

Responsibilities

• Participate in routine activities of the dispensary.
• Assist in efficient dispensing to the hospital and other services.
• Work independently following standard operating procedures.
• Provide good customer service.
• Share responsibility for reducing waste and expenditure.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Self-motivated

Flexible approach

Computer literacy

Ability to work under pressure

Education

GCSE grade C in Mathematics and English or equivalent

Willing to work to NVQ level 2 or 3 in Pharmacy Services

Job description

Job summary: The Pharmacy Department has exciting development opportunities for enthusiastic individuals to join our team of Pharmacy Assistants. If you wish to be part of a dynamic and innovative team, and start a career in Pharmacy, join us as a Pharmacy Assistant.

This would be an exciting first step on a potential career in Pharmacy and subject to recruitment processes, could lead to further qualifications leading to becoming a student pre-registration pharmacy technician and a registered Pharmacy technician.

Hours: 37.5 hrs per week. Staff will be expected to work weekends, Bank Holidays & late duties on a rotational basis. Staff are expected to work flexibly to meet the needs of the business and services provided as required.

Main duties of the job

Under the supervision of Senior Technicians, you will be involved in a broad range of activities in the Pharmacy department. This post will be within our busy dispensary that caters to Dorset County Hospitals Inpatients, Outpatients and also to the Dorset Healthcare Community Hospitals.

You will have received a good standard of general education and have attained a GCSE grade C or above in Mathematics and English (or equivalent). You must be suitable to undertake and achieve a Level 2 Pharmacy Services qualification within a minimum of 12 months.

You will need to possess excellent communication skills, be self-motivated and have a flexible approach to work and be open to changing practices. Attention to detail is important and you must be able to work as part of a team but also able to demonstrate initiative and work in a professional and timely manner. You will need to be able to work well under pressure and have a flexible approach. Computer literacy is required although appropriate training on pharmacy systems will be provided.

About us

The purpose-built Pharmacy provides a clinical pharmacy service to Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The dispensary and distribution teams benefits from a new BD robot installation, a Prescription Tracking System and the Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration is in use throughout the hospital.

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.

We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role.

Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.

Job responsibilities

• To participate in day to day routine activities of the dispensary under supervision of the Dispensary Manager/Dispensary Supervisor, in line with current policies and procedures.
• To assist in the delivery of an efficient dispensing to Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and other commissioned services.
• To work independently following standard operating procedures following competency assessment.
• To have a friendly demeanor and have good customer service skills.
• To have shared responsibility for reducing waste and expenditure.
• To participate in weekend and late night rotas as required.

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications & Training

Essential: Willing to work to an NVQ level 2 or 3 in Pharmacy Services.

Desirable: Evidence of good level of education to include GCSE grade C in Mathematics and English or equivalent.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential: Evidence of previous pharmacy work experience.

Desirable: Evidence of general work experience.

Skills & Abilities

Essential: Computer literacy and keyboard skills, Enthusiastic, motivated and able to use initiative and work with minimum supervision, Ability to work methodically and accurately under pressure, Ability to organise and prioritise own workload in order to meet deadlines, Ability to work as part of a team, Excellent communication skills both oral and written, Ability to have a flexible approach to work and to be open to changing practices, Good analytical, judgmental and interpersonal skills, Excellent spoken and written English Language skills.

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.

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.