Pharmacy Assistant

London North West Healthcare NHS Trust; Greenhill; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Greenhill, England, is looking for a pharmacy professional to manage stock, dispense medication, and ensure compliance with health regulations. The successful candidate will support both inpatients and outpatients, perform reception duties, and manage pharmacy workflows. Ideal candidates will have a pharmaceutical degree and relevant experience. The role requires attention to detail and effective communication skills to interact with healthcare staff and patients.

Benefits

Opportunities for professional development

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Experience in a pharmacy setting and knowledge of pharmaceuticals.
• Ability to manage tasks and ensure compliance with health regulations.
• Strong communication skills to interact with patients and healthcare providers.

Responsibilities

• Manage stock and replenish medicines for wards.
• Assist in dispensing medications and maintaining workflow.
• Ensure compliance with storage conditions and health regulations.

Skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Pharmaceutical knowledge

Education

Pharmaceutical degree

Tools

Computerized pharmacy systems

Job description

Responsibilities

• Manage stock, provide ward top‑up service (including Omnicell cabinet replenishment), and label and dispense medicines.
• Complete HEE Medicines Optimisation course modules for checking Patients’ Own Drugs and transcribing medicines for inpatient use.
• Carry out reception duties as required, including receiving prescriptions from patients and processing prescription charges.
• Assist in dispensing medicines to inpatients and outpatients, wards and departments and help maintain workflow (including assisting with the robot where applicable).
• Receive requisitions and prescriptions from nurses and members of the public and handle telephone calls as per department procedures.
• Ensure compliance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP), MHRA, and Whole Seller Dealer License (WDL) requirements.
• Handle non‑clinical enquiries from patients and healthcare staff and refer clinical enquiries or complex issues to appropriate members of staff.
• Maintain good housekeeping, ensuring benches and baskets are kept clear of drugs no longer required.

Planning & Organisational Skills

• Manage own time to perform tasks with minimal disruption to services (e.g., ward top‑ups, Omnicell cycle count, dispensary top‑ups).
• Assemble medications in a timely manner for both out‑patients and in‑patient prescriptions.
• Dispense medicines and ensure accurate completion of all relevant documentation.
• Deal with urgent requests for stock and non‑stock medicines and supervise transfer of stock from stores to various locations within pharmacy.
• Perform stock checks and stock rotation appropriately, and alert purchasing team to place orders for medicines that are not in stock.
• Organise items and boxes to be delivered to wards by porters and delegate tasks to maintain service during staff absence.
• Follow Pharmacy Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and policies at all times.

Physical Skills

• Sit for long periods while labelling batches requiring concentration.
• Repeatedly lift boxes of packs for labelling and products ready for dispatch.
• Enter drugs returned from wards onto the computer system and keep dispensing areas clean and tidy.
• Packs and supplies drugs and medicines to wards and departments, exerting light to moderate physical effort.
• Provide ward top‑up service, including checking medicine stock levels, expiry dates, and ordering stock.
• Photocopy, seal and use the guillotine as required, and assist with other admin duties.
• Dispose of waste substances according to Standard Operating Procedures and record the issue and return of blood products.
• Enter returns of drugs from wards on the computer system and use standard computer packages.

Patient / Client Care

• Provide a pharmacy service for patients of the Trust, including dispensing drugs (including clinical trial medication) and providing information on drug dosage and use under supervision.
• Accurately dispense with narrow margin for error, with all work checked by a qualified member of staff.
• Enter patient details on the computerized record system from prescriptions to produce labels according to SOPs.
• Participate in ward and department top‑up services and train new assistant technical officers and other staff as required.
• Ensure regular stock checks, rotation and date checking according to SOPs, investigating and rectifying stock discrepancies under supervision.
• Handle routine enquiries from internal and external staff and customers, and process, file and store paper‑based prescriptions and patient details.
• Maintain compliance with GMP, medicines legislation, MHRA and GDP requirements (including Controlled Drug legislation) under supervision.
• Prepare pharmaceutical products with narrow margins for error and monitor fridge temperatures to ensure compliance with storage conditions.
• Occasionally process prescription details on the computer‑based prescription tracking system and support the homecare team under the supervision of the senior technician.

Policy / Service Development

• Work within standard operating procedures and suggest ways of improving service.
• Work within set routines and policies, and be available to answer queries.
• Undertake surveys and audits for own work and as required for other staff.
• Raise concerns about service as appropriate.

Financial Resources

• Assist in the provision of a manufacturing service producing medicines for use in LNWH and for sale to other hospitals, community pharmacies and research units.
• Undertake stock checks and rotation in the pharmacy department and return medicines under supervision to stock on the pharmacy computer system.
• Ensure security of stock, checking, storage and distribution of medicines and participate in sales and supply of manufactured medicinal products to external customers.

Other Aspects of the Role

• Work flexibly within the roles of the pharmacy department.
• Participate in late duties, weekend and bank holiday rotas.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We encourage applications from BME (Black, Minority Ethnic) candidates and are committed to equality and diversity at LNWH. All posts working with vulnerable groups will be subject to an enhanced criminal records check upon appointment, and staff will need to give their consent for the Trust to receive regular updates on their criminal records status throughout their employment.