Pharmacy assistant - Ordering and invoicing

NHS; Crawley; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare provider is seeking a conscientious Pharmacy Assistant in Crawley. You will ensure a high-quality pharmacy service to patients, manage orders and invoices, and support stock control. Ideal candidates will have relevant GCSEs and experience managing pharmaceuticals. This role includes opportunities for growth within a friendly team environment.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Training and development opportunities

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Qualifications

• Educated to secondary school standard.
• One year experience as a pharmacy assistant or equivalent.
• Ability to demonstrate pharmacy knowledge and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Undertake ordering and invoice clearance of medicines.
• Support and administer duties including helping to manage stock.
• Participate in routine stock checks.

Skills

Able to cope with medicine names

Good organisation and prioritisation skills

Excellent attention to detail and accuracy

Good verbal communication skills

Reliable, enthusiastic and self-motivated

Education

5 GCSE's including maths and English

NVQ in pharmacy services or equivalent pharmacy experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Pharmacy assistant - Ordering and invoicing

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 - Ordering and invoicing.

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.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be an integral member of the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) Medicines Management Team.

The main duties are to undertake ordering and invoice clearance of medicines to ensure the provision of a high-quality pharmacy service to patients in SCFT.

They will have a flexible role, also undertaking:

• Work on the bedded units and in the pharmacy dispensary.
• General distribution activities including ward based top‑up of medicines.
• Support and administrative duties including helping to manage stock.
• Participate in routine stock checks.

The post holder will liaise with a range of colleagues in the Medicines Management Team and other members of healthcare staff, notably nursing staff.

This is a role that will develop, with the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship, plus extend the job role to include greater involvement in the pharmacy stock control and management computer system and labelling of dispensed medicines in the pharmacy dispensary.

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 well‑being
• 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 network
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
• 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

Medicines Management

Production of orders to suppliers and processing the orders. Check and process delivery notes and invoices, ensuring they reflect orders received. Problem solve on ordering and invoice issues, in liaison with the Computer and Procurement Pharmacy Technician. Receiving the delivery to the pharmacy dispensary, unpacking and recording delivery. Ensuring that goods received are of the type ordered and of an acceptable quality including date checking. Inform suppliers of all missing or damaged goods. Prepare and return all incorrect orders with the correct paperwork. Booking deliveries onto the computer system and following SCFTs procedures to enable payment to be made. To put away pharmaceutical stock in the appropriate areas according to storage conditions, and to ensure stock rotation.

Informing all other pharmacy staff of out of stock items and follow up deliveries, delivery and subsequent distribution. Dispose of all packaging from deliveries. Stock control/ maintenance and ordering where necessary, maximising use of stock and daily checks of stock levels. Return to stock or dispose of all medicines returned from wards/departments. Ensuring returned items are processed as per local procedure and returned to the correct shelf location. To ensure that all stock is kept secure and stored at correct temperature location. To use Pharmacy IT system to undertake routine checks of stock levels in the Pharmacy, checking expiry dates and ensuring that stock is rotated according to expiry date. Collate and file all documentations. Assist with the storage and destruction of historic paperwork (e.g. orders, delivery notes and invoices) as appropriate. Undertake controls assurance checks in SCFT services and departments, as per local procedure. Ensure staff working on stock ordering and invoice clearance maintain and develop the appropriate skills to work in this area.

Pharmacy Dispensary / Ward Duties

Undertake stock top up of medicines on wards and departments. Answer incoming phone calls in a polite manner, referring on as appropriate and taking accurate messages if necessary. Select medicines according to ward requisitions / clinic orders according to local procedure. Select and label medicines according to the local procedure under supervision in preparation for checking. This will require:

• Selection to a high specification of accuracy.
• Complex manipulation of dispensing into multi‑dose compartment compliance aids.

Maintain high quality of data input into the pharmacy dispensary computer system. To ensure appropriate levels of ancillary stock (bottles, containers, bags etc.) are maintained in the pharmacy dispensary. This will involve ordering sufficient quantities and topping them up. Maintain clean and tidy dispensing facilities and safe systems of work. Return stock to shelves as appropriate. Check and record pharmacy dispensary refrigerator temperatures daily, defrosting as and when necessary. Report any discrepancies as per local procedure. Carry out expiry date checks in the pharmacy dispensary and on allocated bedded units and services. In times of staff absence work flexibly to ensure the effective operation of the pharmacy dispensary service. Support staff working in the pharmacy dispensary to maintain and develop the appropriate skills to work in this area. May be required to participate in pharmacy dispensary rota, including working Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays rotas.

For Full details please see the job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to secondary school standard
• 5 GCSE's (grade c or above or equivalent including maths and english)
• NVQ in pharmacy services or equivalent pharmacy experience

Experience

• One year experience as a pharmacy assistant or pharmacy related work or the ability to demonstrate pharmacy knowledge and procedures
• previous experience working in community, hospital or ICB
• Safe and secure handling of medicines processes
• experience on processing orders and invoice clearance
• Working with NHS pharmacy procurement, distribution, safe storage and transportation of medicines processes
• Experience training others
• Working in an inpatient environment including with direct patient contact
• 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 telephone
• Able to work to protocols, procedures and guidelines
• Able to keep accurate records
• Able to resolve problems
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Good computer skills including Microsoft office, emails and internet
• Reliable, enthusiastic and self motivated
• Ability to work under pressure
• Willing to undertake repetitive and routine work
• Able to work within teams with 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 limitations and able to identify when advice is needed
• Knowledge of stores/stock keeping processes
• knowledge of medicines management and relevant legislation and policies
• knowledge of safe and secure handling of medicines processes
• Experience of working with homecare teams and patients
• an understanding of information management and technology in the management of pharmaceutical services

other requirements

• flexible approach
• able to concentrate on tasks for an extended period
• able to cope with interruptions when busy
• able to work to deadlines
• ability to work on multi-sites and travel between sites using own mode of transport
• Able to lift/carry 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.

£24,937 to £26,598 a yearPer Annum (Pro rata for part time)