Pharmacy Assistant/Porter - Supply and Distribution

Transformation Unit; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Preston is recruiting for a Pharmacy Porter/Assistant (Band 2) in the Pharmacy department. The role offers 22.5 hours per week (part-time options) with a varied workload, including stock topping, order processing and helping our wards.

Full training and support will be provided. Previous pharmacy or stores experience is an advantage but not essential; successful applicants will be funded to complete Buttercups Level 2 – Support Staff Course

Qualifications

• 2 GCSE Passes (Maths and English) required.
• Experience of working in a team is desirable.
• Full training and Buttercups Level 2 course will be provided.

Responsibilities

• Provide an effective medicine supply service to wards/departments and external customers.
• Process, pick, pack and deliver pharmacy orders.
• Provide reception and telephone support for pharmacy duties.
• Top up stock and assist with warehouse duties, including manual handling.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Customer service

Education

2 GCSEs (Maths & English)

Tools

Pallet trucks

Job description

Main area Pharmacy Grade Band 2 Contract Permanent Hours 22.5 hours per week (Part time hours available) Job ref 438-PB4835

Employer Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Preston Hospital Town Preston Salary £25,272 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 27/10/2026 23:59

Pharmacy Assistant/Porter - Supply and Distribution

Band 2

Job overview

The pharmacy department are delighted to be able to offer a vacancy for a Pharmacy Porter/Assistant where no two days will be the same!

Why, you ask? There are a range of duties and responsibilities that you will receive training in. You could be providing a top up of medicine stock to our hospital wards one day and then dealing with our external customers the next processing their orders.

In this role, you will need to be enthusiastic, motivated and demonstrate a desire to contribute towards developing our services. It would be an advantage if you had previous pharmacy or stores experience, however full training and support will be provided.

Our core working hours are Monday to Friday (8am until 7pm), with weekends and bank holidays managed on a rota basis (9am until 6pm). All shifts are 7.5 hours with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. For those applying for this part time role, please be aware that this requires committing to the same days each week Monday to Friday for a full 7.5 hour shift.

Successful applicants will be funded to complete the Buttercups Level 2 – Support Staff Course for Pharmacy Assistants.

Please be aware that large parts of this role involve working in our pharmacy stores warehouse and involves significant manual handling of products. These require onwards delivery to wards and departments throughout the hospital so our patients have access to the medicines they need. There is also a requirement to use both hand and electric pallet trucks.

Main duties of the job

This post is an ideal stepping stone for those looking to progress in pharmacy. We have regular opportunities for you to develop yourself in this role particularly as our services continue to expand.

So what will you be working on on a day to day basis? Your main duties within this role will include providing an effective medicine supply service to wards/departments across the Trust and to external customers such as Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust , Ambulance stations, Private hospitals and other NHS hospitals. You will process, pick, pack and deliver all pharmacy orders for the Trust and even be responding to any robot issues. Your days won't ever be boring!

You will support training and development of other staff; maintaining quality and standards by contributing to the development and implementation of new services,processes and procedures to deliver services in line with professional, local and national directives.

Further information can be found in the job description and if you would like to know more prior to interview, why not get in touch and come and visit us. We are more than happy for you to spend some time with us so that you can see what we do.

Working for our organisation

We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.

Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.

You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done. You’ll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path.

You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties to include, but not be limited to:

• Communicates all relevant information and advice to the pharmacy, nursing and medical teams; patients and service users; and with external organisations as required
• Provide an effective ward top up service to wards/departments of the Trust
• Provide an effective medicine supply service to external customers who include Lancashire Care, Ambulance stations, GP’s, Private hospitals and other NHS hospitals.
• Provides an effective reception service whilst working on the phone rota, receiving incoming work and dealing with customer enquiries.
• Receive all incoming orders in line with MHRA and Good Distribution Practice.
• Carries out housekeeping duties to maintain good environmental standards
• Contribute to effective team working within pharmacy
• Acts as a role model, presenting a positive image of self, team and the organisation
• Develop positive relationships with internal and external key personnel
• Comply with legal and organisational requirements, standards and codes of practice on equality, diversity, discrimination and rights relevant to own role and responsibilities
• Maintain and develop own competence and seeks to extend the scope of personal knowledge and skills within scope of role and professional practice, policies and legislation
• Supports the training and development of pharmacy team
• To ensure the quality of quality of service provision
• Comply with current legislation, policy, good practice, organisational and professional codes of practice and ethical standards
• To ensure any incidents and near misses are identified, reported and recorded according to Trust policy.
• Contribute to the formal handling and investigating of complaints, error reports, accident/incident reports and monitor for preventative and/or corrective action and improvement
• Proactively manage risk and maintain safety, conforming to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines
• To contribute to the delivery and achievement of the department Service Plan and specific service improvements
• To support the department to deliver efficiency and financial targets.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

• 2 GCSE Passes Grade C or above (or equivalent) must include Maths and English

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of working in a team
• Knowledge of stock control systems
• Good telephone/ communication skills
• Computer experience including good keyboard skills
• Knowledge of Health & safety
• Experience of working in pharmacy
• Experience of working in a customer facing role
• Experience of working in a busy environment
• Knowledge of Good Distribution Practice and MHRA Guidelines

Thanks for taking the time to view this advert; we’re looking forward to receiving your application. You should be aware that the vacancy may close earlier than the published date if sufficient applications are received so it would be best to apply as soon as you can. We’ll contact you by e‑mail to update you on the progress of your application so please check the e‑mail account that you applied from (including spam/junk) regularly.

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, neurodiversity or veteran status are encouraged to apply for this post. Our Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders is available Here

To support you in your application process we’ve created a What we can offer you guide that shows what you can expect when you join our hospitals. The guide includes links to our strategic aims and objectives as well as our values, development support and rewards and benefits. To help you get the best from your application we’ve also put together two guides to help you make your application the best it can be. Just click here and here to go through them, or have themopen as you complete your application.

We recognise that the recruitment process may present barriers for some and you may need personal adjustments to enable you to participate in our recruitment process. Please make contact with the recruitment team at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Supporting Information

The supporting information section is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person. Our recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. They will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations. Share work-related successes and challenges you’ve navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences. Consider structuring your supporting information section with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.

Working Smarter pledge

We are reminded everyday of how important life is, so as part of our Working Smarter pledge we offer a variety of flexible working options and wellbeing support to enable our people to find and maintain the right work-life balance.

Secondments

If you are applying for a secondment role please ensure you have agreement from your current line manager prior to attending an interview. Also please ensure you have read the LTHTR Secondment Policy. A copy of this can be found on the intranet or by contacting [e-mail]

Please note a young person must be in part-time education or training until they’re 18. therefore if you are under 18 we are unable to employ you on a full time basis, unless it is in an apprenticeship role.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

If the role you’ve applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this on your behalf and the cost will be recovered from your salary, either as a one-off payment, or over 3 months. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £26.40 Standard DBS check £26.40 and Enhanced DBS check £54.40. You should be aware that if you are successful in obtaining a position that requires a DBS check but later withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check. DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions. The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here .

In line with guidance from United Kingdom Health Security Agency, all staff and volunteers are required to comply with Trust Infection Prevention and Control processes in relation to safe working. This includes mask wearing and adherence to social distancing at all Trust sites.

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We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.