Pharmacy Assistant Technical Officer

St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking an enthusiastic pharmacist assistant to join the Pharmacy team. The role involves rotating between pharmacy stores and hospital dispensaries and participating in evening, weekend and bank holiday rotas.

The candidate will receive prescriptions, assemble medicines for distribution to wards, and maintain stock control with attention to detail in a fast-paced environment. Training is available; GCSE level education is advantageous.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Service skills or a GPhC recognised equivalent qualification; training can be provided.
• A good standard of education (to GCSE level) would be advantageous.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work accurately in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the ATO rota through stores, dispensaries and wards.
• Assist in the receipt of prescriptions.
• Participate in pharmacy services to wards and clinics to maintain and control medicines.
• Assist in booking in and auditing prescriptions using the latest software.
• Prepare and assemble supplies of medicines for delivery to wards and departments.
• Assist in receipt, storage and issue of stock and maintenance of records.
• Provide ward topping up service, supplying stock to wards weekly.
• Co-operate with staffing and rotate to other sites as needed.
• Assist in preparation and assembly of resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes.
• Participate in stock control under supervision of dispensary manager or senior technician.
• Handle cash or cheques for outpatients prescriptions.
• Comply with legal requirements for purchase, supply, use, custody and destruction of drugs.
• Participate in Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday rotas; evening and on-call rotas.

Skills

NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Service

GPhC recognised equivalent

GCSE level

Education

NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Service

GPhC recognised equivalent qualification

GCSE level

Job description

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third‑party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e‑mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic, flexible and well‑motivated individual to join our existing Pharmacy team.

The successful candidate will rotate between Pharmacy stores and Whiston and St Helens Hospital dispensaries, and participate in our evening, weekend and bank holiday rotas.

Your duties will include receiving prescription from patients and Hospital staff, booking in orders as well assembling stock medicines for distribution to wards and departments.

A strong attention to detail is essential, as is an ability to work accurately in a fast‑paced environment with other members of the Pharmacy team.

Good communication skills and a willingness to learn is important.

Candidates ideally should possess NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Service skills or a GPhC recognised equivalent qualification, H however training can be provided. A good standard of education (to GCSE level) would be advantageous.

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.

Main duties of the job

• To participate in the ATO rota through areas of the stores dispensaries and wards.
• To assist in the receipt of prescriptions.
• To participate in pharmacy services to wards and clinics primarily to maintain and control medicines.
• To assist in booking in and auditing prescriptions, using the latest software.
• To prepare and assemble supplies of medicines for delivery to wards and departments.
• To assist in the receipt, storage and issue of stock including the maintenance of manual and computerised records.
• To assist in the provision of a ward topping up service, supplying stock medication to wards on a weekly basis.
• To co‑operate with the provision of necessary staffing within the pharmaceutical service and participate in staff rotation to other sites e.g. St Helens.
• To assist in the preparation and assembly of resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes.
• To participate in stock control of medicines within the pharmacy department under the supervision of the dispensary manager or senior technician.
• Regularly handle or process cash or cheques when dealing with outpatients prescriptions.
• To comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of drugs both within the Pharmacy and in all other areas of the Trust.
• To participate in the Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday rotas.
• To participate in evening and on‑call rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To participate in the ATO rota through areas of the stores dispensaries and wards.
• To assist in the receipt of prescriptions.
• To participate in pharmacy services to wards and clinics primarily to maintain and control medicines.
• To assist in booking in and auditing prescriptions, using the latest software.
• To prepare and assemble supplies of medicines for delivery to wards and departments.
• To assist in the receipt, storage and issue of stock including the maintenance of manual and computerised records.
• To assist in the provision of a ward topping up service, supplying stock medication to wards on a weekly basis.
• To co‑operate with the provision of necessary staffing within the pharmaceutical service and participate in staff rotation to other sites e.g. St Helens.
• To assist in the preparation and assembly of resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes.
• To participate in stock control of medicines within the pharmacy department under the supervision of the dispensary manager or senior technician.
• Regularly handle or process cash or cheques when dealing with outpatients prescriptions.
• To comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of drugs both within the Pharmacy and in all other areas of the Trust.
• To participate in the Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday rotas.
• To participate in evening and on‑call rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.

• To assist with basic counselling of outpatients in accordance with pharmacy procedures and under the supervision of a pharmacist or Pharmacy technician.