Pharmacy Distribution Assistant

VerseOne Group; Leigh on Sea; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an enthusiastic Pharmacy Distribution Assistant to join the Pharmacy department at Southend Hospital. You will play a fundamental role in ensuring medicines are received, stored and delivered to wards on time to support discharge planning.

The position is based at Southend Hospital, with 37.5 hours per week (full-time) and occasional weekend/Bank Holiday work.

Qualifications

• Basic education including Maths and English.
• GPhC registration or eligibility for NVQ Level 2.
• Experience in roles following strict guidelines and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day running of the Pharmacy Stores service.
• Receive and book in medicines and stock, maintaining records.
• Transport and distribute medicines to wards and departments.
• Perform expiry date checks and manage short-dated stock.
• Process medicine returns using the WellSky system.
• Organise and maintain Pharmacy Stores and stock.
• Answer calls and respond to enquiries from wards and colleagues.
• Collaborate with the Pharmacy team to support safe patient care.

Skills

Team working

Education

GPhC NVQ Level 2 for Pharmacy Assistants

Job description

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is one of the biggest trusts in the country, following the merger of Mid Essex, Basildon and Southend hospitals in April 2020.

Main area Pharmacy Distribution Assistant Grade Band 2 Contract Permanent

Hours:

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (One in 4 Saturday or Sundays and 1 or 2 bank holidays per year)

Job ref 390-NR-CSS-SO-3820

Site Southend Town Westcliff on sea Salary £25,272 Per Annum (Pro Rata for Part Time) Salary period Yearly Closing 27/10/2026 23:59

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the onlyacute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Pharmacy Distribution Assistant to join the Pharmacy department at Southend Hospital!

We are an integral part of the Pharmacy Department and play a fundamental role in the running of the hospital enabling patients to get their medication for discharge on time.

The role will be based at Southend Hospital which is ideally situated to 2 main train lines and the coast.

37.5 hours per week

The hours are: Monday to Friday 7.5 hours per day

Main duties of the job

Support the day-to-day running of the Pharmacy Stores service, completing a range of duties following appropriate on-the-job training.

Receive and book in medicines and pharmaceutical stock accurately, following departmental procedures and maintaining appropriate records.

Transport and distribute medicines safely and efficiently to wards and departments across the hospital.

Undertake regular expiry date checks, identifying short-dated or expired stock and taking appropriate action.

Process the return of medicines using the WellSky system, ensuring stock records are kept accurate and up to date.

Assist with the organisation and maintenance of Pharmacy Stores, helping to ensure medicines are stored safely and stock is readily available.

Answer telephone calls and respond to enquiries from wards, departments and colleagues in a professional and helpful manner.

Work collaboratively with the wider Pharmacy team to provide an efficient, accurate and responsive service that supports safe patient care.

Working for our organisation

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more information on this varied and rewarding role, please see the attached Job Description.

We look forward to your application!

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should a high number of applications be received.

Unfortunately, there is no Visa Sponsorship available for this role. Whilst we are able to employ candidates on a graduate Visa, we are unable to offer sponsorship once the graduate visa expires.

Qualifications

• A good standard of basic education including Maths and English
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council under the relevant units of NVQ level 2 for Pharmacy Assistants, or the ability to attain these units after a period of in-house training.

Experience

• Previous experience in a role that required following strict guidelines and procedures
• Previous experience of team working

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application.

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.