Pharmacy Stock Controller Senior Assistant | East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Ipswich is seeking a Stock Control Assistant to join their pharmacy team. This role focuses on managing stock inventory, optimising medication processes, and supporting high-cost drug management. Candidates should have experience in stock control within a pharmacy setting. You will contribute to training staff and ensuring compliance with local and national guidelines. The role offers a range of benefits, including a generous pension scheme and annual leave.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

27 days annual leave

NHS discounts

Staff Health and Wellbeing programme

Qualifications

• Experience working within a pharmacy setting.
• Ability to assist in inventory audits and maintain accurate reports.
• Competence in overseeing high-cost drugs and ensuring compliance.

Responsibilities

• Assist the pharmacy department in patient services.
• Support stock control for high cost and high risk drugs.
• Conduct inventory audits and manage stock levels.
• Train staff within the pharmacy department.
• Minimize medicines associated risk.

Skills

Experience in stock control

Knowledge of medication optimisation

Collaborative working skills

Job description

Overview

Are you experienced in stock control? Looking for a career change or to further your career in pharmacy in an acute hospital trust? We are looking for an experienced stock control assistant to work within a pharmacy setting and to join our friendly team at the Ipswich Hospital Pharmacy within the ESNEFT trust. We are looking for an enthusiastic and innovative thinking stock controller to complement our current team and enhance our stock inventory, whilst working alongside the pharmacy team. Monitoring our current stock inventory and exploring ways we can improve our processes to ensure that we maximise our medication optimisation within the Trust. It is essential for us to strategically plan our stock to minimise any potential financial losses. Collaboratively working with both sites in ESNEFT to come up with effective strategies to enhance our inventory management. You will have the opportunity to continue to develop and improve our processes for the accountability of stock hold including closely monitoring of High Cost Drugs.

Responsibilities

• Assist the wider pharmacy department in providing a comprehensive pharmacy service to patients
• Support the lead technicians for stock control, focusing on high cost / high risk drugs
• Oversee inventory audits (stock checks) and maintain reports of losses
• Be a trained super user for the automated dispensing (pharmaceutical robot) ensuring maximum optimisation (BD Rowa & CII Safe)
• Contribute to the financial control of medicines by ensuring that all medicines are utilised in compliance with the Trust formulary
• Assist the Chief Pharmacy Technician and Dispensary Managers with the induction, training and development of staff working within the pharmacy department
• Minimise medicines associated risk and ensure medication safety in accordance with local and national guidance.
• Work collaboratively with wider Pharmacy colleagues to ensure the optimal and cost effective use of medicines within the dispensary environments; minimising drug wastage accordingly
• Importance of maintaining open communication between both sites. By doing so, we can maximise stock efficiency and avoid any unnecessary waste
• Oversight of stock takes where required
• Assist to maintain the Out of hours / Emergency cupboard. Replenish stock when needed and regular date checking. Rotation of stock between the emergency cupboard and the dispensary stock to avoid wastage

About ESNEFT

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients’ own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Benefits and Working Here

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.

Additional Information

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what’s widely regarded as the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

This advert closes on Friday 26 Sep 2025