Senior Pharmacy Assistant

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is hiring a Senior Pharmacy Assistant to support the dispensary and hospital Pharmacy Services. In this role you will help with dispensing, stock control and patient-centred service, working under Senior Technicians to maintain high standards of accuracy and safety.

You will be expected to work 37.5 hours per week including weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis, with initial training and opportunities to progress to a Pharmacy Technician

Qualifications

• GCSE grade C in Mathematics and English (or equivalent).
• NVQ level 2 or 3 in Pharmacy Services.
• Evidence of good level of education and willingness to undertake Level 2 Pharmacy Services qualification within 12 months.

Responsibilities

• Participate in day-to-day dispensary activities under supervision.
• Assist in efficient dispensing for Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and other services.
• Work independently following SOPs after competency assessment.
• Provide friendly customer service.
• Share responsibility for reducing waste and expenditure.
• Participate in weekend and late-night rotas as required.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Computer literacy

Attention to detail

Flexibility

Customer service

Initiative

Work under pressure

Education

GCSE Maths and English (grade C)

NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services

NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services

Tools

Pharmacy systems

Job description

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Pharmacy Assistant

The closing date is 05 November 2026

The Pharmacy Department has exciting development opportunities for enthusiastic individuals to join our team of Pharmacy Assistants. If you wish to be part of a dynamic and innovative team, and start a career in Pharmacy, join us as a Pharmacy Assistant.

This would be an exciting first step on a potential career in Pharmacy and subject to recruitment processes, could lead to further qualifications leading to becoming a student pre-registration pharmacy technician and a registered Pharmacy technician.

Hours: 37.5 hrs per week. Staff will be expected to work weekends, Bank Holidays & late duties on a rotational basis. Staff are expected to work flexibly to meet the needs of the business and services provided as required.

Main duties of the job

Under the supervision of Senior Technicians, you will be involved in a broad range of activities in the Pharmacy department. This post will be within our busy dispensary that caters to Dorset County Hospitals Inpatients, Outpatients and also to the Dorset Healthcare Community Hospitals.You will have received a good standard of general education and have attained a GCSE grade C or above in Mathematics and English (or equivalent). You must be suitable to undertake and achieve a Level 2 Pharmacy Services qualification within a minimum of 12 months.

You will need to possess excellent communication skills, be self-motivated and have a flexible approach to work and be open to changing practices. Attention to detail is important and you must be able to work as part of a team but also able to demonstrate initiative and work in a professional and timely manner. You will need to be able to work well under pressure and have a flexible approach. Computer literacy is required although appropriate training on pharmacy systems will be provided.

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.

About us

The purpose-built Pharmacy provides a clinical pharmacy service to Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The dispensary and distribution teams benefits from a new BD robot installation, a Prescription Tracking System and the Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration is in use throughout the hospital.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

Right to work in the UK: This role is not available for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to support visa applications for this role in line with UKVI regulations.

Job responsibilities

• To participate in day to day routine activities of the dispensary under supervision of the Dispensary Manager/Dispensary Supervisor, in line with current policies and procedures.
• To assist in the delivery of an efficient dispensing to Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and other commissioned services.
• To work independently following standard operating procedures following competency assessment.
• To have a friendly demeaner and have good customer service skills.
• To have shared responsibility for reducing waste and expenditure.
• To participate in weekend and late night rotas as required

Our DCHFT Job Description and Person Specification (attached) tells you all about this role, what to expect and what is needed to succeed. When completing your application please make sure to tell us how your experience and skills fit the person specification.

Please contact us at [e-mail] if you are unable to view or download the attachment.

For all our roles, we are looking for staff who hold our Trust Values of Integrity, Respect Teamwork and Excellence, and who are passionate about providing the best patient care. To read more about our Trust and our Values search Dorset County Hospital online.

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications & Training

• Evidence of good level of education to include GCSE grade C in Mathematics and English or equivalent
• Qualified to NVQ level 2 or 3 in Pharmacy Services

Knowledge & Experience

• Evidence of previous pharmacy work experience
• Evidence of work experience within a hospital pharmacy environment
• Understanding of Good Distribution Practice and legal frameworks for supply and distribution of medicines.

Skills & Abilities

• Computer literacy and keyboard skills
• Enthusiastic, motivated and able to use initiative and work with minimum supervision
• Ability to work methodically and accurately under pressure
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload in order to meet deadlines
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written
• Ability to have a flexible approach to work and to be open to changing practices
• Good analytical, judgmental and interpersonal skills
• Excellent spoken and written English Language skills

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.

Employer name

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust