Senior Pharmacy Assistant - Dispensary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Bedford; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in the United Kingdom is seeking enthusiastic pharmacy assistants to ensure patients receive the best pharmaceutical care. This role involves dispensing medications in a busy pharmacy environment and supervising trainee technicians. Candidates must have previous pharmacy experience and a minimum of NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services. The position requires strong communication skills and the ability to work weekends. Join a friendly team committed to high-quality patient care.

Benefits

Access to training and development programs

Inclusive recruitment practices

Qualifications

• Experience in a pharmacy, warehouse or customer orientated environment.
• Experience of supervising staff in training.
• Understanding of customer care.

Responsibilities

• Provide medicine dispensing services within the Pharmacy Dispensary.
• Supervise the activity of Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians.
• Interpret prescriptions and contact pharmacy technicians when necessary.
• Check and restock the emergency drugs cupboard.

Skills

Good verbal and written communication skills

Ability to organise own day to day work tasks

Standard keyboard skills

Ability to work as part of a team

Good listening skills

Education

NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services

Basic numeracy and literacy

Job description

Job overview

PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT APPLY

Are you interested in a varied role which has ensuring patients experience the best pharmaceutical care at its heart? We are looking for enthusiastic pharmacy assistants to work as a key part of the pharmacy team within our modern automated, dispensary areas. This role involves activities related to dispensing prescriptions for patients in the main dispensary and stock control, within the Pharmacy Department.

If you are interested in this post, you will need previous experience of working in either a hospital or community pharmacy and have a minimum of NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy services or equivalent.

You must be able to demonstrate an enthusiasm for trying new roles and delivering an excellent patient experience.

Bedford Pharmacy operates a 7-day service, and some weekend shifts will be required.

Main duties of the job

• To provide medicine dispensing services within the Pharmacy Dispensary.
• To supervise the activity of Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians in the dispensary.
• To take part in the late dispensary, weekend and bank holiday shift system.

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities.

• To receive prescriptions and other requests into the Main Dispensary or Dispensary Satellites according to the agreed procedures and deal with straightforward problems
• To interpret prescriptions and where necessary, contact a pharmacy technician or pharmacist to clarify prescriptions
• To undertake dispensing tasks under supervision including use of the pharmacy computer system for labelling
• To check and restock the emergency drugs cupboard
• To answer the telephone and resolve problems

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Basic numeracy and literacy
• NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services

Desirable criteria

• Vocational qualification in IT skills

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in a pharmacy, warehouse or customer orientated environment
• Experience of supervising staff in training

Desirable criteria

• Experience of training other staff
• Use of computer systems

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Understanding of customer care
• Understanding of the need of confidentiality awareness at all times

Desirable criteria

• Familiarity with drug names

Skills

Essential criteria

• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Good listening skills
• Ability to organise own day to day work tasks
• Accurate and organised
• Shows initiative
• Ability to deal sensitively with distressed / aggrieved customers / clients
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Standard keyboard skills

Desirable criteria

• Empathetic communication skills

Applicant requirements

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.