Trainee or Senior Pharmacy Assistant

Transformation Unit; York and North Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension

Annual leave 27-33 days

Learning and development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Staff discounts

Job summary

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a motivated Senior Pharmacy Assistant to join the Pharmacy Governance and Quality Assurance teams at York Hospital. You will support quality assurance activities, maintain the Quality Management System, and help ensure safe, effective pharmacy services.

The role offers training, potential for progression, and is based at York Hospital with a standard 37.5 hour week and occasional travel to other sites.

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths at Grade C/4 or above.
• QCF Level 2 Pharmacy Services including dispensing competencies.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the Quality Management System and document control.
• Monitor equipment, validation and servicing requirements.
• Record deviations and support corrective actions.
• Assist with medical gas audits and improvement actions.
• Support temperature monitoring and cold chain management.
• Assist with controlled prescription stationery management.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Initiative

Time management

Prioritisation

Customer focus

Flexibility

Independent work

Education

GCSE English and Maths at Grade C/4 or above

QCF Level 2 Pharmacy Services

Tools

Computer literacy

Job description

Main area Pharmacy Grade Band 2-3 (Run-through) Contract 2 years (Secondment opportunity may be considered. This post may become Permanent at the end of Fixed Term/Secondment.) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 419-290926-SPA-PY

Employer York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site York Hospital Town York Salary £25,272 - £27,476 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 13/10/2026 23:59

Trainee or Senior Pharmacy Assistant

Band 2-3 (Run-through)

Please note that contact with applicants will usually be by email, and so please check all of your mail folders regularly (unfortunately some providers filter our messages into junk mail folders).

Our Values

• We are KIND
• We are OPEN
• We pursue EXCELLENCE

We are looking for applications from people who share our values to help make us a valued and trusted partner within our care system, that delivers safe effective care to our local population.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Pharmacy Assistant to join the Pharmacy Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance Teams at York Hospital.

Our teams play a key role in ensuring the safe, effective and high-quality delivery of pharmacy services across the Trust. You will support a range of governance and quality assurance activities, including maintenance of the Quality Management System, document control, equipment monitoring, audit support, and regulatory compliance.

We are looking for an organised individual with excellent communication skills who can work independently and as part of a team. You should be proactive, adaptable and keen to develop both yourself and the service.

The post will be appointed at either Band 2 or Band 3 depending on qualifications and experience. Applicants must hold GCSE English and Maths at Grade C/4 or above and meet the essential criteria within the person specification. Candidates not already qualified will be required to work towards a Level 2 qualification in Pharmacy Services, including dispensing competencies.

Previous hospital pharmacy experience is desirable but not essential as full training will be provided. The post is based at York Hospital, with occasional travel to other Trust sites. Hours are Monday to Friday, 08:45 to 17:15, with participation in the weekend rota (1 in 8 weekends), bank holiday rota (approximately 1 per year) and regular dispensary duties.

Main duties of the job

You will help maintain safe and effective pharmacy services across the Trust, in line with legislation, professional standards and medicines management requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the day-to-day management of the Quality Management System, including document control, ensuring policies and procedures are reviewed, updated and approved in collaboration with authors and approvers.
• Monitoring equipment and assets to ensure validation, calibration and servicing requirements are met.
• Recording and monitoring departmental deviations and supporting the implementation of corrective actions.
• Assisting with medical gas cylinder audits and associated improvement actions.
• Supporting temperature monitoring and cold chain management, including responding to queries from multidisciplinary teams.
• Reporting product defects and following up any resulting actions.
• Assisting with the management of controlled prescription stationery, including prescription processing, reconciliation of accountability records and registration of Non-Medical Prescribers.
• Supporting the management of controlled drugs across the department and wider organisation.
• Participating in audits and supporting the implementation and monitoring of action plans.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong organisational skills, attention to detail and a passion for quality improvement to develop their knowledge of pharmacy governance, medicines safety and regulatory compliance.

Working for our organisation

If you wish to apply for this post as a Secondment opportunity, please seek permission from your current line manager before applying.

This post may become Permanent at the end of Fixed Term/Secondment.

We offer a range of benefits to support our staff including:

• Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service)
• A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave
• Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme
• NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
• An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
• Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance through a range of provider

For further information on the fantastic range of benefits we offer please visit the Trust's dedicated Staff Benefits pages.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

A full description of the role is available in the attachment: job description.

Please note that if a high number of applications are received this advert may close early. You are advised to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Working for the Trust

Across our organisation, people are guided by values that were co-developed with staff: we are kind; we are open; and we pursue excellence.

Our values play into our ambition to develop a more diverse workforce, truly representative of our communities. We welcome applications from everyone, while working with our Staff Networks - including our Race Equality, LGBTQ+, Disability and Carers Networks - to increase the number of applications we receive from different backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to make our application process more accessible to you, please contact: [e-mail]

As part of seeking to become more inclusive, we will consider requests for flexible working from the start of your employment. It may not be suitable for every role, but we will try and be supportive where we can. We would encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.

Armed Forces Friendly Employer

We are holders of the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.

Person specification

Education

• Educated to GCSE Level or equivalent. Maths and English at C or above – or equivalent qualification/. You must have proof of qualifications.
• QCF level 2 qualification in Pharmacy Services – to include units relevant to post. You must have proof of qualifications.

Experience

• Ability to work to protocols, procedures and SOP’s and suggests changes.
• Pharmacy experience
• Hospital pharmacy experience

Skills

• Ability to use a range of computer programmes relevant to the post
• Effective use of initiative
• Able to work in a team and alone
• Understands the needs of customers, including patients and staff
• Flexible to changing work routines and demands
• Ability to plan & prioritise own workload in the face of changing demands.
• Effective time management and ability to work within time constraints.
• Ability to handle moderate loads
• Good communication & interpersonal skills

Values

• Ability to demonstrate our organisational values and behaviours: - Kind - Open - Pursue Excellence

Please note that some of our substantive vacancies may be availableon a smaller number of hours than advertised. If you would be interested in applying on this basis, we would encourage you to contact the appointing manager to enquire further.

DBS Checks

Please be aware that all new employees starting work with us will be charged for the cost of their DBS check if it is required for the role. The cost will be deducted from your salary either in 1 payment or over a six month period once you start employment. By applying you are agreeing to this undertaking. If you are successful you will be asked to confirm if you wish to pay in one amount or in instalments. The charges are currently £27.38 for a standard check and £55.38 for an enhanced check. The level of check will be determined by the post you are applying for.

Please note that Volunteers and Bank only staff will not be charged.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) offers a confidential checking service for transgender applicants in accordance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004. This is known as the sensitive applications route, and is available for all levels of DBS check - basic, standard and enhanced.

The sensitive applications route gives transgender applicants the choice not to have any gender or name information disclosed on their DBS certificate that could reveal their previous identity. To contact the sensitive applications team, please telephone [phone] or email [e-mail] .

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Please note, the selection processes at York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills. You will be required to acknowledge that you are aware of this before submitting your application.

Agile and Flexible Working

We are committed to helping all staff balance their work with other commitments and have recently launched our new Agile and Flexible Working policy to support this, entitling all staff to request flexible working from day one – for all posts. We encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

All our employees have access to a free, confidential counselling and wellbeing support service. Our EAP is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Relocation Package

The Trust offers a generous relocation package of up to 30% of salary (capped at £18k) to support with relocation expenses for hard to fill positions where relocation would be an expectation to undertake the role fully. If you would like to discuss relocation further, please speak to the recruiting manager at interview.

A bit more about us and the surrounding area

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated in a fantastic part of the country that is home to two national parks, a beautiful coastline, and the city of York - consistently voted one of the best places to live in the UK. We provide a comprehensive range of acute hospital and specialist healthcare services for approximately 800,000 people living in and around York, North Yorkshire, North East Yorkshire and Ryedale - an area covering 3,400 square miles.

Our annual turnover is approaching £0.5bn. We manage eight hospital sites and have a workforce of around 10,000 staff working across our hospitals and in the community.

Sponsorship

Please note that, under current Home Office Immigration Rules, sponsorship is not available for all roles we advertise. Applicants who require sponsorship may wish to check the requirements for this position by reviewing the criteria on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa .

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.

Application numbers

Please note that if a high number of applications are received this advert may close early. You are advised to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Name Rachel Spooner Job title Principal Pharmacy Technician Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01904 721510 Additional information

Contact name: Kimberley McLeod

Contact job title: Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance Manager

Contact telephone number: 07876 858055