Pharmacy Assistant

Job overview

We are recruiting for a Pharmacy Assistant – Supply and Distribution who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.

This role is key in the receipt, supply and distribution of pharmaceutical products across the Mount Vernon Hospital Site. Full training will be provided in the department.

You must be keen to learn in a fast-paced environment, be able to work under pressure and undertake manual handling of goods and have the skills to support and motivate our team.

Experience of working in a pharmaceutical related or hospital environment is essential. This role involves daily manual handling of goods and therefore applicants should consider this.

We are happy to support you through training to achieve your NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy Services if you do not already hold this qualification.

Our Values are Include, Respect and Improve. It is important that you understand and refer to our values during your recruitment process and beyond

Main duties of the job

As a Pharmacy Assistant you will receive, unpack and check all orders received into the Pharmacy Stores from wholesalers and other companies; ensuring they are stored correctly following the principles of Good Distribution Practice.

To participate in the Pharmacy stock-control programme investigating discrepancies, maintaining, and rotating stock and ensuring waste is kept to a minimum.

To participate in the secure delivery of pharmacy stock to all clinical areas on the Mount Vernon Hospital Site.

To be responsible for accuracy checking of ward stock top up including the drug’s strength, formulation, pack size, expiry date and quantity, in line with departmental procedures, during picking and prior to packing.

To provide cover for the pharmacy portering service to the Mount Vernon Hospital.

To provide and maintain a professional, efficient, effective, and timely service to patients, visitors and other departments that will contribute to achieving safe, high quality patient care.

Working for our organisation

At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general & specialist services we provide & our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible & innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.

We run the following hospitals:

• The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
• New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
• Hertford County, Hertford
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood

We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation; our staff & patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.

We understand that finding and starting a new job is an important life decision. If you need reasonable adjustments for a disability, or a life event, such as menopause - so that we can consider your application fairly & to get the best out of you during the selection process, please let us know.

We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. Employees are entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns & we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made & considered formally, & will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

ENHT is seeking to maintain and expand the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre staff as we move to an exciting new future.

We welcome applications from those who would relish the opportunity to be part of new and developing cancer service, building on the excellent reputation, research and patient experience the Cancer Centre already delivers.

In addition, you will receive a High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of your basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £4,314 and a maximum payment of £5,436 per annum pro rata.

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

Person specificationQualifications/TrainingEssential criteria

• NVQ Level 2 in pharmacy services or willing to work towards
• GCSE grade C or above in English and Maths

Desirable criteria

• •Completion of additional dispensary competencies (signed off as competent to dispense medicines

KnowledgeEssential criteria

• Pharmacy Procurement and Stock Control
• Basic keyboard skills.
• Good numerical skills.
• Has knowledge of record keeping

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of GDP (requirements of WDL)
• Knowledge of COSHH and H&S

ExperienceEssential criteria

• Experience in pharmacy, hospital or community
• Sufficient experience producing reports from Pharmacy Computer System

Desirable criteria

• Training staff
• Experience using JAC computer system
• Experience in Hospital Pharmacy services including ward top up, stock taking and stock control
• Stock rotation and expiry date checking
• Receipt of stock orders

SkillsEssential criteria

• Good team player
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Ability to prioritise workload
• Good organisation skills
• Able to work under pressure
• Accurate and precise attention to detail
• Ability to undertake manual lifting duties
• Proficient IT Skills

Other requirementsEssential criteria

• Some flexibility in working hours
• Understanding of, and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Role model our Trust values every day

Our values

We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do.

Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.

Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.

Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.

Committed to our Community

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .

We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.

We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net

We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.

We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.

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