Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 153-SP05238
- Employer
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Poole Hospital
- Town
- Poole
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 18/11/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 25/11/2025
Employer heading
Pharmacy Senior Buyer
Band 3
As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.
We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £250m estates programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.
In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.
We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.
We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.
At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.
As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.
Job overview
Band 3 Pharmacy Assistant - Procurement
The Pharmacy Procurement at University Hospitals Dorset NHS trust is seeking an experienced, enthusiastic, and self-motivated individual to join the Pharmacy Procurement and supply services team. In this role you will be responsible for the day to day ordering of medicines, liaising with wholesalers and suppliers, as well as colleagues on site, ensuring that medicines are received into the department ensuring the timely and accurate supply to wards and departments within the trust. You will be integral to maintaining a quality supply service.
The role is office based, sitting at a computer for the majority of the day. Frequent concentration is required for purchasing and invoicing with an unpredictable work pattern due to interruptions from staff and suppliers who may need an immediate response for a medicine item.
Participation in the weekend and bank holiday rota is essential, the tasks required for these duties are pharmacy stores based, including tasks such as ward top up, picking and delivering of ward orders. The tasks are manual in nature requiring a high degree of physical fitness, please see the personal specification for further details.
This is an exciting time for us following the opening of the new buildings on the Bournemouth site and services moving developing into the major emergency hospital whilst the Poole Hospital site will become the major planned care hospital for Dorset.
Interview Date: 25th November 2025
Main duties of the job
· Placing orders with wholesalers and suppliers
· Resolving issues and queries regarding stock received, such as accurately processing returns to suppliers in a timely manner
· Liaising with wholesalers and suppliers to chase outstanding orders, source products and obtain information for individual products requested.
· Maintain procurement databases and accurate records of off-contract purchases
· Support data update for implementation of CMU contract changes
· Completing Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data for both internal and external use on a monthly basis
· Basic invoicing queries
· Participate on procurement team meetings to identify and resolve problems and suggest potential improvements to processes
· Work in other areas of the pharmacy department as required and participate in weekend and bank holiday roster
· To undertake any other duties applicable to the grade/post as required
Working for our organisation
Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued teammates and colleagues.
UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme.
This means that some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have about this at interview.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
|
This job role is essential to ensure the smooth running of systems involved in the ordering and invoicing of medicines and other pharmacy items, providing safe and timely patient care. Utilising computerised systems and undertakes medicines replenishment involving ordering, invoicing, receipt, verification, unpacking and appropriate storage of products/goods. |
The post holder liaises with internal and external, team colleagues and suppliers to foster a highly professional and responsive pharmacy procurement service that meets operational needs.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • Minimum 3 GCSE’s to grade C in English, Maths and Science
- • NVQ Level 2 in Pharmaceutical Science or be willing to work towards
- • Computer literacy with working knowledge of the following applications: o Microsoft Word o Microsoft Excel o Microsoft Outlook
- This post requires a minimum of one year’s commitment to training for this post
Desirable criteria
- • Previous experience of working in a purchasing/supply function
- • Knowledge of Wellsky/computer based dispensing system
- • Knowledge of GDP (Good Distribution Practice) and awareness of the Carter Report
Other requirements specific to the role
Essential criteria
- • Physically fit – this post includes manual handling, lifting, pushing, pulling and bending with boxes up to 20kg. These tasks may be required to be sustained for several periods in a working day.
- • Walking over distances and for prolonged time is required to perform the duties that are located across the hospital site.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lauren Deveras
- Job title
- Dep Pharmacy Procurement/Supply Services manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 019 3373
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