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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent: One in seven weekends and alternate weeks one late nights finish (until the days work load is processed) . One Bank holiday each year
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (One in seven weekends and alternate weeks one late nights finish (until the days work load is processed) . One Bank holiday each year)
Job ref
275-2510SPA
Employer
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Medway Hospital Pharmacy
Town
gillingham
Salary
£24,937 - £26,598 per annum/pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
22/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Medway NHS Foundation Trust logo

Senior Pharmacy Assistant

Band 3

Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People?

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust, we are able to give our employees flexibility on where, when and the hours they work.

Our culture and values are what drives Medway NHS Foundation Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when you are completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.

Job overview

Senior Pharmacy Assistant

Division: Cancer & Core Clinical Services

Care Group: Health Science Services - Pharmacy

Band: 3

Salary: £24,937 - £26,598 per annum/pro rata

Interview Date: Week commencing 10th November 2025

We are recruiting for a Senior Pharmacy Assistant who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.

Main duties of the job

The post holder works with colleagues to provide a comprehensive, high quality and cost-effective pharmaceutical service Medway Maritime hospital and partner organisations via service level agreements, adhering to policies and procedures, and delivering services in an efficient, courteous, and professional manner.

Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.

We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.

 

Working for our organisation

Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of the Best of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.

As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy – Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.

Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.

Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:

B – Bold

E – Every person counts

S – Sharing and open

T - Together

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Purpose:

The post holder works with colleagues to provide a comprehensive, high quality and cost-effective pharmaceutical service Medway Maritime hospital and partner organisations via service level agreements, adhering to policies and procedures, and delivering services in an efficient, courteous, and professional manner.

Supervise work of pharmacy assistants and assist with prioritising workflow.

Train and develop other staff.

Procurement, stores and distribution:

Accurately count stock at ward level and replenish stocks to agreed levels.

Highlight any concerns with medicines security and storage requirements to ward staff and pharmacy managers.

Work under and understand good distribution practice as it relates to activities working with the MHRA framework for wholesaler dealer activities.

Dispensary Duties:

Maintain accurate records on both the CMM dispensing system and PTS (both for deliveries and general activity monitoring)

After training dispense controlled drugs for ward stock and named patients on discharge.

Ensure that any to follow items are sent as soon as possible and any discrepancies checked.

Ensure the availability of sufficient stock and sundries/consumables to the dispensary.

Receive outpatient prescriptions from customers and take the appropriate payment, advise on any benefits available to them and obtain details, to ensure the back of the prescription is completed accurately.

Pharmacy ward based services:

Complete phase 1 of the medicines optimisation programme. 

Check accurately patients own medicines brought into hospital for suitability for re-use.  

Accurately transcribe drugs as per trust policy. 

Ensure patients receive medicines promptly to prevent omitted doses on the wards. Prioritising urgent prescriptions and delivering accordingly. 

Ensure discharge medicines are completed accurately and safely to support patient flow within the trust

Key Result Areas:

To provide a pharmacy service in accordance with current professional standards and clinical governance guidance.

To develop the required knowledge and skills.

To work as part multi-disciplinary team providing an efficient and effective pharmacy service to the Trust, ensuring patients receive the optimum level of service and care.

Communications and Working Relationships:

Works closely with nurses, clinicians and other members of the multidisciplinary team within the Trust service

Works closely with other pharmacists, assistants and technicians including dispensary and other pharmacy areas.

Communicates with patients, carers, GP’s and community pharmacists

Physical effort:

To be able to lift and handle heavy packages and boxes.

There is a requirement/combination of sitting, standing, and walking.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • GCSE (English & Maths C or above)
  • Level 2 qualification in pharmacy services

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Basic computer skills
  • Demonstrated accurate numeracy skills, without using a calculator, including - Simple calculations, Addition, subtraction, division & multiplication
  • Familiar with GDP and MHRA requirements.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Understanding of working effectively within multidisciplinary groups
  • Previous hospital or pharmacy Experience

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Good team worker and works effectively within multidisciplinary team
  • Ability to follow policies and procedures
  • Work well under pressure Ability to communicate routine information effectively using clear written and spoken English
  • Demonstrate effective customer service skills

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - SilverDisability confident employerNHS Rainbow badgeStep into health

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Sam Stroud
Job title
Pharmacy Distribution Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01634 833900
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