Job overview
Senior Pharmacy Assistant – Dispensary Team Leader Band 3 (with Band 4 progression)
We are excited to invite applications from experienced, enthusiastic and motivated Senior Pharmacy Assistants currently working at The Royal Sussex County Hospital.
Applicants must:
1. Be currently working in the inpatient pharmacy dispensary
2. Hold an NVQ level 2 qualification in Pharmacy service skills or equivalent
3. Hold an Maths and English GCSE Grade A-C or equivalent
"Please ensure that you discuss with your line manager your application for internal secondment or fixed term contract prior to submission"
Main duties of the job
We are looking for a Senior Pharmacy Assistant with good communication, time-management and prioritisation skills to co-ordinate our friendly, dedicated pharmacy dispensary team in a newly created, leadership role. We will support you to progress your career and develop your skills in both leadership and dispensary operations.
You will assist in the provision of pharmacy services at The Royal Sussex County Hospital(RSCH) with specific reference to patient services in the dispensary. organising and developing the day to day running of the dispensary service to wards at RSCH and to drive the service forwards.
Responsible for pharmacy technicians and assistants within the dispensary on a day-to-day basis, including allocation of duties and reviewing the allocation of tasks and workflow.
You will be supported to line manage designated members of staff taking responsibility for performance reviews including appraisal and objective setting and absence management at informal stages in line with Trust policies.
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex (UHSx), diversity is our strength, & we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness & experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, & can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) & a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients & staff with the same compassion & empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above & beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our candidate information pack & wellbeing programme, for staff which is extensive & designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching & training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us & throughout your career we will help you to grow & develop. We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long & happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make & feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application & the start of your journey with UHSx.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This role is eligible for visa sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route however sponsorship can only be provided where applicants meet the specific requirements set by UKVI, including the relevant skill and salary thresholds (£25000), and any role-specific criteria.
If you are applying using a Graduate visa as your right to work, you must have a minimum of 18 months remaining on your visa at time of application.
Please refer to the Job Description for full duties and responsibilities.
4. Labelling and dispensing prescriptions
5. Issuing controlled drug stock to wards
6. Training of new pharmacy staff and supporting pharmacy trainees working in the dispensary
7. Prioritising the work-flow through the dispensary using the Prescription Tracking system (PTS)
8. Contribute to dispensary key performance indicators (KPI's)
9. Prioritise and manage a range of tasks and duties within the pharmacy with competing demandsand communicate with members of the multidisciplinary and pharmacy team
10. Working together with the pharmacy porters to deliver medication to the patients at the appropriate timesrequired
11. Opportunity to work towards a leadership qualification
12. To be responsible for the overall supervision and management of named pharmacy assistants’ educational progress during a period of training placement
13. Work collaboratively with the Dispensary Service Lead Pharmacy Technician, Patient Services Pharmacist and Deputy Operational Lead Pharmacy Technician to drive continuous improvement of the dispensary service
Person specification
Experience and qualifications
Essential criteria
14. 5 GCSEs grade A-C or equivalents including Maths, English and Sciences
15. NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy service skills or equivalent
16. Minimum of 2 years experience in working in a hospital pharmacy dispensary
17. Currently co-ordinating workflow in a hospital pharmacy dispensary
Desirable criteria
18. Pharmacy work based experience equivalent to NVQ Level 3
19. Accuracy Checking Dispensing Assistant qualification
20. Practice Supervisor
Skills
Essential criteria
21. Demonstrates knowledge and awareness of pharmacy dispensing process, procedures and systems
22. Customer service experience
23. Good level of literacy and numerical skills and ability to perform pharmaceutical calculations
24. Demonstrate the ability to work well as a team member
25. Excellent written and oral skills for communicating with pharmacy team members, public and other healthcare professionals
26. Able to communicate complex information where there are barriers to understanding, because of cultural, physical or barriers to understanding e.g. language, deaf or learning difficulties
27. Prioritise any urgent requests, communicating the urgency to the pharmacy dispensary, to ensure timely receipt of medications to the patients.
28. Able to prioritise and manage a range of tasks and duties with competing demands
29. Demonstrates attention to detail
Desirable criteria
30. Knowledge of pharmacy tracking system, retrieving records and data
31. Knowledge and experience of Medicines Management
32. Line management experience
33. Demonstrates leadership and ability to identify staff training needs
Equality and diversity
Essential criteria
34. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equality issues
35. Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles
Important information for applicants:
A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.
Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.
Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications