Job Overview
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us as a Senior Pharmacy Support Worker. The Trust employs over 400 staff, with around one third being Pharmacy Support Workers—fundamental to pharmacy service provision across a range of roles.
We have an excellent track record of supporting staff development and career progression. Many of our support workers advance to more advanced positions within the department, including trainee technician posts and senior support worker posts.
We are committed to a flexible working environment, and care about work‑life balance.
Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
We are looking for two Senior Pharmacy Support Workers.
• One post will be based in the inpatient dispensary at the SGH site.
• The other will be a rotational role covering both dispensaries at SGH and RSH.
The pharmacy dispensary provides inpatient and discharge medicines to a variety of patients at Southampton General Hospital.
Your main tasks in the dispensary will include:
Your Main Tasks In The Dispensary
* Supervising and training Pharmacy Support Workers.
* Producing labels and dispensing medicines for patients to use in hospital and on discharge.
* Working on the Pharmacy Reception, helping nurses and patients with queries and passing on information to the relevant person (pharmacists/technicians).
* Contributing to the department's stock management, such as ordering, receiving and maintaining the medicines used by the dispensary.
* Use of the dispensing robot to retrieve medicine.
Support workers work Monday to Friday, typically from 9 am to 5.15 pm. They also work at least one late shift per week and may work on weekends on a rota basis (no more frequently than one shift in six weeks).
Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience
Essential Criteria
* GCSEs or equivalent grades A*–C or 4–9 in English and Maths (if qualifications gained outside the UK, evidence of equivalent standards must be demonstrated at interview).
* NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy or other Level 2 approved GPhC qualification for pharmacy support staff, or equivalent experience.
* Supervisory qualification or equivalent demonstrable experience of supervision.
* Previous pharmacy experience (hospital or community) or supervisory experience.
* Must commit to completing the in‑house training programme within 6 months of starting.
* Must be able to work late evenings, bank holidays and weekend working according to rota requirements.
* Health and physical abilities sufficient for the post (reasonable adjustments per the Equality Act / Disability Discrimination Act).
* Required to lift and handle packages, weighing up to 15 kg on a repetitive basis; reasonable adjustment may be made.
* Required to move pallets weighing between 500 and 600 kg using an unpowered pallet truck daily (receipts posts only).
Desirable Criteria
* Other healthcare qualifications.
* GCSEs in science‑based or other role‑specific relevant subjects.
* Previous experience in health or social care (if not pharmacy).
* Experience in stock control (receiving, maintaining and issuing stock) or clinical trials or research experience (clinical trials only).
* Use of till and/or handling money in a work environment (RSH posts only).
Applicants must have, or be working towards, a GPhC approved qualification (level 2+).
Unfortunately we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
For further details regarding this post or informal visits please contact:
Geethika Guruge.
We celebrate individuality and believe that outstanding care is possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We are committed to creating an anti‑racist, anti‑discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe and empowered. All applicants, regardless of background, are encouraged to apply.
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