Pharmacy Assistant

Stores duties will include working as part of the distribution team in Pharmacy stores and processing and assembling ward stock requests.
Dispensary duties will include greeting patients, receiving inpatient and outpatient prescriptions at our front desk, maintaining stocks of emergency boxes, processing returned medicines and other general house-keeping duties.
Interview Date - Week Commencing 9th December 2024, + To participate in the ATO rota through areas of the store's dispensaries and wards.
+ To assist in the receipt of prescriptions.
+ To participate in pharmacy services to wards and clinics primarily to maintain and control medicines.
+ To assist in booking in and auditing prescriptions, using the latest software.
+ To prepare and assemble supplies of medicines for delivery to wards and departments.
+ To assist in the receipt, storage and issue of stock including the maintenance of manual and computerised records.
+ To assist in the provision of a ward topping up service, supplying stock medication to wards on a weekly basis.
+ To co-operate with the provision of necessary staffing within the pharmaceutical service and participate in staff rotation to other sites e.g. St Helens.
+ To assist in the preparation and assembly of resuscitation and anaphylaxis boxes.
+ To participate in stock control of medicines within the pharmacy department under the supervision of the dispensary manager or senior technician.
+ Regularly handle or process cash or cheques when dealing with outpatients' prescriptions.
+ To comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of drugs both within the Pharmacy and in all other areas of the Trust.
+ To comply with and ensure that all other pharmacy staff under his / her control comply with the Health and Safety at work act, COSHH Regulations, Display Screen Equipment Regulations, Data Protection Act and other appropriate legislation during daily activities.
+ To participate in the Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday rotas.
+ To participate in evening and on-call rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
+ To assist with basic counselling of outpatients in accordance with pharmacy procedures and under the supervision of a pharmacist or Pharmacy technician.
+ To answer telephone and face to face queries of a routine or basic technical nature from a wide range of staff groups, patients and the public, either in the pharmacy or on the ward, and refer appropriate queries to the relevant member of the pharmacy team when necessary.
+ To liaise with various members of the Pharmacy team and ward staff when solving supply problems and ensuring the best service to patients.
+ To ensure safety of drugs awaiting collection by nursing staff and other responsible persons
+ To participate in individual performance review and continuing education programmes in order to maintain and improve standards of service.
+ To maintain continuing professional development.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
+ To be responsible for the accurate input of data into the Pharmacy JAC computer system for all duties requiring its use e.g. Ordering and stock control.
+ To assist in the completion and filing of departmental documents.
+ To record any information and assist in the compilation of any data necessary.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
+ To act as a role model and assist in the training and induction of other members of the technical staff.
+ To undertake and achieve the NVQ level 2 - Pharmacy service skills qualification in accordance with GPhC guidance.
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. You are part of an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [email protected]
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.
If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
· All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
· There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
· Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated.
Additional Information
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.
An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

We are looking for enthusiastic, flexible and well-motivated individuals to join our existing Pharmacy team.
This post would be suitable for someone who is looking to start their career in Hospital Pharmacy.
The successful candidates will rotate between Pharmacy stores and Whiston and St Helens Hospital dispensaries, and participate in our evening, weekend and bank holiday rotas.
Attention to detail is essential, as is an ability to work accurately in a fast-paced environment with other members of the Pharmacy team.
Good communication skills and a willingness to learn is important.
Candidates ideally should possess NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Service skills or a GPhC recognised equivalent qualification. However training can be provided.
A good standard of education (to GCSE level) would be advantageous.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
+ Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
+ Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
+ National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme