Pharmacy Support Worker

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Pharmacy Support Worker

Contract Type: Permanent

This vacancy does not meet the Home Office threshold for sponsorship; we require applicants to hold a current right to work in the UK

Please be advised that this vacancy may close earlier than stated if we receive a large number of applications.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for pharmacy support workers to work in the inpatient dispensary at Southampton General Hospital, but there may also be an opportunity to work in a rotational post between the Southampton General and Royal South Hants hospitals.

About us

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated 'Good' by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Job responsibilities

The pharmacy dispensaries provide inpatient and discharge medicines to a variety of patients at Southampton General Hospital, Royal South Hants Hospital and outside units. You will be joining a multi-disciplinary team of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support workers, who work together to provide an excellent service to our patients. Excellent communication skills are essential, as is the ability to work accurately under pressure.

Our support workers work Mondays to Fridays, typically starting at 9am and finishing 5.15pm. Support workers in Southampton General dispensary also work at least one late shift per week, starting later in the morning and finishing by 7pm.

Our support workers also work on weekends on a rota basis; currently no more frequent than one shift in six weeks.

Your main tasks in the dispensary would include: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 persons (pharmacists/technicians)

Contributing to the departments stock management, such as ordering, receiving and maintaining the medicines used by the dispensary.

Use of the dispensing robot to retrieve medicines.

Our pharmacy support workers also rotate into the Clinical Trials dispensary, where you will get to dispense medicines for patients going through cutting edge treatments.

A GPhC approved qualification will be completed as part of the role, and as such we require applicants to have Maths and English Language GCSEs or equivalent.

Person specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

Essential

• Health and physical abilities sufficient for the post (if necessary, with reasonable adjustments with respect to the Equality Act/Disability Discrimination Act).
• Required to lift and handle packages, weighing up to 15kg on a repetitive basis. (Reasonable adjustment may be made) Required to move pallets weighing between 500 and 600kg using an unpowered pallet truck daily (Receipts posts only)
• Must be able to commit to completing 'in-house' training programme within 6 months of starting. Opportunities to progress are available but may require additional qualifications to meet eligibility criteria to undertake additional qualifications
• Must be able to work late evenings, bank holidays and weekend working according to rota requirements

Desirable

• GCSE's 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)
• GCSEs in science-based or other role specific relevant subjects
• Previous pharmacy or laboratory experience (hospital, community or industry)
• Previous experience in health or social care (if not pharmacy)
• Experience in stock control i.e., receiving, maintaining and / or issuing stock
• Clinical trials or research experience (Clinical trials only)
• Use of till and / or handling money in a work environment