Job summary
- Main area
- Aseptic Service
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 07:45 - 16:00)
- Job ref
- 193-7535641NCG
- Employer
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Berkshire Hospital
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 09/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Senior Pharmacy Assistant - Aseptic Services Unit
NHS AfC: Band 3
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”
Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements. The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.
We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions
We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate
We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live
We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.
Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us. We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.
Job overview
PLEASE NOTE: PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT REAPPLY
Band 3 Pharmacy Aseptic Services Unit Senior Assistant
We are looking for someone new to join our Pharmacy Cancer Services Team which includes Pharmacists, Technicians and Assistants.
We are committed to providing a safe and efficient service for our patients.
This is an exciting time to join our team, as we have recently been issued a LOW risk rating during our last external audit in September 2025.
No previous Pharmacy experience is required for this Pharmacy Assistant role as training will be given.
The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate excellent attention to detail, good written and verbal communication, the ability to work alone and as part of a team and a desire to learn new skills. A high level of manual dexterity is required for some aspects of this role.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be involved in all aspects of the supply of chemotherapy to the wards at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and our satellite units. The postholder will be responsible for:
- Transcription of details from prescriptions onto a computer system which will generate worksheets and labels.
- Assembling raw materials and consumables used for the preparation of chemotherapy.
- Sanitising (disinfecting) products to be passed into the cleanroom suite.
- Working in an isolator to prepare chemotherapy.
- Cleaning the cleanroom suite and equipment.
- Physical and microbiological monitoring of the clean environment.
- Ordering, receiving, quality checking and dispensing outsourced chemotherapy products.
- Dispensing oral medications for our patients.
The successful candidate will undertake a Level 2 qualification that is relevant to the role.
When applying please include all of your qualifications and grades from GCSE onwards.
Working for our organisation
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest District General Hospitals in the country. The hospital achieved Foundation Trust status on 1st June 2006. It was the first Foundation Trust in the South Central Strategic Health Authority. The Trust has a successful record of delivering high quality acute medical and surgical services for 500,000 patients across West Berkshire, an area extending from Newbury in the west to Henley-on-Thames in the east, and including Wokingham and parts of Hampshire to the south and parts of Oxfordshire to the north. The Trust is Reading's biggest employer.
We put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”
We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions
We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate
We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live
We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice
The Pharmacy Department is a friendly and progressive team, committed to supporting professional development. The department consists of approximately 120 members of staff and includes Pharmacists, Technicians, Assistants and Admin staff from almost 40 different nationalities.
Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us?
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details of the role.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
- GCSE (or equivalent) English and Mathematics
Desirable criteria
- GCSE (or equivalent) grade 9-4/A*-C in English, Mathematics and 2 Science subjects
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of following detailed protocols or procedures
- Experience of working towards and meeting deadlines
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of handling medicines
- Stock control experience
- Experience of working with hypodermic needles
Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Basic computer and IT skills: email, word, accurate data entry
Desirable criteria
- Understanding of GMP
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kirsty Bostock
- Job title
- Lead Aseptic Services Technician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0118 322 7809
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