Job summary
- Main area
- Higher Level Pharmacy Assistant
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 289-CS-130
- Employer
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £30,546 - £32,207 per annum incl. HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Higher Level Pharmacy Assistant - Dispensary and Medicines Optimisation
NHS AfC: Band 3
Job overview
We are very keen to hear from you if you are an experienced Pharmacy Assistant looking to progress further in your career within a Hospital setting.
The Dispensary team are supported by ever evolving Technology, with electronic prescribing and a robot to support the labelling and dispensing of medications. The successful applicant will be trained in the full use of the robotic system. Key duties of this role include dispensing medicines according to procedure, using the Pharmacy computer system to produce dispensing labels, preparation of emergency drug boxes, maintaining accurate medication records and assisting in efficient stock control management.
The Ward Medicine Optimisation Assistant is a new role which we have introduced to support the well established Medicines Management team. The successful candidate will provide an essential role in assisting in the safe supply of medications and facilitating the discharge of patients. This is a fantastic opportunity to join our clinical teams working alongside nursing and pharmacy staff to deliver a comprehensive, patient centred and high-quality pharmacy service.
Main duties of the job
Applicants must be reliable, adaptable to change, capable of working in a busy environment and have excellent people skills to be able to communicate with a large range of healthcare professionals, patients and their relatives.
The successful applicant will be responsible for offering a medicines management support service to the pharmacy and ward teams. This involves speaking to patients and relatives about their medicines, helping to avoid missed doses, transferring medicines to other wards and to deliver a strong pharmacy presence in a demanding environment. The post holder will be a vital link between the multidisciplinary team at ward level and the Pharmacy service.
You must be able to prioritise your workload, use initiative, work under pressure, meet deadlines and be committed to the delivery of high standards in a patient focused service.
Working for our organisation
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.
Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children’s services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.
We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.
We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.
The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven’t heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.
Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the description above and to the job description.
This will be a combined role with both main dispensary and the satellite dispensary. Also there will be a rotation to ward level to support the established medicines management team.
You will be required to participate in weekend, bank holiday, early and late duty rotas.
Person specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria
- English, Maths and Science GCSE grade C or above or equivalent
- NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy Service Skills or equivalent (including dispensing units) or working towards
Skills and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Ability to work to set procedures
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Ability to work under pressure accurately and in a busy environment
- Ability to organise and prioritise routine daily tasks using own initiative
- Ability to motivate self and others and demonstrate enthusiasm for the position
- Ability to communicate routine information effectively using clear written and spoken English
- Familiar with pharmacy procedures and workflow
- Pharmacy JAC/Wellsky skills
Experience
Essential criteria
- Understanding of stock control
- Previous experience of working in hospital Pharmacy
- Customer Service
- Pharmacy labelling and stock control systems
- Recent previous experience working in pharmacy within the NHS
- Understanding of stock control
- Preferably JAC/Wellsky pharmacy stock control system
Personal qualities
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate enthusiasm for the position
- Methodical with attention to detail
- Friendly, empathetic and reliable team worker able to relate to all grades of staff
- Flexibility in approach to work according to priorities within a constantly changing environment.
- Ability to cope well within a busy environment
- Ability to perform repetitive tasks and lifting medicine weight boxes
- Ability to sit or stand for prolonged periods
- Ability to motivate self and others
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sharon Donnellan
- Job title
- Senior Pharmacy Technician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0203 315 8306
- Additional information
9am -5pm Monday to Friday
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