Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy Assistant
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 220-WHT-3194
- Employer
- Whittington Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Whittington Health NHS Trust
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £29,583 - £31,088 per annum inclusive of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 08/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Pharmacy Assistant (A.T.O) - Production - Band 3 / 2-3 progression
NHS AfC: Band 3
Covid-19 Vaccination
Getting vaccinated, and getting a booster, remains the best defence against COVID-19.
We encourage and support staff to get COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose as and when they are eligible.
Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.
For our current apprenticeship vacancies, please go to https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and use Keyword ‘Whittington’
By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Job overview
The Pharmacy Department is innovative and forward thinking; this is reflected in the huge range of roles that are already established and in development. The Department is hugely supportive and actively encourages creative thinking to improve services, patient experience and to develop new roles, drawing on strengths and experiences of the team.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Pharmacy Assistant Technical Officer (ATO) to join and support our team in Pharmacy Aseptic Services in the provision of chemotherapy to patients at the Whittington Hospital.
Main duties of the job
Please see the Job Description and the Persons Specification for further details about the job role. If you are unable to access the PDF, the details of the job description can also be found in the 'Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities' section.
The post holder will join a dynamic Pharmacy Production team with the opportunity to develop within the role. Main duties of the role include (please see job description for complete list):
To provide support to the professional and technical staff within the Pharmacy Production department, assisting in the preparation of pharmaceutical products (after appropriate training and validation) and the provision of a high quality service to patients, trust staff, and wards/departments.
The post holder will already hold a NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services qualification (or equivalent). If you have not yet achieved this, we can offer the right candidate a Pharmacy ATO - Production, Band 2 to Band 3 progression post (see separate JD).
The post holder will be required to study for and complete a NVQ Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician qualification . On-site training will be provided where necessary.
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job responsibilities
Details of the main responsibilities are listed in the attached Job Description and Person Specification
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services qualification or hold an equivalent qualification as recognised by the GPhC. If you have not yet achieved this, we can offer the right candidate a Pharmacy ATO - Production, Band 2 to Band 3 progression post (see separate JD).
- Hold or be able to commit to study for and complete a NVQ Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician (SMT) qualification or hold an equivalent qualification as recognised by the GPhC.
- GCSE English & Maths at A* - C or equivalent
- Successfully pass basic aptitude test at interview
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Computer/IT skills (e.g. Microsoft programs)
- Able to communicate effectively with all grades of staff throughout the trust (verbal and written)
- Able to communicate effectively with patients from all backgrounds and ethnic origins.
- Problem-solving skills
- Clear and literate writing skills
- Accurate numeracy skills
- Able to organise and prioritise workload, and to meet pre-determined deadlines
- Able to follow written procedures and verbal instructions accurately
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Reliable, Self-motivated
- Commitment to continued personal development, and enthusiasm for extending the Assistant Technical Officer role.
- Demonstrates initiative, motivation, and enthusiasm for the post.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Good clear and well-spoken English.
- Effective customer service skills able to work to meet the needs of customers of the department and to meet the standards of the Trust.
- Awareness of and handling potentially hazardous products such as flammable liquids and cytotoxics safely according to local standard operating procedure.
- Demonstrated ability to manage workload, dealing with issues and ensure local manual handling procedures are followed.
- Can act as a role model and participate in the training of new staff
- Able to demonstrate ability to cope under pressure and multi-tasking correctly.
- Knowledge of local health and safety, manual handling and COSHH policies
- Awareness of the Data Protection Act and patient confidentiality
- Experience of working in an environment requiring working with attention to detail and to pre-determined deadlines
Desirable
· Experience of working in aseptic pharmacy
· Experience of the preparation of products in an isolator
Other
Essential
- Ability to participate in late duties and Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday duties as required
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Hold or be able to commit to study for and complete a NVQ Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician (SMT) qualification or hold an equivalent qualification as recognised by the GPhC.
- GCSE English & Maths at A* - C or equivalent
- Successfully pass basic aptitude test at interview
Desirable criteria
- NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services qualification or hold an equivalent qualification as recognised by the GPhC.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Computer/IT skills (e.g. Microsoft programs)
- Able to communicate effectively with all grades of staff throughout the trust (verbal and written)
- Able to communicate effectively with patients from all backgrounds and ethnic origins.
- Problem-solving skills
- Clear and literate writing skills
- Accurate numeracy skills
- Able to organise and prioritise workload, and to meet pre-determined deadlines
- Able to follow written procedures and verbal instructions accurately
- Reliable, Self-motivated
- Commitment to continued personal development, and enthusiasm for extending the Assistant Technical Officer role.
- Demonstrates initiative, motivation, and enthusiasm for the post.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Good clear and well-spoken English.
- Effective customer service skills able to work to meet the needs of customers of the department and to meet the standards of the Trust.
- Demonstrated ability to manage workload, dealing with issues and ensure local manual handling procedures are followed.
- Can act as a role model and participate in the training of new staff
- Able to demonstrate ability to cope under pressure and multi-tasking correctly.
- Experience of working in an environment requiring working with attention to detail and to pre-determined deadlines
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in aseptic pharmacy
- Experience of the preparation of products in an isolator
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Awareness of and handling potentially hazardous products such as flammable liquids and cytotoxics safely according to local standard operating procedure.
- Knowledge of local health and safety, manual handling and COSHH policies
- Awareness of the Data Protection Act and patient confidentiality
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
- Joshni Seery
- Job title
- Chief Technician - Production
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02072883259
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