Skip to main content

This site is independent of the NHS and the Department of Health.

Please wait, loading

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

Whittington Health NHS Trust logo

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

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident committed

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Joshni Seery
Job title
Chief Technician - Production
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
02072883259
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies