Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- 2
- Contract
- Fixed term: 6 months (including weekends)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (including weekends on rotation)
- Job ref
- 427-7911610
- Employer
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal United Hospitals - Bath
- Town
- Bath
- Salary
- £25,272 + weekends
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Pharmacy Porter
2
Job overview
We are looking for a reliable and motivated Pharmacy Porter to join our Pharmacy team and play a vital role in supporting patient care across the hospital. This role is essential to the smooth running of the Pharmacy service, ensuring medicines, prescriptions and requests are collected and delivered efficiently, safely and courteously throughout the Trust.
As a Pharmacy Porter, you will be a key link between wards, departments and the Pharmacy, helping to ensure patients receive their medicines in a timely manner. You will work closely with pharmacy staff and clinical teams, contributing to a high‑quality, patient‑focused service while following agreed procedures and safety standards.
Main duties of the job
- Collect and deliver prescriptions, requisitions, medicines and other pharmacy items to wards, departments and service users across the hospital site in line with agreed schedules
- Safely handle and transport medicines, including controlled drugs, cytotoxic and refrigerated items, in accordance with pharmacy procedures and legal requirements
- Use pharmacy trolleys appropriately and ensure items are securely sealed and handled with care during transitCollect pharmacy red bags from designated ward areas, return them to the Pharmacy and ensure wards are left with appropriate supplies of empty bagsObtain signatures for controlled drug deliveries and accurately record seal numbers and deliveries as required
- Support the Distribution and Stores teams by passing on requisitions, assisting with ward stock deliveries and helping to maintain agreed stock levels, including intravenous fluids
- Respond promptly and courteously to requests from pharmacy and ward staff, relaying messages and queries appropriately
- Maintain high standards of hygiene, infection prevention, personal appearance and professionalism at all times
- Follow Pharmacy Standard Operating Procedures, Health and Safety policies and Trust values
- Be flexible and adaptable, supporting additional deliveries, training of new or relief porters, and weekend or bank holiday cover when required
Working for our organisation
We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.
We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.
By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person‑centred care we’re proud of.
We’re committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.
We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing – and yes, we even have a pool!
Discover what it’s like to live and work in Bath, explore our RUH staff benefits, and learn how we’re building healthcare for the future through the Dyson Cancer Centre and our commitment to research.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Pharmacy Porter plays an essential role in supporting the safe, effective and timely delivery of medicines across the Trust. The post holder will be responsible for collecting and delivering medicines, prescriptions, requisitions and related pharmacy items between the Pharmacy department and wards, departments and clinics, contributing directly to high‑quality patient care.
The role requires a flexible, conscientious approach, excellent teamwork and a strong commitment to Trust values, safety and patient experience.
Key Responsibilities
Medicines Collection and Delivery
- Collect prescriptions, requisitions, bar‑coded orders and pharmacy red bags from wards and departments according to an agreed delivery schedule
- Deliver medicines and pharmacy items safely and efficiently to wards, departments, theatres and clinics across the hospital site
- Ensure pharmacy trolleys are used safely and are not left unattended in main corridors
- Prioritise urgent items, including discharge medicines (TTAs) and items for the Discharge Lounge
Controlled Drugs and Specialist Medicines
- Transport Controlled Drugs securely in sealed red bags with numbered seals, ensuring seal numbers are recorded accurately
- Obtain appropriate signatures from nursing staff on delivery of Controlled Drugs and follow procedures if delivery is delayed
- Highlight refrigerated items, TPN, cytotoxic and radiopharmacy medicines to ward staff to ensure appropriate storage on receipt
Distribution and Stores Support
- Pass bar‑coded orders and written requisitions to the Distribution or Stores teams promptly and accurately
- Assist in assembling and delivering ward stock requests, including intravenous fluids, in line with pharmacy systems and agreed stock levels
- Ensure ward boxes are sealed appropriately and report missing or faulty locks to distribution staff
Communication and Team Working
- Communicate courteously and professionally with ward staff, pharmacy colleagues and service users at all times
- Relay messages, queries or issues promptly to the appropriate senior pharmacy staff
- Respond flexibly to requests for additional collections or deliveries as required
Governance, Safety and Professional Standards
- Follow Pharmacy Standard Operating Procedures, Trust Policies, Health and Safety guidance and infection prevention measures
- Use hand hygiene facilities appropriately when accessing and leaving clinical areas
- Handle all medicines and pharmacy items with care to minimise breakages, losses or errors
- Maintain a high standard of personal appearance, hygiene and correct use of uniform and ID badge
General Duties
- Participate in weekend, bank holiday and rota cover as required by the Pharmacy service
- Support the training of new or relief Pharmacy Porters when required
- Complete timesheets accurately and submit for authorisation within deadlines
- Work in line with the Trust’s values, goals and Code of Expectations
Person specification
Qualifications, Training, Knowledge, & Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good literacy and numerical skills
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of porter duties
- Previous experience of working in a pharmacy
- Experience of working with the public or within the NHS
- Knowledge of the RUH site
SKills
Essential criteria
- Effective listening skills
- To be able to communicate with other staff and Service users in a confident and values based way
- Able to work well within a team.
- To be able to refer things to Senior staff when coming across situations that are unfamiliar
- To be able to follow agreed Pharmacy Standard Operating Procedures
- To have a flexible approach to duties and be adaptable to change
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Szymon Krolikowski
- Job title
- Lead Pharmacy Technician - Distribution
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01225 826149
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