Job summary
- Main area
- Senior Dispensing Assistant
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 323-HS7980-ED
- Employer
- Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- St. Peters Hospital
- Town
- Chertsey
- Salary
- £26,240 - £27,928 per annum inc. HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Senior Dispensing Assistant
NHS AfC: Band 3
Job overview
The Pharmacy at St Peters Hospital have an exciting opportunity for a friendly and well organised individual to join our department as a Senior Dispensing Assistant.
We are a busy Pharmacy department, and your role will involve you supporting the Pharmacy dispensary team by receiving and processing prescriptions.
You will be working in a team alongside other Senior dispensing assistants, Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacists. The core working hours are 09:00 to 17:30, Monday to Friday.
The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills to be able to effectively work alongside staff of all grades throughout the Hospital. You will be hard working and keen to learn and have the ability to prioritise work. You will be supporting the professional and technical staff in the dispensaries across site but mainly based at St Peter's site including good housekeeping and general administration duties.
Duties are supervised by qualified staff.
Main duties of the job
To dispense prescriptions for hospital in patients and out patients, discharge prescriptions and controlled drugs for all service users, undertake stock management in the dispensary. Adhere to SOPs, to use the pharmacy computer stock control system for the issues of medication for prescriptions and ad hoq requests and the maintenance of accurate patient records.
You will assist in the maintenance of stock checks and stock rotation, You will undertake dispensary reception duties and answering any telephone calls.
Working for our organisation
Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow and beyond.
Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.
We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at ASPH. We are committed to providing continuous professional development and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.
We are expanding our theatres at Ashford Hospital and moving towards this becoming our dedicated elective centre. We want to create a state-of-the-art centre for excellence for planned surgical procedures.
We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:
- Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
- On-site Nurseries
- On-site staff cafes
- On-site parking
- Support in career development
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including wage stream, lease cars, Cycle to Work schemes and home electronics
Adverts may close early, so applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
For more information about a career at ASPH please visit:
www.asph-careers.org
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Overview of Responsibilities :
- To dispense prescriptions for hospital in patients and out patients, discharge prescriptions and controlled drugs for all service users.
- To undertake stock management in the dispensary e.g. daily stock checks, checking expiry dates
- To effectively and accurately use the computer stock control system for the issue of pharmaceuticals for prescriptions and ad-hoc stock requests, and maintenance of accurate patient records
- To ensure that all activities carried out in the Dispensary follow departmental Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs)
- To file completed prescriptions, requisitions ensuring easy retrieval of information.
- To ensure that the dispensary is regularly replenished with cartons, dispensing bottles, medicine spoons, oral syringes etc.
- To assist in the maintenance of adequate stocks and stock rotation in the dispensary
- To participate in a continuing stock check, ensuring items are in date and dealing with out of date medication according to procedure.
- To participate in the ward stock top up scheme on a regular basis including audit of stock.
- To support Pharmacy Distribution staff during periods of low staffing.
- To undertake Emergency drug cupboard checks as rostered, and fill and supply Emergency drug boxes as requested.
- To maintain a tidy and clean work area and put away stock containers after use
- To undertake reception duties as necessary including responding to calls at the Pharmacy hatch and dealing with telephone queries.
- To undertake general administration duties as required.
- To support Cancer Services Unit as required.
- To participate in late night, weekend and Bank Holiday rotas
- To assist with duties relevant to the post as deemed necessary by the Dispensary Team Leader
- All pharmacy staff must show confidentiality with regard to any information about patients, confidential information about the Trust and commercial information (e.g. drug prices).
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 2
NVQ 2
Essential criteria
- NVQ 2
Desirable criteria
- Customer service
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable people 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
- Gail Bull
- Job title
- Lead Technician Dispensary Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01932 723208
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