Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 354-CO-21849
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Mill View Hospital
- Town
- Hove
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 pro rata for part time
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Pharmacy Assistant Higher Level
NHS AfC: Band 3
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
Are you looking for a career in mental health services or the NHS? If so, you could be well suited to this role.
We are looking to recruit a Pharmacy Assistant to be part of the Inpatient Pharmacy Team in Brighton & Hove. This role involves assisting Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians with medicines optimisation, ensuring compliance with mental health regulations and providing essential support to healthcare professionals and patients. This is an excellent opportunity for pharmacy assistants working in hospital, community or retail pharmacy who are looking to develop their skills within a supportive NHS environment. The pharmacy team provides a well-structured support system, access to training with opportunity for development and whilst hospital experience is welcome it is not essential - we are looking for motivated individuals who are organised, accurate and ready to develop.
You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams, supporting both staff and patients, and contribute to service development across the Brighton & Hove locality. All applications that demonstrate the required qualifications (NVQ 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent) as per job description and personal specification will be considered. This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check with adults.
Main duties of the job
- Support medicines optimisation and medicines management processes to improve patient care and promote medicines safety.
- Support the working of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.
- Provide medicines top up's to Mental Health Inpatient wards, along with development towards named patient ordering.
- Support the dispensing of inpatient, outpatient and discharge prescriptions when required within the pharmacy hub:
- Assemble and supply ward stock medicines
- Receive, store and rotate medicines safely
- Support controlled drug processes in line with policy
- Use electronic dispensing and tracking systems
- Monitor stock levels and expiry dates
- Communicate with clinical teams regarding medicines supply
Working for our organisation
We are a friendly and committed pharmacy team, who are keen to support the wellbeing of our patients and each other. Sussex Partnership is one of the largest mental health and learning disabilities Trust in the UK. The physical health of our mental health patients is important to us and with the life expectancy of patients with serious mental health dying 15 to 20 years earlier, the Trust is committed to reducing this risk and pharmacy plays a key role in this. As a mental health Trust, Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our rewards packages reflect the immensely important work they do.
You can expect:
- Access to full psychological support, the wellbeing team
- Excellent supervision programmes
- Flexible working opportunities
- Access to a host of discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars)
- A position within a Trust rated as Outstanding for caring and Good overall by the CQC
- Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days +8 bank holidays)
- Excellent NHS pension scheme
We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working; for example, homeworking, part time hours, flexible start/finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Applications with the following qualifications will be considered:
- NVQ level 2, Pharmacy Services
Please see attached job description and person specification for further information on the requirements of the role. If you have any queries please feel free to contact us to discuss further. We would love to speak with you to see if you are a good fit for this role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ level 2, Pharmacy Services. Including three core units.
- Minimum 3 GCSEs A*-C grade, including Maths
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of policies, procedures and practices across pharmacy services
- Knowledge of pharmacy medicine supply systems
- Knowledge of stock control systems and storage of medicines
- Trained to the higher level of the national profile of a Pharmacy Assistant job description
- Experience of working in a pharmacy team with medicines
- Experience of working with medicines Information Technology (IT) systems
- Experience of dispensing prescriptions or the preparation of aseptic products
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to demonstrate clear and accurate written communication skills
- Ability to demonstrate clear and accurate verbal communication skills
- Numeracy skills: ability to carry out simple calculations
- Literacy skills: ability to follow verbal and written instructions accurately
- Ability to maintain mental concentration effort for sustained periods
- Ability to meet deadlines whilst maintaining concentration and paying attention to detail
Values and behaviours
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates appropriate empathy towards patient group
- Good interpersonal skills
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rachel Byrne
- Job title
- Specialist Pharmacy Technician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
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