Job summary

Are you looking for the opportunity to develop your skills and career progression?

Why not try a interesting role in hospital pharmacy?

This could be your first step into a rewarding, challenging, progressive and lifelong career in hospital pharmacy.

An exciting opportunity has arisen, and we are currently seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Assistant Technical Officer to join and support our busy team in the Pharmacy Department at the Whittington Hospital. You will support the provision of pharmacy services across the Trust, and provide a professional, efficient and customer focused service following agreed departmental policies and procedures.

We are looking for a candidate who has good customer service and interpersonal skills, communicates well, and demonstrates the ability to prioritise and organise work to meet deadlines. The candidate ideally should have previous pharmacy experience and hold an NVQ Level 2 Certificate in Pharmacy Services or equivalent. But if not, you will undertake the BTEC Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff through the Apprenticeship framework. You must have GCSEs in both Maths and English at Grade C (4) or above, or equivalent.

Main duties of the job

This position aims to enhance quality of patient care by contributing to an efficient medicines management service at ward level. The role supports ward services by managing ward top-ups and stock control,, while working closely with Medicines Management Technicians and Ward Pharmacists, assisting with ordering and dispensing individual patients' medicines and carrying out medicines safety checks.

Key Responsibilities:

o Contribute to medicines management tasks in assigned wards and clinical areas such as:

• Ward top-ups
• Near-patient dispensing
• Stock management
• Evaluating PODs for potential reuse
• Maintaining safe storage of medication
• Monitoring of clinical area environments

oSupport dispensary services, including dispensing To Take Away (TTA) medications or blister packs.

o Support Pharmacy Stores in assembling stock for distribution to clinical areas, and completing returns.

Performance and Safety:

o Work accurately, effectively, and efficiently to uphold high-quality service standards for patients, staff, and departments.

o Perform medicine safety checks and environmental monitoring, recording results at every shift.

o Conduct medicines management and handling audits under the supervision of the matron, pharmacist, or pharmacy technician.

Team Collaboration:

o Actively engage as a team member.

o Ensure continuous two-way communication between the pharmacy and clinical ward areas, to maintain high standards across the Trust.

About us

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.

Details

Date posted

14 October 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£31,066 to £33,270 a year per annum inclusive of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-8325432

Job locations

The Whittington Health NHS Trust

Pharmacy Department, Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

See Job description attached.

WARD BASED RESPONSIBILITIES

Band 2 duties

To work on designated wards and perform a range of pharmacy related dutiesin accordance withset procedures.

Daily stock replenishments of medicines on assigned wards, to resolve any stock problems and communicate stock issues to the ward pharmacy team and other healthcare professionals, always upholding good medicines management practices.

To carry out regular expiry date checks and to remove any redundant or expired medication from the ward and report these to the ward pharmacist and ward manager.

Stock control and ensuring sufficient stock is kept as per stock list.

To alwaysmaintainsafe storage of medications on the ward and monitor the room and fridge temperatures to ensure medications are kept atoptimallevels.

Dispense discharge medicines on theallocatedwardsto support discharge flowand ensure pharmacy sundries are replenished regularly.

To highlight trends in excessive wastage or medication storage errors in the clinical areas.

To manage and ensure the smooth transfer between wards or return of medicines to the pharmacy department, following patient transfer or discharge, by liaising with ward staff and/or by checkingCareFlowon the Trust computer system.

Band 3 duties (in addition to above)

After a successful probation periodto undertake medicines management accreditationsfor transcribing and patients own drug (POD)checksandthencarry outtheseduties with the guidance of a qualified pharmacy technician or pharmacistonceaccredited.

Job description Job responsibilities See Job description attached. WARD BASED RESPONSIBILITIES Band 2 duties To work on designated wards and perform a range of pharmacy related dutiesin accordance withset procedures. Daily stock replenishments of medicines on assigned wards, to resolve any stock problems and communicate stock issues to the ward pharmacy team and other healthcare professionals, always upholding good medicines management practices. To carry out regular expiry date checks and to remove any redundant or expired medication from the ward and report these to the ward pharmacist and ward manager. Stock control and ensuring sufficient stock is kept as per stock list. To alwaysmaintainsafe storage of medications on the ward and monitor the room and fridge temperatures to ensure medications are kept atoptimallevels. Dispense discharge medicines on theallocatedwardsto support discharge flowand ensure pharmacy sundries are replenished regularly. To highlight trends in excessive wastage or medication storage errors in the clinical areas. To manage and ensure the smooth transfer between wards or return of medicines to the pharmacy department, following patient transfer or discharge, by liaising with ward staff and/or by checkingCareFlowon the Trust computer system. Band 3 duties (in addition to above) After a successful probation periodto undertake medicines management accreditationsfor transcribing and patients own drug (POD)checksandthencarry outtheseduties with the guidance of a qualified pharmacy technician or pharmacistonceaccredited.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification

Essential

• GCSE or equivalent

Desirable

• NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy
• Previous work experience in pharmacy

Personal Qualities and Experience

Essential

• Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

Desirable

• Knowledge of efficient stock control

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Able to organise and prioritise workload, and to meet pre-determined deadlines
• Computer literacy/IT skills

Desirable

• Experience of dispensing all kinds of prescriptions

Person Specification Education/ Qualification Essential GCSE or equivalent Desirable NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Previous work experience in pharmacy Personal Qualities and Experience Essential Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail. Desirable Knowledge of efficient stock control Skills and Abilities Essential Able to organise and prioritise workload, and to meet pre-determined deadlines Computer literacy/IT skills Desirable Experience of dispensing all kinds of prescriptions

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

The Whittington Health NHS Trust

Pharmacy Department, Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

The Whittington Health NHS Trust

Pharmacy Department, Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)