Lead Pharmacy Assistant...

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

We have an exciting new opportunity for an experienced pharmacy assistant to join our team as a lead pharmacy assistant Band 4 in both dispensary.

We are looking for a candidate with at least 2 years experience of working in a busy pharmacy. You will take the lead in introducing new ideas to our growing services and will support the delivery of high quality pharmacy service within the Trust. You will also get the chance to lead and train our team of pharmacy assistants and apprentices. This will be a great opportunity for an enthusiastic pharmacy assistant looking to develop their career in pharmacy operational management.

Interview date: 30th July 2025

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post

Main duties of the job

1. Plan, supervise & prioritise daily workload within the section (e.g. inpatient dispensary or pharmacy store), producing and co-ordinating rotas to ensure adequate staffing & skill mix is maintained.
   
2. To support the senior technical staff to ensure that the section runs efficiently and is patient and customer focused.
   
3. Work closely with the lead pharmacy technician to ensure that the pharmacy assistants’ and apprentices’ training needs are met and that the relevant competencies are completed.
   
   To be a key member of the dispensary team, participating in the receiving, dispensing and labelling of prescriptions.
   
   To support the senior technical staff to ensure that the dispensary runs efficiently and is customer focused.
   
   In conjunction with the dispensary manager ensure that the dispensary has good stock control.
   
   To manage and ensure completion of the pharmacy assistant duties within the dispensary, in liaison with the technical staff.
   
   Working for our organisation
   
   Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
   
   
4. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
   
5. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
   
6. Improving the experience of staff with disability
   
7. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
   
8. Making equalities mainstream.
   
   Detailed job description and main responsibilities
   
   Job Summary:
   
   
9. Plan, supervise & prioritise daily workload within the section (e.g. inpatient dispensary or pharmacy store), producing and co-ordinating rotas to ensure adequate staffing & skill mix is maintained.
   
10. To support the senior technical staff to ensure that the section runs efficiently and is patient and customer focused.
    
11. Work closely with the lead pharmacy technician to ensure that the pharmacy assistants’ and apprentices’ training needs are met and that the relevant competencies are completed.
    
    Key Result Areas & Performance:
    
    Patient Care & Service Provision
    
    

• To effectively communicate with pharmacy colleagues and other healthcare professionals to answer routine and non-routine queries with prescriptions and orders, referring as necessary to a pharmacy technician or pharmacist.
  
• To undertake and supervise accurate dispensing and issuing of medicines to patients and/or ward areas. This will include; stock medicines, named patient medicines, unlicensed medicines, controlled drugs and clinical trials.
  
• Inform the appropriate senior pharmacy technician of any errors or operational issues in a timely manner completing any required documentation. Complete Trust incident reports where appropriate.
  
• To have the responsibility for the medicines top-up service to a designated ward/department and to provide cover if necessary.
  
• To be a trained super user for automated systems in the area of work (e.g. dispensing robots and dispensing cabinets).
  
• When appropriate entry criteria are met, undertake relevant training and development to become an Accuracy Checking ATO (meeting the requirements of the nationally agreed framework). Adhere to the agreed in house framework for accuracy checking of medicines by ATOs and participate in daily checking slots once qualified.
  
  Workload Planning & Organisation
  
  
• To ensure completion of all routine and adhoc tasks through the production of a rota, supervising the work during its completion and adjusting the rota in response to unpredictable workload demands, staff availability and skill mix.
  
• To ensure adequate stocks of sundry items are ordered and available as needed.
  
• To be a computer system trainer for the department; problem solve any downtime issues and escalate appropriately.
  
• Be able to adapt to unpredictable workload and flow.
  
  Staff Training & Management
  
  
• To be responsible for the induction and training of new pharmacy assistants and apprentices and the technical induction for staff working in other areas (e.g. temporary clinical & oncall staff).
  
• To line manage the senior pharmacy assistants within the section, responsible for ensuring objectives are set and reviewed through regular 121s and annual appraisals. Follow sickness management policies, disciplinary and capability processes if necessary.
  
• Promptly highlight any concerns or problems regarding conflict, the quality of service provision and / or performance of other staff members to a Lead Technician.
  
  Performance Monitoring & Service Development
  
  
• To ensure that all relevant new and updated policies and procedures are implemented and adhered to by pharmacy assistants and apprentices working within the section.
  
• To be proactive in identifying improved and more efficient ways of working, making suggestions and contributing to pharmacy service improvements across the department. Be an active member of relevant department and section working groups.
  
• Complete and oversee the accurate completion of required documentation and maintenance of records.
  
• Participate in the achievement of key performance indicators with the pharmacy department.
  
• To ensure GDP and good practice is followed at all times including regular inspections of storage & dispensing areas and participation in the preparation for any inspections undertaken by the GPhC and MHRA.
  
  Use of Resources
  
  
• To be responsible for the accurate data entry on the computer system.
  
• Ensure accurate use of the pharmacy IT systems and software, including automated dispensing systems, prescription tracking system and pharmacy computer system.
  
• To ensure that routine and adhoc stock checks and audits are completed. To re-check and investigate any discrepancies and adjust them on the pharmacy computer system as necessary.
  
• To perform expiry date checks to prevent medicines wastage and remove expired stocks. Report on expired and short dated stock.
  
  Person specification
  
  Qualifications & Training
  
  Essential criteria
  
  
• NVQ level 2 / BTEC level 2 Pharmacy services (or equivalent)
  
• Pharmaceutical Science BTEC / NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent level of knowledge
  
  Desirable criteria
  
  
• Practice Supervisor Training course
  
• Other qualifications such as management or education & training qualifications
  
  Experience
  
  Essential criteria
  
  
• Significant experience working in hospital pharmacy
  
• Demonstrable experience in supervising others
  
• Demonstrable experience of managing staff/ teams.
  
• Dealing with the public
  
• Use of computers
  
  Knowledge & Skills
  
  Essential criteria
  
  
• Excellent Communication skills
  
• Literate and numerate and be able to perform calculations
  
• Team player
  
• Able to work from written procedures
  
• Able to prioritise workload
  
• Able to organise self and others
  
• Ability to work under pressure
  
• Be able to adapt to unpredictable workload and flow
  
• Good attention to detail
  
• Ability to handle conflict situations/refer as necessary
  
  We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
  
  As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
  
  Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.