Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dispensing Assistant

The closing date is 16 February 2026

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Pharmacy team at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a Dispensing Assistant. We are looking for enthusiastic, highly motivated individuals who are passionate about delivering safe, effective and patient-centred care.

This role is ideal for someone who is hardworking, approachable and eager to develop their skills. You will receive full training to support you in providing high-quality dispensary-based services to both inpatients and outpatients.

As a key member of the dispensary team, you will contribute to the safe and efficient supply of medicines across the Trust. You will work closely with Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacists and wider clinical teams to ensure patients receive the highest standard of care.

Main Responsibilities:

  • Labelling and dispensing prescriptions for inpatients and outpatients.
  • Dispensing and supplying Controlled Drugs to wards and directly to patients.
  • Receiving prescriptions from patients, carers and Trust staff, and processing medication orders from nursing teams.
  • Preparing medicines and drug charts for delivery to wards and clinics via the portering system.

If you are motivated, compassionate and ready to take the next step in your pharmacy career, we would be delighted to receive your application.

Main duties of the job

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

About us

We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.

We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as 'outstanding' for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only 'outstanding' NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.

Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:

Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK

Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.

Details

Date posted

09 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

214-CSTO-7722372

Job locations

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton in Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Job description

Job responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • In-house training and experience for prescription interpretation, labelling and dispensing equivalent to NVQ level 3

Desirable

  • Knowledge of pharmacy services.

Qualifications

Essential

  • NVQ Pharmacy level 2 in pharmacy services.

Further Training

Essential

  • In house training programmes including labelling, dispensing, distribution, and goods receipt and returns validations.
  • Training in the use of relevant computer programmes.

Desirable

  • Manual Handling Training Health and Safety Training, including COSHH, Fire and Security

Experience

Essential

  • Dispensing of medicines
  • Stock control
  • Proven team member and ability to work alone
  • Proven oral and written communication skills
  • IT / Keyboard skills

Desirable

  • Housekeeping skills
  • Filing and record keeping
  • Customer/patient care
  • Order assembly
  • Dispensing activities

Contractual

Essential

  • Flexible approach to working hours
  • Regular attendance during the required hours
  • Weekend, extended hours and bank holiday working

Desirable

  • Telephone owner.
Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • In-house training and experience for prescription interpretation, labelling and dispensing equivalent to NVQ level 3

Desirable

  • Knowledge of pharmacy services.

Qualifications

Essential

  • NVQ Pharmacy level 2 in pharmacy services.

Further Training

Essential

  • In house training programmes including labelling, dispensing, distribution, and goods receipt and returns validations.
  • Training in the use of relevant computer programmes.

Desirable

  • Manual Handling Training Health and Safety Training, including COSHH, Fire and Security

Experience

Essential

  • Dispensing of medicines
  • Stock control
  • Proven team member and ability to work alone
  • Proven oral and written communication skills
  • IT / Keyboard skills

Desirable

  • Housekeeping skills
  • Filing and record keeping
  • Customer/patient care
  • Order assembly
  • Dispensing activities

Contractual

Essential

  • Flexible approach to working hours
  • Regular attendance during the required hours
  • Weekend, extended hours and bank holiday working

Desirable

  • Telephone owner.

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

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton in Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Employer's website

https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton in Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Employer's website

https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Dispensary Manager

Laura Parkin

laura.parkin5@nhs.net

01623622515

Details

Date posted

09 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

214-CSTO-7722372

Job locations

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton in Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Supporting documents

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