Job summary
Join an Award-Winning Team
Our pharmacy service was namedAPTUK Pharmacy Technician Team of the Year 2025, recognised nationally for innovation, collaboration, and advancing pharmacy technician practice in mental health.
If you are enthusiastic and passionate about improving the lives of patients in need of mental healthcare treatment, then role as a Pharmacy Assistant in our Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Trust could be right for you.
We are looking to recruit a Pharmacy Assistant to be part of the Trust Medicines Management Team working with our Inpatient Pharmacy Team in Worthing, West Sussex. This role involves assisting Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in medicines optimisation, ensuring compliance with mental health regulations and providing essential support to healthcare professionals and patients.
All applications that demonstrate the required qualifications (NVQ 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent) as per job description and personal specification will be considered.
You will be joining a friendly, supportive Pharmacy team which is highly regarded in the Trust and is rapidly expanding due to recent significant investments. This role is a great opportunity to start or continue a career in mental health and can lead to a future senior role.
This post is subject to an enhanced check with adults barred list Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.
Main duties of the job
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust pharmacy team and be part of an award-winning service recognised nationally as the Pharmacy Technician Team of the Year 2025 by the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) for innovation, collaboration, and advancing pharmacy technician practice in mental health.
This post presents an opportunity for a Pharmacy Assistant motivated by the desire to improve patient care, by supporting the Inpatient Pharmacy Team in Worthing, West Sussex. You will be working with Specialist Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians to provide this service.
You will provide medicines top ups to Mental Health Inpatient wards, along with development towards named patient ordering.
The role requires an organised, flexible individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
The team provides a well-structured support system, access to training, with opportunity for development.
There is no dispensary commitment with this role.
About us
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 trusts in the UK.
The physical health of our mental health patients is important to us and with the live expectancy of patients with serious mental health dying 15 to 20 years earlier, the trust is committed to reducing this risk and pharmacy play a key role in this.
About us
As a mental health trust Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our reward 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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Applications with the following qualifications (or equivalent) will be considered:
- NVQ level 2, Pharmacy Services. Including three core units and
- Minimum 3 GCSEs A*-C grade, including Maths
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 to discuss further. We would love to speak with you to see if you are a good fit for this role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Applications with the following qualifications (or equivalent) will be considered:
- NVQ level 2, Pharmacy Services. Including three core units and
- Minimum 3 GCSEs A*-C grade, including Maths
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 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
- NVQ level 2, Pharmacy Services. Including three core units.
- Minimum 3 GCSEs A*-C grade, including Maths
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- 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
Desirable
- Experience of working with medicines Information Technology (IT) systems
- Experience of dispensing prescriptions
- Experience of using PTS ordering system
- Experience of assessing PODS
Skills
Essential
- 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
- Demonstrates appropriate empathy towards patient group
- Good interpersonal skills
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ level 2, Pharmacy Services. Including three core units.
- Minimum 3 GCSEs A*-C grade, including Maths
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- 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
Desirable
- Experience of working with medicines Information Technology (IT) systems
- Experience of dispensing prescriptions
- Experience of using PTS ordering system
- Experience of assessing PODS
Skills
Essential
- 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
- Demonstrates appropriate empathy towards patient group
- Good interpersonal skills
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
