Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Pharmacy Dispensing Assistant Technical Officer

The closing date is 12 September 2025

Job summary

We are looking for individuals who are enthusiastic, proactive in their own role, can communicate well and work accurately and efficiently to a high standard.

You will be based within the main dispensary at Whiston Hospital with rotation to our out-patient centred pharmacy department at St Helens Hospital, where you will assist in the provision of a safe and effective dispensing service.

Duties will include routine labelling and dispensing of prescriptions for both inpatients and outpatients and Controlled drugs, the preparation of extemporaneous medicines, and involvement in the effective management of returned medicines from within the Trust. You will also take part in a rotation to work with our ward-based Pharmacy Technicians to provide a ward based dispensing service.

You will need to take part in our weekend and evening rotas providing a 7 day a week service to the Trust

Current experience of working within a pharmacy setting, for example Hospital Community, Prison service etc. is essential and candidates must have completed an NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services and hold a recognised dispensing qualification.

A good standard of education (to GCSE level) would be advantageous.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will participate with other team members of the pharmacy staff aiming to provide an efficient and comprehensive pharmaceutical service within the pharmacy departments of Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, under the direction of the Chief Pharmacist. Duties will include labelling, dispensing, stock rotation, storage, dealing with dispensary queries and patient counselling.

About us

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

o Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018

o Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)

o National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Date posted

03 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

24 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

409-7432997

Job locations

Whiston Hospital

Warrington Rd

Prescot

L35 5DR

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

This post will be subject to a standard DBS (with barred list for Adults and Childrens disclosure).

Please note this vacancy may close early if a sufficient number of applications is reached.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

This post will be subject to a standard DBS (with barred list for Adults and Childrens disclosure).

Please note this vacancy may close early if a sufficient number of applications is reached.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Has completed a recognised dispensing qualification
NVQ level 2 Pharmacy services qualification

Experience

Essential

Experience working in a Pharmacy environment with demonstrable understanding of procedures gained through additional role-based training up to NVQ level 3
Experience of Working with computer systems

Desirable

Experience in using CMM/EMIS Pharmacy Computer System(s)

Skills

Essential

Good verbal and communication skills both face to face and using telephones
Ability to talk to patients, staff and other senior health professionals
Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
Good administration skills including record-keeping
Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able work under pressure
Hardworking with a determination to overcome obstacles and understand the importance and context of the role
Self-motivated team player with the ability to motivate the team performance to achieve objectives
Reliable and well organised with good time management skills

Other

Essential

Ability to travel between hospital sites
Present professional image/appearance
Supportive of colleagues of all grades
Ability to participate in the departmental rota for late and weekend working

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Has completed a recognised dispensing qualification
NVQ level 2 Pharmacy services qualification

Experience

Essential

Experience working in a Pharmacy environment with demonstrable understanding of procedures gained through additional role-based training up to NVQ level 3
Experience of Working with computer systems

Desirable

Experience in using CMM/EMIS Pharmacy Computer System(s)

Skills

Essential

Good verbal and communication skills both face to face and using telephones
Ability to talk to patients, staff and other senior health professionals
Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
Good administration skills including record-keeping
Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able work under pressure
Hardworking with a determination to overcome obstacles and understand the importance and context of the role
Self-motivated team player with the ability to motivate the team performance to achieve objectives
Reliable and well organised with good time management skills

Other

Essential

Ability to travel between hospital sites
Present professional image/appearance
Supportive of colleagues of all grades
Ability to participate in the departmental rota for late and weekend working

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

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Whiston Hospital

Warrington Rd

Prescot

L35 5DR

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Whiston Hospital

Warrington Rd

Prescot

L35 5DR

Employer's website

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