Pharmacy Assistant | East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

We are looking for Pharmacy Assistants for our Burnley and Blackburn sites.

Pharmacy Assistants cover a range of tasks to ensure we meet the needs of the hospital sites. Training will be provided in each of the various rotational areas of the hospital pharmacy including dispensary, stock distribution and aseptic services

The successful candidates will be enrolled on a distance learning program to complete an NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services, with the support of our training lead and on-site assessors if they don't already hold this necessary qualification.

General duties of this post

Stock management

• Maintaining accurate stock levels of medicines and consumables
• Picking and packing medicines for wards which includes heavy lifting and bending
• Visiting wards to replenish stock including large quantities of IV fluids
• Inputting orders into the computer systems
• Storing stock in line with stock rotation

Further duties

• Reception- dealing with members of the public and clinical staff, taking in prescriptions and directing phone calls
• Dispensing a wide range of medicines supported by a dispensing robot
• Processing and disposing of medicinal waste in accordance with policies and procedures
• Working in state of the art clean rooms assisting in the production of IV medicines and chemotherapy, cleaning and general environmental monitoring

You will have basic IT skills, good people skills and be able to demonstrate initiative. You should Have good attention to detail, be a strong communicator, and have the ability to work well under pressure.

You will have the physical ability to bend and lift stock which is a key part of the role.

A rota is in place to cover weekends and Bank Holidays; you will also be expected to participate in the late night rota which involves working until 19:00, on occasion to cover the regular team. Core hours of the service run from 08:00 - 17:30, with staff working 7.5 hour days within these hours, there may be option to work longer shifts. All shift patterns can be discussed at interview.

We are looking for motivated and hardworking individuals to join our busy and friendly department. Whilst previous pharmacy experience is desirable, it is not essential. We are committed to giving our team opportunities to develop, and many of our pharmacy assistants have gone on to further education, supported by the department to qualify as Pharmacy Technicians. If you are looking for a new challenge, please let us know via your application form how you can meet the person specification of the role.

General duties of this post include

• Maintaining accurate stock levels of medicines and consumables
• Suppling medicines for wards which will include some heavy lifting and bending
• Visiting wards to replenish stock
• Inputting orders into the computer systems
• Working on reception dealing with members of the public and clinical staff, taking in prescriptions and directing telephone calls
• Dispensing a wide range of medicines supported by a dispensing robot
• Processing and disposing of medicinal waste
• Working in state of the art clean rooms assisting in the production of IV medicines and general environmental monitoring

This advert closes on Wednesday 11 Nov 2026