Job overview
Have you got the enthusiasm to take up the challenge of this fixed term post? We are looking for Senior Dispensing Assistants to join our Pharmacy team. You will work within most areas of the ESNEFT Pharmaceutical Service based at Colchester Hospital, providing dispensing support to qualified staff
Duties will include dispensing for in-patients, outpatients and controlled drugs following standard procedures; a re-stocking service of pharmaceutical products to wards and departments.
Pharmacy experience is essential and a formal qualification is desirable, e.g. NVQ Level 2 or equivalent.
Formal Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday commitments are mandatory and will be on a rostered basis.
Details about our pharmacy service - https://esneft.pagetiger.com/buqzfou/1
Main duties of the job
- To dispense for inpatients and outpatients by calculating appropriate dosage and quantities required against prescriptions/requisitions, following departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- To ensure that all customers receive the appropriate medicine in the correct form and in a timely manner.
- To ensure that all medicines are labelled and packaged appropriately, and all relevant patient information and compliance aids/sundries are supplied.
- To dispense controlled drugs for ward stock and named patients, following all relevant Pharmacy procedures and legal requirements.
- To perform a self-check on all dispensed items to ensure accuracy and quality prior to placing the item in the designated area for final checking.
- To receive in prescriptions from a wide range of outpatient clients and use listening and questioning skills to obtain appropriate information to enable effective service provision.
- To operate the cash till and debit/credit card machine to take payment for prescriptions.
- To ensure that the declaration of payment/exemption on outpatient prescriptions has been correctly filled in and clearly endorsed with grounds for exemption if a fee is not paid.
- To sell over the counter products under the supervision of a pharmacist.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.
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This advert is for Senior Dispensing Assistant with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Colchester, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 3 Healthcare support worker role. The advertised salary is £25,760 - £27,476 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 09 Jun 2026.
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