Senior Pharmacy Assistant

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Western , , Stornoway, Isle of

Senior Pharmacy Assistant

Band 3 £28,011 - £30,230 per annum

Plus £1,406 Distant Islands Allowance per annum

37 Hours per Week

Permanent post

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:-

• Dispensing – accurately labelling, assembling and dispensing inpatient, outpatient and discharge prescriptions
• Ward services – maintain ward supplied either manually or using our medicines vending machines, and participate in ward medication management
• Stock control – performing sock checks, receiving and checking orders and storing appropriately. Locating and arranging for destruction of damaged, obsolete or expired medicines.
• Clinical support – assist pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with medicine optimisation
• Technology – engage with existing and emerging technologies used in Pharmacy
• Patient care – facilitate timely delivery of medication to wards and to patients
• Participating in public holiday rota (generally 3 days per annum)

The post holder will work alongside Pharmacy Support Workers, other Senior Pharmacy Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacists to ensure that medicines are provided safely and efficiently within the hospital and to sites across the island chain.

This post requires a previous dispensing qualification such as Buttercups or SVQ2 in Pharmacy services alongside previous dispensary experience. The postholder needs to have experience of working with routine working procedures, pharmaceutical stock control and come equipped with great communication skills, good organisational skills and able to use electronic systems including Microsoft Office. We are looking for motivation, reliability and the ability to work alone or in a team.

We are offering an opportunity to live and work in our beautiful and rural island community. You can enjoy amazing outdoor and cultural activities such as kayaking, surfing, climbing, hill walking, diving as well as a wealth of traditional crafts and music related pursuits. We are also only a short journey from Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh by plane, with twice daily ferry sailing to Ullapool.

Additional benefits of working for NHS Western Isles:

• Great work-life balance with a 36 hour working week.
• Enhanced rates of pay for weekend and public holiday working

• Generous annual leave entitlements
• Automatic enrolment in the NHS Pension Scheme
• Access to NHS wellbeing resources
• Supportive of additional training for career development
• A Carer Positive employer with access to paid special leave
• Generous occupational sick pay and maternity leave provisions

For more information on living and working in the Western Isles visit the following sites: www.visithebrides.co.uk or www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/.

For an informal chat on the above posts and how it may suit you, please contact Dr Sue Price (Chief Pharmacist) via 01851 708140 or sue.price@nhs.scot.

The successful applicant will be required to register with the PVG Scheme (Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme). This post is not eligible for relocation expenses.

All NHS Western Isles vacancies appear on the NHS Scotland website: apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk, along with a job description.

Tha beàrnan-obrach NHS Eilean Siar uile gu léir a' nochdadh air làrach-lìn NHS na h-Alba https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/, còmhla ri dealbh-obrach.

As from 1/4/2026, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part-time hours will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis.

CLOSING DATE: 04/03/2026