Lead Pharmacy Assistant Community Services
Job Summary:
Have you got the enthusiasm and passion to take the next step in your career in an acute hospital pharmacy department?
We have an exciting opportunity for a pharmacy assistant who has recent pharmacy practice experience to develop their leadership skills and become a Lead Pharmacy Assistant for community services. Based within the pharmacy department at Ipswich hospital you will contribute to our team by delivering a safe and effective pharmacy service to East Suffolk community hospitals, St Elizabeth hospice, and other agreed external bodies.
You will play a pivotal role in the delivery of a high quality service to our patients and service users by taking on a lead role within our pharmacy community team, coordinating the flow of work and overseeing our pharmacy assistants.
Using your extensive knowledge of pharmacy practice, you will use your experience to answer queries from colleagues, patients and other service users to ensure the provision of a professional friendly service.
In order to help you make this next step in your career, support and training will be provided. This includes support and mentorship from the Managers, pharmacy related courses and in-house training including the Trust's Emerging Leader Course.
This role will require weekend working and is based within the Pharmacy department at Ipswich Hospital.
Main duties
* Day to day leadership responsibility for ensuring that operational activity of the community service is undertaken. Provide direct line management to the Assistant team including conducting appraisals, drafting rotas, monitoring attendance and absence levels and monitoring compliance with mandatory training requirements.
* Be the first point of contact for multidisciplinary staff requiring support and/or advice relating to this service.
* Proactively co‑coordinate and manage the flow of community work through Dispensary Services to ensure an efficient and safe Pharmacy service to patients and staff.
* Assisting the Lead Community Services Pharmacist and Lead Pharmacy Technicians with the induction, training and development of staff.
* Work collaboratively with wider Pharmacy colleagues to ensure the optimal and cost effective use of medicines; minimising drug wastage accordingly.
About Us
We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.
We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff. We pride ourselves on supporting our staff and offering a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.
Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts.
Job details
* Date posted: 31 December 2025
* Pay scheme: Agenda for change
* Band: Band 4
* Salary: £27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rata
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
* Reference number: 432‑HR1081‑25
* Job locations: Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road, Ipswich, IP4 5PD
Person Specification
Essential
* Recent experience of working within Pharmacy practice
* Experience in dealing with patients, the general public and multidisciplinary healthcare colleagues
* Demonstrated experience of multi‑disciplinary working within a team
* Working with patient identifiable and/or commercially sensitive information
* Experience of multi‑organisational/partnership working
* Understanding of the need for delivering a cost effective service
* Experience of supervising/managing or mentoring
* NVQ Level 2 Certificate in Pharmacy Service Skills or equivalent and evidence of additional CPD/Training/Knowledge equivalent to NVQ Level 3
* Importance of the optimal financial usage and stock control of medicines
* Hospital Dispensing processes
* Understands the issues in handling materials which are hazardous
* Knowledge of pharmaceutical products/medicines
* Principles of team leadership
Desirable
* Experience of working within a hospital pharmacy or other relevant clinical/operational environment
* Experience of leading a team and responsibility for training, developing and appraising a team
* Experience of service development across a range of deliverables and monitoring compliance/progress
* Experience of supervising/managing or mentoring
* Level 3 in a relevant subject/willingness to undertake
* Distribution practices and supply chain logistics
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
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road, Ipswich, IP4 5PD
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