Pharmacy Dispensing Assistant in Knowsley

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join #TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations. Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Main area: Pharmacy

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 3

Contract: Permanent (Must participate in bank holiday, evening and weekend rotas)

Hours: Full time/Part time 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 409-7542756-C

Site: Whiston Hospital

Town: Prescot

Salary: £25,760 - £27,476 per annum, pro rata

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 04/06/2026 23:59

Job overview: Are you an enthusiastic and patient-focused person with an interest in developing your skills and knowledge in Pharmacy? Are you currently working as a pharmacy dispenser in community or any other setting and are looking to gain experience in a hospital setting? The Pharmacy Department at Mersey and West Lancashire NHS Teaching Hospitals Trust is delighted to be able to offer a vacancy for a Pharmacy Dispensing Assistant to join our forward-thinking and innovative pharmacy departments. You will be based at Whiston and St Helens Hospitals and will play an important role in providing 5-star patient care. This is a challenging and rewarding job and you will need the following skills:

• A professional approach
• Excellent communication skills
• You should work well in a team and be proactive in your own job role
• Attention to detail, working accurately and to a high standard

Opportunities are available within the department to develop, and to train as a Pharmacy Technician. Applicants must have an NVQ L2 in Pharmacy Service skills, or a GPhC approved dispensing qualification for Pharmacy support staff. (Certificates must be presented at interview.) Previous Applicants Need not apply.

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.

Working for our organisation: 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.
• 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:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Detailed job description and main 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 Children’s disclosure). Please note this vacancy may close early if a sufficient number of applications is reached. Interviews will take place week commencing 13th April, 2026.

Person specification:

Qualifications: Has completed a recognised dispensing qualification.
Experience: 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. Experience in using CMM/EMIS Pharmacy Computer System(s).

Skills:

• 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 to 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:

• 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

Our Values: We are Kind, We are Open, We are Inclusive.

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward‑thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England. Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.

Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk.

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision‑making process.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

eVisa Update: For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK. Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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. Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working: We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that all employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. There is no limit on the number of requests they can make. Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason. At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL: Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. 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. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services. The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information: Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE. An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents. Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.