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Pharmacist
How to become a pharmacy support worker
This guide explains how to become a pharmacy support worker in NHS Scotland. As a pharmacy support worker, you’re a key member of the pharmacy team. This is a hands-on and essential role where you’ll help get the right medicines to the right people safely.
Salary
At NHS Scotland, your salary doesn’t stand still. We reward you for the skills you bring and increase your pay as you gain experience. Find out more about pay and benefits.
Entry
£25,694
Pharmacy support workers in the NHS start at £25,694 before tax.
Experienced
£33,016
Higher-level pharmacy support workers in the NHS can earn up to £33,016 before tax.
What is a pharmacy support worker?
Pharmacy support workers are also known as pharmacy assistants or dispensing assistants.
Working under the supervision of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, they prepare, label, and dispense medicines safely. Pharmacy support workers manage stock using computer systems and answer queries from patients and staff. In hospitals, they also deliver medicines to wards and check expiry dates.
Starting your career as pharmacy support worker
You’ll get all the training you need for this role while you work. However, you’ll need a good standard of education to start. Useful school subjects include:
- English
- Maths
Speak to your guidance teacher or careers adviser about subjects offered at your school.
Get relevant experience and insight
Getting healthcare experience, such as through a work placement or volunteering, can help your application. It shows your commitment, helps you develop new skills, and gives you a realistic understanding of working in a healthcare environment.
Learn more about work placements and volunteering.
Apply for a job
In both community pharmacies and across NHS Scotland Health Boards, you can apply directly for pharmacy support worker jobs.
You can find our current pharmacy support worker vacancies on the NHS Scotland recruitment website.
Community pharmacies may post dispensing assistant or pharmacy assistant vacancies on local job websites.
On-the-job training
Once employed, you will be fully trained to become a pharmacy support worker. Training includes:
- Mandatory Induction Standards for healthcare support workers.
- A formal qualification, such as the SVQ in Pharmacy Services at SCQF Level 6. Your employer will support you to complete the units relevant to your role.
Get to know the role
As a pharmacy support worker, you'll use stock control and dispensing systems to manage supplies and update records. You'll also be:
- responsible for administrative tasks
- a primary point of contact for various queries
Your main tasks could include:
- Dispensing and supply—Assist in preparing, labelling, and dispensing medicines under the supervision of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.
- Stock management—Order, receive, check, and maintain medicine stock in dispensaries, wards, or distribution centres.
- Administrative tasks—Update records, prepare labels, answer telephone or in-person queries, and manage documentation.
- Ward-based duties (in hospitals)—Deliver medicines to wards, manage ward stock, check expiry dates, and support timely patient discharges.
- Pharmacy system use—Operate pharmacy computer systems for stock control and dispensing.
- Customer Service—Communicate with patients and healthcare professionals about prescriptions and medication queries within defined competencies.
You’ll need these skills:
- caring for people
- communicating with people
- listening
- numeracy
- organisation
- persuasion
- problem-solving
- relationship-building
You could work with
- pharmacists
- pharmacy technicians
- other pharmacy support workers
- GP practice staff
- other healthcare professionals
You could work in:
- a hospital
- community pharmacies
- distribution centres
- GP practices
- care homes
- prisons
Learning and development
Pharmacy support workers in NHS hospitals need to complete the Mandatory Induction Standards. This is for healthcare support workers.
Once employed as a pharmacy support worker, you’ll need to undertake:
You might not necessarily need to complete the full award, instead, only completing units relevant to your area of practice.
You’ll have the opportunity to work closely with pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. Once you become experienced, you may apply for a pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician post if you meet the essential criteria. This could lead to a career as a pharmacy technician.
Explore careers
Discover the skills and qualifications you’ll need for each role and what the work will be like.
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