About Your Local Pharmacy
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Community Pharmacy Services
Your local pharmacy provides a range of services including:
- Dispensing Prescription-Only Medicines (POMs)
- Advising and providing Pharmacy (O) Medicines and general Over-The-Counter (OTC) medicines
- Health services such as Emergency Hormonal Contraception or Stop Smoking programmes
- Pharmacy First – advice and signposting for common ailments
Pharmacies Represented
Locums Registered
Out of Hours Pharmacy Services
A number of pharmacies in town and villages across Northern Ireland open for a short period on Sundays or during Bank or Public Holidays to facilitate prescriptions from Out-of-Hours GP services or urgent pharmacy services. This is known as the Sunday & Holiday Rota.
Pharmacy Careers
There are a variety of job roles within Pharmacy and they differ between Hospital Pharmacy, GP Practice Pharmacy, Industry and Community Pharmacy.
For more information on Pharmacy Careers in general including current opportunities in all sectors and education pathways available in Northern Ireland, visit
Pharmacy Roles
A Community Pharmacy must be owned by a Pharmacist (the Contractor) or employ a Superintendent Pharmacist to oversee the professional governance of the business.
Each pharmacy must have at least one Pharmacist on the premises every day to oversee the dispensing of prescriptions, sales of Pharmacy Only medicines and to provide pharmacy services to the community.
A Pharmacy Technician prepares and dispenses medicines under the supervision of a pharmacist. To become a Technician you must obtain a BTEC Level 3 qualification and must be working in a pharmacy. An Accredited Checking Technician (ACT) is responsible for checking all medicines before handing over to the patient. To become an ACT you must obtain an ACT qualification which involves an accuracy assessment. You can train as a Technician via distance learning, a part-time course or through an Apprenticeship.
A Dispensary or Dispensing Assistant performs elements of the dispensing process under the supervision of a pharmacist. They can also work on the counter, assisting in the sale of Pharmacy-Only items. To become a Dispensary Assistant you must obtain a BTEC Level 2 qualification or equivalent course and be working within a pharmacy. You can train as a Dispensing Assistant via distance learning, a part-time course or through an Apprenticeship.
A Counter Assistant does not work in the dispensary, however assists in the sale of Over-the-Counter or Pharmacy-Only medicines. Medicines Counter Assistants are required to take a number of basic training courses through the pharmacy.
A Sales Assistant does not work on the medicines counter, but may work on a perfume, photography or general sales counter
From delivering medication to care homes to collecting prescriptions from GP surgeries and delivering vital medicines to people at home, this role requires good customer care skills.
Many pharmacies have other roles including office and administrative roles, warehouse operatives, buyers, etc. Vacancies are often advertised on the pharmacy's own website or social media channels, or instore.