Job summary
- Main area
- Senior Pharmacy Technician
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (participation in evening, weekend and bank holiday rotas is necessary)
- Job ref
- 409-6147367
- Employer
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Whiston Hospital
- Town
- Prescot
- Salary
- £35,392 - £42,618 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/05/2024 23:59
- Interview date
- 20/05/2024
Employer heading
Senior Pharmacy Technician - Education Lead
NHS AfC: Band 6
Job overview
The Pharmacy Department requires an experienced and adaptable Senior Pharmacy Technician to co-ordinate training needs within the Dispensary and Stores Team.
You will be responsible for overseeing the NVQ L2/L3 trainees within the department, and mentoring the BTEC accuracy checking diploma trainees.
You should have a proactive approach to designing, developing and delivering bespoke training in order to develop pharmacy technical staff and improve the quality of service given to our patients.
You must be a highly motivated individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively manage a team of Pharmacy Assistants and Pharmacy Technicians.
The department is committed to continuous personal and professional development and aims to give the necessary support to ensure that individual needs can be met.
Applicants must be qualified to NVQ Level 3 / BTEC Pharmacy Service skills or a recognised equivalent, and have significant experience working at band 5 level or above.
Applicants must also possess BTEC Level 4 Professional Diploma in Dispensing Technician Checking or recognised equivalent.
Successful applicants must have current professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Interview date: w/c 20th May 2024
Main duties of the job
- To assist the Chief Technician with the day to day running, planning and long term management and development of technical staff and services within the dispensaries, and to plan, design and develop training programmes for all staff groups and maintain associated documentation.
- As part of your role you will also be required to work within our busy dispensaries to provide effective management of our day to day dispensing services and provide effective training for new staff.
Working for our organisation
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
- CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
- SAFETY that is of the highest standards
- COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
- SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
- PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To comply with and ensure that all other pharmacy staff under their control comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of drugs both within the pharmacy and in all other areas of the Trust.
- To final accuracy check dispensed prescriptions
- To manage the operational provision of pharmacy technician services to wards and the expansion of one stop dispensing services to new wards.
- To liaise with the appropriate clinical pharmacists in liaison with ward staff (e.g. education, communication) to ensure the efficient operation of one stop dispensing.
- To co-operate and liaise with the clinical pharmacists, and ward staff to ensure the efficient operation of one stop dispensing
- To carry out final accuracy checks on prescriptions and requisitions in accordance with departmental procedures.
- To accuracy check Emergency resus boxes (paediatric and adult)
- To participate in the final accuracy checking of CDs and making appropriate records in the CD register
- To participate and supervise in the receipt, review, calculation of doses and quantities for issue, labelling and dispensing of prescriptions accurately and according to safe working practices and department procedure, including;
- Inpatients and outpatients
- Controlled drug requests
- Unlicensed medicines
- Clinical trials
- Restricted and controlled medications (i.e. being authorised to access patients’ blood test results via the Clozaril Monitoring Service which requires interpreting these results before continuing)
- Cytotoxic drugs
- To dispense prescription accurately according to safe working practices
- To participate in patient counselling and provide suitable information on the use of medicines to patients. If appropriate demonstrate the use of medicines to patients, carers and other health care professionals and assess their understanding of medicines and devices prescribed.
- To advise patients regarding suitability for compliance aids e.g., blister packs, breath-activated inhalers/spacers, containers and other formulations e.g. liquids, and to recommend and train patients in the use of such devices and to communicate with GPs and community pharmacies with regards to this.
- To assist in stock control within and between the pharmacy, wards, departments, and clinics
- To co-operate with the senior technician procurement in the management of ward stock medicines top up service by ATO staff
- To extemporaneously dispense medicines, occasionally using specific equipment (e.g. fume cupboards and weighing balances) taking protective measures. Weighing and measuring must be accurate as there are narrow margins for error.
- To provide individual dose dispensing and blister pack services for patients who have difficulty with normal medicines packaging
- To co-operate in the provision of an efficient and cost-effective service
- To liaise with senior pharmacy, nursing, medical and Primary care trust staff to develop the ward technician service
- To participate in the Saturday, Sunday, Evening, on-call and Bank Holiday rotas in response to the changing needs of the service.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- BTEC NC & NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Service skills or GPhC recognised equivalent
- BTEC professional diploma in dispensing checking or recognised equivalent
- Registered as a practising Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC
Desirable criteria
- A1 Assessors award
- Certificate / Qualification in training / mentorship
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Significant post-qualification experience working at Band 5 level or above in Hospital pharmacy
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
Desirable criteria
- Experience in using the CMM (JAC) pharmacy computer system
Skills
Essential criteria
- Self-motivated with the ability to motivate both individuals and team’s performance to achieve objectives
- Good verbal communication skills both face to face and using telephones
- Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able to work under pressure
- Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
- Reliable and Well-organised with good time management skills
- Ability to build and maintain positive working relationship
- Able to reflect and make decisions accordingly
- Proactive and displays initiative
- Determination to overcome obstacles
Desirable criteria
- Experience of conducting audits and presenting the results
Other
Essential criteria
- Ability to travel between hospital locations
- Ability to participate in the department rota for late working
- Supportive of colleagues of all grades
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Gill Eddleston
- Job title
- Chief Pharmacy Technician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0151 290 4289
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