Job summary
- Main area
- Diagnostic & Clinical Support
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 435-D192-24
- Employer
- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Blackburn Hospital
- Town
- Blackburn
- Salary
- £22,816 - £24,336 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 11/08/2024 23:59
Employer heading
![East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust logo](https://static.trac.jobs/employer-logos/823.png)
Senior Pharmacy Assistant
NHS AfC: Band 3
At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.
Job overview
The pharmacy department within East Lancashire Hospitals NHS trust provides a comprehensive medicines, dispensing and supply service covering Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn and Accrington. Successful candidates will work at both Blackburn and Burnley hospitals.
We are looking for a motivated and hardworking individual with basic numeracy and literacy skills which will be tested at interview, and who already holds the NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services.
Main duties of the job
You will be working in a busy and challenging environment as part of a large team, and must be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills.
General duties of this post include:
Training of new staff in the dispensary
Maintaining accurate stock levels of medicines and consumables
Inputting orders into the computer systems
Working on reception dealing with members of the public and clinical staff
Answering telephones and dealing with simple queries
Processing and disposing of medicinal waste
You will need to have basic IT skills, good people skills and be able to demonstrate initiative. You will be able to demonstrate attention to detail and have the ability to work well under pressure. You will have the physical ability to bend, kneel and lift stock, and to be on your feet all day.
Working for our organisation
We are a big and friendly team, and we provide a full induction program to new starters.
The inpatient hospital services operate during core hours from 08:00 to 19:00. Our standard working hours are 09:00 to 17:30, with 1 in 8 weekends worked for lieu days, or overtime. We are happy to talk flex, as we have worked hard to ensure our existing team find a role to fit around commitments outside of work.
For more information e-mail Nina Wright on [email protected]
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will
Deputise for other Senior Pharmacy Assistant colleagues as delegated and as designated in their absence
Support the Assistant Directors of Pharmacy in providing a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centered pharmacy service to the Trust
Work under the direction of the Senior Pharmacy Technicians in Procurement & Distribution Support, Medicines Management and Technical Services in the provision of a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centered pharmacy service to the Trust
Supervise the team involved in the delivery of the service
Support the governance and medicines risk management agenda locally
Support the development of the assistant teams to complement and facilitate multidisciplinary working
Act as a role model and provide a consistently high level of pharmaceutical service
Support the agreed policies and procedures for safe medicines use and support mechanisms to promote high quality medicine use, effective risk management, clinical governance and adherence to Trust policies and guidelines concerning medicines use
Work closely with other staff in the directorate to ensure the delivery of an integrated pharmacy service
Contribute to the development of the service
Support the ‘professional development’ of assistants
Main Duties
Deputise for other Senior Pharmacy Assistant colleagues as delegated and as designated in their absence
Support the Senior Pharmacy Technician in dispensary and assistant teams and supervise processes
Seek advice and guidance from the Senior Pharmacy Technician where queries and problems exceed their remit
Responsible for organising staffing requirements; and the rota within the dispensary on a day to day basis which will include organising cover for sickness and absence
Act as a role model for the assistants and demonstrate the ability to provide safe, and cost efficient use of medicines
Ensure that all pharmacy assistants are aware of the principles of effective stock control and management and that this is carried out at all times
Undertake waste management and disposal of returned pharmaceutical products which may include hazardous material, following standard operating procedures
Troubleshoot problems and maintain an efficient automated system within the dispensing process by being a robot ‘super-user’
Ensure pharmacy portering and transport staff (including relief staff) are following current procedures when handling and delivering medicines
Maintain the shelves and storage areas in a neat and tidy manner, ensuring good rotation of stock and date checking of stock
Organise and participate in the daily monitoring of fridge and room temperatures for medication stored in pharmacy and on wards/departments and report any deviations to the senior pharmacy technician or pharmacist
Liaise with the dispensary team leader or Senior Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary Manager on a day to day basis to support the smooth running of the dispensary including prioritising workload and coordinating assistants within that area
Support the Senior Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary Manger in meeting the pharmacy’s KPI’s
Interpret, label and dispense all types of medicines in accordance with safe systems of work under the supervision of the dispensary team leader or Senior Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary Manager
Deal with queries, requests from patients and staff at the Pharmacy reception on the telephone
Support reception to ensure all work is logged into the dispensary correctly
Participate in the development of the pharmacy computer system including maintenance of locations and stock control
Support adherence to East Lancashire Medicines Management Board formulary
Ensure that pharmacy assistants read new and updated procedures as issued
Supervise the work of the Pharmacy Assistants as appropriate
Ensure Trust personnel procedures are being adhered to such as sickness management, grievance and disciplinary procedures, when required
Supervise and participate in regular expiry date checks of pharmacy stock, and ensure all expired stock is removed from the computer system and discarded safely
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- QCF level 2 certificate in Pharmacy Services or equivalent qualification
Training
Essential criteria
- Supervisory experience
Communication Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Able to communicate information
- Ability to influence Pharmacy and hospital staff and other people
- Ability to prioritise demands on service and plan workload of self and others
- Skills in training and development of a range of staff
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Has vision and imagination, initiative, creativity, able to see beyond barrier
- Can balance leadership and working within a team
- Prioritises and meets deadlines
- Mature in approach and has professional credibility
- Able to be seen as a role model – reliable, fair and balanced
- Calm under pressure
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
- Flexibility in working hours
- Advanced keyboard skills
Special Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of medicines legislation and guidance i.e. Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act, Safe and Secure Handling of Medicines, Medicine Guidance Notes, MHRA Alerts
- General knowledge of NHS developments including primary and secondary care
- Understanding of clinical governance principles
Experience
Essential criteria
- Practice in one or more relevant areas
- Experience of supervising pharmacy services in primary or secondary care
- Working within GMP/GDP guidelines
- Understanding of medicines management procedures
- HR policies awareness
- Ability to maintain and report on records and statistics
Judgement
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates clear thinking and able to analyse problems
- Intuition – anticipates difficulties and takes appropriate action
- Knows when to consult (own limitations)
- A strong ability to work under pressure
- Reflects on own practice and learns from experience
- Able to identify, prioritise and evaluate work
Desirable criteria
- Experience of training new dispensers
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Nina Wright
- Job title
- Dispensary Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01254 732296
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