Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Dispensary Services

• Accurately identify, select, label using JAC, dispense and distribute drugs (including controlled drugs & clinical trials) for in and out patients prescriptions according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) .
• Maintain high quality of data input of patient information into the pharmacy computer system in order to ensure excellent labelling standards for dispensed medications.
• Take part in counselling and in the provision of information on medicines to patients, doctors and other health care staff.
• Carry out reception duties, involving dealing with patients, relatives and handling prescription charges.
• Use the computer systems to track prescriptions. Ensure medication is dispensed to meet agreed delivery times and to minimize waiting times for patients.
• Deal with queries from patients and other hospital staff, referring complex issues to supervisor or line manager.
• Ensure that all medicines are stored according to environmental requirements (e.g. temperature) and to required security standards.
• Ensure stock levels of all products are accurate and support the appropriate ordering of stock through liaison with pharmacy purchasing and procurement office.
• Ensure medication is dispensed to meet agreed turnaround times and to minimise waiting times for patients
• Be a robot super user in order to troubleshoot complex problems and maintain efficient systems within the dispensing process.
• Check of prescriptions within the dispensary for accuracy, in line with departmental procedures.
• Dispense and check of clinical trials.
• Contribute to developing systems for service provision, which enhance the efficiency of the dispensary

 Medicines Management

• Follow relevant procedures for Medicines Management in order to deliver the service in a safe and effective manner.
• Responsible for the provision of the Medicines Management service to designated ward areas, which involves working in clinical areas unsupervised.
• Obtain accurate medication histories for patients on admission by lasing with the patient and/ or primary care team in order to support decisions about continued care.
• Implement and maintain the Patients own medicines/ drug (PODs) scheme, for the designated areas (and self-administration where introduced) according to trust policies. This involves checking the suitability of patients own medicines, I.e. correct instructions on label, expiry date, re-labelling if necessary and gaining patient consent for using their own medication.
• Initiate supply of non-stock items for one stop dispensing i.e. ordering medication labelled ready for discharge when appropriate and to ensure a full prescription of at least 14 days of medication for inpatients (agreed appropriate quantities for other areas) is available in each patient’s bedside locker.
• Counsel patients in order to provide effective and appropriate advice to patients on medication use in order to ensure their understanding of their medication including benefits of their mediation and possible side effects. These may be patients with certain barriers e.g. hearing problems, language issues.
• Deal with queries and complex issues from patients and other hospital staff.
• Effectively contend with informal/ verbal complaints from wards staff or patients in the first instance before appropriate referral to line manager if necessary.
• Co-ordinate the discharge medication, bringing together Patients own medicines and newly dispensed items in advance of patient discharge and support the planning of patients discharge with respect to medication, including the transcription of requests for dispensing.
• Participate in and contribute to the development of the extension of the medicines management scheme across all wards in the hospital.

Supervisory and training responsibilities

• Training and supervision of new and rotational staff.
• Deputizing for section/team leaders or senior pharmacy technicians in their absence.