Senior Pharmacy Assistant, Mental Health - Band 3 inGloucester inGloucester PUBLISHED
TUE 21 JAN 2025
Candidates for this position should possess a Level 2 NVQ in Pharmacy Service Skills and have prior experience in a hospital pharmacy setting, along with strong communication and organisational skills. The role requires adaptability, basic IT skills, and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively in a busy environment. The Senior Pharmacy Assistant will also be part of a weekend and bank holiday working rota, highlighting the need for flexibility in scheduling.
The pharmacy department at Gloucester Royal Hospital provides the clinical pharmacy and dispensing services to Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) under a service level agreement (SLA).
This post is based in the dedicated mental health pharmacy dispensary working with a team of specialist pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants. The Senior Pharmacy Assistant performs a wide range of duties within the mental health dispensary essential to providing a comprehensive dispensing and distribution service.
Additional working pattern details: Monday to Friday 08:30-16:30
- Dispensing for in-patients and out-patients according to standard operating procedures.
- Co-ordinating the supply of items that are owed to patients, checking order levels are adequate for supply and resolving any supply issues.
- Dispensing controlled drugs according to standard operating procedures.
- Re-stock the dispensary shelves and expiry date check the medicines regularly.
- Participation in ward top-up service, keeping the assigned wards fully stocked with medicines, ensuring medicines are stock rotated and expiry dates checked, as stated in the top up standards.
- Process and assemble orders for wards and departments using the automated picking machine (robot). Involves data entry and correct selection of goods to ensure good stock control. Proven accuracy in assembling orders will be expected
- Assist in reception as necessary, which includes answering the telephone and dealing with routine enquiries regarding work in progress and communicating with the relevant member of staff for additional advice as required. Transfer calls to appropriately qualified staff if necessary.
-Ensure that standard operating procedures are adhered to and Health and Safety procedures followed.
- Be responsible for managing self to organise own daily duties. Be willing to re-arrange duties and prioritise according to service need if required to cover for absence. Senior Pharmacy Assistants will sometimes co-ordinate cover for duties and oversee less experienced staff.
About us
Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required
- Basic numeracy and literacy.
- Experience of working a hospital pharmacy department is desirable.
- Level 2 NVQ Pharmacy Service Skills is essential.
- Previous dispensing experience and evidence of training is desirable
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- Basic IT skills/ be able to operate Pharmacy System computer terminal.
- Adaptable and willing to learn.
- Communicate clearly with patients in regards to the medication.
- To have a common-sense approach to co-ordinating / supervising work for other Pharmacy Assistants.
- Proven accuracy in assembling orders.
Key Result Areas and Duties
- Dispensing for in-patients and out-patients according to standard operating procedures.
- Co-ordinating the supply of items that are owed to patients, checking order levels are adequate for supply and resolving any supply issues.
- Dispensing controlled drugs according to standard operating procedures.
- Re-stock the dispensary shelves with backup stock from the stores department.
- Expiry date check the medicines on the shelves regularly
- Ensure that any out-of-date items are removed to the Pharmacy Stock Controller.
- Participation in ward top-up service, keeping the assigned wards fully stocked with medicines, ensuring medicines are stock rotated and expiry dates checked, as stated in the top up standards. Each ward is visited once a week.
- Process and assemble orders for wards and departments using the automated picking machine (robot). Involves data entry and correct selection of goods to ensure good stock control. Proven accuracy in assembling orders will be expected
- Assist in reception as necessary, this includes:
- To answer the telephone and deal with routine enquiries regarding work in progress and communicating with the relevant member of staff for additional advice as required. Transfer calls to appropriately qualified staff if necessary.
- Direct callers to appropriate recipients as required.
- To co-ordinate others to do this task if necessary.
- Assist in keeping records of workload e.g., filing, photocopying.
- Co-ordinate other pharmacy assistants to ensure the patient services section always has a readily available supply of sundry items e.g., bottles, bags to use, by topping up daily and checking status of orders as required.
- Ensure that standard operating procedures are adhered to and Health and Safety procedures followed.
- Be responsible for managing self to organise own daily duties. Be willing to re-arrange duties and prioritise according to service need if required to cover for absence. Senior Pharmacy Assistants will sometimes co-ordinate cover for duties and oversee less experienced staff.
- Share advice and knowledge to train new assistants on the standard operating procedures within the working area.
Communication and working relationships
- Must be able to work well in a team or work alone when necessary.
- This role involves communication with a wide range of health care professionals, support staff and patients. Excellent customer service skills and a cheerful, friendly outlook are therefore essential.
- Will form a good communication link with the Senior Technician and the distribution area, to ensure smooth running of operations.
- Communication with other members of the pharmacy team.
Safe Systems of Work
- Responsible for ensuring a safe working practice and environment through legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH regulations, along with local policies and procedures including manual handling.
- Manual handling skills will be required for lifting and carrying of fluid boxes (12 litres per box) and the assembling and packing of ward orders. Trolleys are available for moving items around the department if required.
- Occasional handling of potentially hazardous substances (e.g., cytotoxic medication) in accordance with standard operating procedures and COSHH regulations.
- Using a computer keyboard for a large proportion of the day, to accurately enter information to the Pharmacy System.
Other
- Must be able to manage working in a busy environment with competing demands whilst remaining calm and ensuring work is conducted to a high standard.
- Requirement for frequent long periods of concentration when dispensing prescriptions.
- Physical effort is required on wards to bend and stretch in and out of drug cupboards and within the pharmacy particularly in the stores, to reach shelves.
- Undertake all mandatory training.
- Contribute to and champion departmental sustainability initiatives.
- Undertake any other duties as deemed fit by the GHFT pharmacy management.
Weekend Working
- The post holder will be part of the weekend working rota covering the acute trust pharmacy at a frequency of approximately 1 in 13.
- The post holder will be part of the bank holiday working rota covering the acute trust as per departmental arrangements (approx. one BH per year).
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