Pharmacy Technician - Dispensary & Medicines Management inNorwich inNorwich PUBLISHED WED 6 NOV 2024

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is a modern, forward thinking teaching hospital offering acute care to a population of over 1 million. Electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA) has been implemented across all inpatient wards, the Emergency Department and outpatients.

We have strong links with both the School of Pharmacy and the Medical School at the nearby University of East Anglia with onsite teacher practitioner posts.The Pharmacy Department provides a fully comprehensive pharmaceutical service across the Trust and to a number of external community units. We are a large and very busy department with over 180 members of staff including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, admin and clerical staff and apprentices. There are many varied roles and we all work as a team to provide the different functions and services whilst maintaining a high level of patient care.

The Pharmacy Department is at the forefront of healthcare delivery with a strong focus on medicines management and innovative pharmaceutical practice. It is challenging the current professional roles resulting in a number of innovative pharmacy led developments and new posts, including pharmacy technicians working within pre-op assessment, in our ED and admissions units. We are investing in the clinical training of our pharmacy technicians to develop their clinical ward-based roles even further.

Are you an established Pharmacy Technician looking for a new challenge or newly registered / soon to be registered (within 6 months) Pharmacy Technician looking to develop and enhance your practice and skills?

This post is an exciting opportunity to develop a Band 4 Pharmacy Technician with the required knowledge and skills to become a Band 5 Pharmacy Technician. Support, training, and assessment will enable you to achieve the core and enhanced competencies required for the post.

This is an opportunity to work within our large and busy dispensary and at ward level to enhance your practice within the pharmacy and multidisciplinary team. As the post holder, you will be required to gain final accuracy checking (ACPT) accreditation, medicines management skills (assessment of patients own drugs, supply of medicines for inpatient use and discharges), medicines related patient counselling, drug history taking and medicines reconciliation, to demonstrate effective leadership and be a role model to junior members of the pharmacy team.

You should be dedicated, flexible and able to work in a high pressured, busy and demanding working environment. You will need to be enthusiastic, have excellent communication skills and a genuine interest in developing your skills and knowledge. You will be expected to use a number of computer-based systems and, therefore, will have good IT skills.

About us

Please note: if you are close to qualifying as a Pharmacy Technician and are successful in gaining this post with us, you will be required to have completed 2 years work experience with your current employer and gain registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council before you can start work with us in this post.

This post is for full time employment but part time hours may be considered.

Full-time post holders will be asked to work alternate weeks of earlies (9:00am to 5:00pm) and lates (10:00am to 6:00pm). Part-time post holders will also be required to work until 6:00pm on some days.

All staff are required to participate in the weekend rota with corresponding time off during the week, currently 1 in 10. All staff are required to undertake at least one public holiday duty per year. All rotas are subject to review at any time.

Interview date: 26th November 2024

Our Trust values of People Focused, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence are essential to a role working in the Pharmacy Department. We are a very busy, large department in a fast-paced teaching hospital; therefore, the ability to be able to work under pressure and respond to a frequently changing environment is essential.

• To organise and undertake the dispensing and distribution of all medicinesagainst a previously clinically checked prescription or request in line with departmental policies and procedures and the Medicines Act 1965 using the JAC computer system. To include the dispensing of all prescriptions
• To dispense all controlled drugs (CDs) against a recognised order orpreviously clinically checked prescription in line with departmental policies and procedures and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 using the JAC computer system.
• To maintain documentation to support the dispensing of all medicinesincluding CDs.
• To assist in the replacement of Dispensary stock including the ordering,receipt and maintenance of stock records.
• To issue medicines to all outpatients attending the Pharmacy Department to include giving appropriate advice and counselling to ensure the effective use of medicines by the patient.
• To provide, in conjunction with the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technicians, a medicines management service on specified wards.
• To check patients own drugs (PODs) in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures to ascertain suitability for use and to ensure a continued supply.
• To ensure that medicines are supplied to allocated wards as required for specific patients according to Standard Operating Procedures.
• To undertake drug history taking in conjunction with the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist on specified wards.
• To escalate any discrepancies to the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist

Please see the attached job description for full details.