Senior Assistant Technical Officer - Caldecot Pharmacy

Job overview

The post holder will work as part of a dedicated pharmacy team to deliver a high standard of care to patients attending the Caldecot Pharmacy through the provision of a safe and effective dispensing service, supporting homecare invoicing, supporting provision of clinical trials and liaising with our outsourced outpatient dispensary provider.

They will also be responsible for assisting in the day-to-day duties of the Pharmacy Procurement and Distribution Unit with a specific focus on the receiving and subsequent distribution of all medicines. Work will be carried out under the supervision of the Senior Pharmacy Procurement and Distribution Team.

Main duties of the job

· Patient Services (Caldecot Pharmacy and Dispensary)

· To work in the dispensary and use the pharmacy dispensing system to dispense medicines for inpatient, discharge and outpatient prescriptions ensuring the work is carried out accurately, safely and efficiently following current departmental procedures.

Procurement and Distribution

• To accurately use the internal computer system EPIC and stock management systems to issue stock items to replenish wards, departments and community clinics.
• To use information obtained from Omnicell system to respond to stock requests and assist with stock optimisation.

Supervision

· To supervise assistants in the team through the organisation and prioritisation of workload.

· To oversee the safe receipt, handling and storage of medicines

To check and record environmental temperatures as per departmental policy, referring to a senior colleague in the event of any anomalies requiring escalation

Financial and Resource Management

· To comply with departmental procedures relating to efficient stock control in the issue, return and recycling or safe disposal (as appropriate) of drugs from wards, departments & clinics.

Education and Training

· To undertake all relevant personal training to support this role, completing all in-house training to demonstrate competency in each area.

Working for our organisation

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Patient Services (Caldecot Pharmacy and Dispensary)

· To work in the dispensary and use the pharmacy dispensing system to dispense medicines for inpatient, discharge and outpatient prescriptions ensuring the work is carried out accurately, safely and efficiently following current departmental procedures.

· To facilitate the ‘fast track’ dispensing of medicines as needed for patients.

· To accurately supply and dispense Controlled Drugs (CDs) on request from clinical areas and discharge/ outpatient prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures and legal requirements for record keeping, storage, and transportation of CDs.

· To accurately dispensing private, compassionate and unlicensed use prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures and legal requirements for record keeping.

· To support the provision of clinical trials delivered at the Caldecot Pharmacy including dispensing of clinical trials after receiving appropriate training.

· To conduct reception duties when required where needed throughout the working day.

· To answer the telephone promptly and politely where needed throughout the working day:

Ø To deal with queries and respond to them promptly

Ø To relay complete and accurate information

Ø To recognise self-limitations and refer to a more senior colleague where appropriate.

· To deliver a customer-focused service to all patients who attend the Dispensary.

· To adhere to the highest principles of customer services when dealing with patients, staff and the public.

· To take action to ensure that to-follow medicines for patients are followed up and a supply made within a suitable timeframe. This includes referring to a more senior member of the team where long delays are identified to get advice on appropriate action to be taken.

· To undertake daily stock counts and expiry date checks as part of departmental cycle count requirements.

· To dispose of expired stocks in accordance with departmental procedures.

· To attend and actively participate in team meetings and other relevant departmental meetings to contribute to improvements in service delivery.

· To participate in main Pharmacy dispensary weekend and bank holiday rotas.

· To maintain security of the Pharmacy department at all times.

· To liaise with the outsourced outpatient pharmacy provider to ensure medicines are available for Caldecot patients as required.

· To deputise for the Caldecot Pharmacy Homecare Administrator to support the timely invoicing of homecare for Caldecot Patients

Procurement and Distribution

• To accurately use the internal computer system EPIC and stock management systems to issue stock items to replenish wards, departments and community clinics.
• To use information obtained from Omnicell system to respond to stock requests and assist with stock optimisation.
• To accurately check items previously picked by another member of staff and pack appropriately ready for delivery to required areas
• To have responsibility for the top-up of drugs to a designated ward/ department and to provide cover as necessary for any unavailable staff on their wards/department.
• To support the cycle counts for the omnicell cabinets to ensure that stock levels and re-order quantities are accurately maintained.
• To help maintain stock levels by participating in stock checks and performing expiry checks, ensuring appropriate documentation is completed. Reporting any inaccuracies, expired and short-dated stock.
• Accept and sign the receipt for deliveries of Pharmaceutical products from suppliers, checking that the delivery is correct
• To ensure all good received are mapped correctly onto EPIC at the point of receipt
• To assist with the QA release process of unlicensed medicines

Supervision

· To supervise assistants in the team through the organisation and prioritisation of workload.

· To oversee the safe receipt, handling and storage of medicines

• To check and record environmental temperatures as per departmental policy, referring to a senior colleague in the event of any anomalies requiring escalation

· To oversee and be responsible for undertaking dispensary housekeeping activities to facilitate the smooth running of patient services. This includes but is not limited to co-ordinating expiry date checking and stock rotation on shelves, undertaking weekday filing & stock cycle counts and weekly dispensary consumables top-ups.

· To oversee the working areas and surfaces, ensuring that they are kept clean and tidy at all times.

· To undertake daily filing and manage accurate retention of records in accordance with departmental procedure.

· To manage outpatient fridge stocks in accordance with departmental procedures.

· To manage the returns on medicines not picked up in outpatient in accordance with departmental procedures.

· To manage yellow bin waste in the dispensary and organise for bins to be disposed off (through pharmacy stores) and replacement bins to be available.

Financial and Resource Management

· To comply with departmental procedures relating to efficient stock control in the issue, return and recycling or safe disposal (as appropriate) of drugs from wards, departments & clinics.

· To facilitate stock optimisation across the Trust using all available stock management systems helping to ensure efficient stock rotation resulting in minimal stock wastage and low numbers of stock outs resulting in missed doses

· To undertake appropriate actions aligned to the posts level of responsibility and financial authorisation to adjust for incorrect inventory levels.

Education and Training

· To undertake all relevant personal training to support this role, completing all in-house training to demonstrate competency in each area.

· To support the training and supervision of new staff as part of the departmental induction programme.

· To support the training of assistants and undergraduate students as needed.

· To be compliant with all Trust statutory and mandatory training requirements including completion within required timeframes and keeping own records up to date.

· To proactively take part in regular 1:1 meetings with the line manager and ensure appraisal meetings are undertaken and objectives set and met annually.

Research & Development

· To participate in research and audit undertaken in Patient Services.

· To participate in the dispensing and preparation of clinical trials as needed.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 2 certificate in pharmacy skills (QCF), BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Pharmaceutical Sciences qualification or equivalent or currently undertaking course
• Experience of working in a Pharmacy (community or hospital)

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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