Dispenser

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

To project a positive and friendly image to dispensary patients and other visitors and deal with queries in a professional, courteous, and efficient way.

To prepare and dispense prescriptions and miscellaneous over-the-counter medicines/appliances and assist with stock control, ordering and re-stocking of the dispensary.

To provide effective advice to patients relating to medications, lifestyle, and ailments within the scope of your capability.

To be responsible for your own continuing self-development, undertaking training as appropriate.

To undertake other duties appropriate to the grading of the post as required.

Must be able to work flexible hours.

Checking and Dispensing medications as per prescription

Dispensing acute prescriptions

Updating patients repeat screens on doctors instructions

Dispensing and record private prescriptions and collect specified charges

Dispensing blacklisted prescriptions, pricing and recording them.

Maintaining full and accurate records of all dispensing transactions

Fully observe legal requirement relevant to dispensing Practice, including HA regulations and controlled drugs

Liaise with GP for review of medication.

Issuing medication alternatives as necessary.

Clinical

Provide assistance to the Practice Pharmacist to conduct clinical audits.

Provide assistance to the clinical team on medication related projects.

Handing out prescriptions and collecting charges when appropriate

Ensuring that correct and up to date fees for prescription cost are displayed and accurate according to current legislation.

Advising on payment methods and alternatives

Collection of prescription charges/checking patient exemption statements

Collecting private charges for blacklisted medications, vaccines and holiday prophylactic medication.

Sorting, stamping and endorsing prescriptions.

Generating prescriptions and labelling drugs correctly with patient details and medication details.

Ensuring prescriptions are securely stored ready for processing for the prescription pricing authority.

Dealing with problems and enquiries

To run audits as required by the practice.

Action monthly resubmission prescriptions from PPD and return.

Count scripts daily from dispensary and record in figures form for the finance team to submit at the end of month.

Operation of efficient stock control appropriate to the needs of the dispensary with the objective of ensuring continuity of supply for patients and minimising wastage

Relevant stock ordered in preparation for appointments.

Liaise with the suppliers regarding missed deliveries.

To ensure maximum profit is maintained and losses are kept to a minimum.

Recording all Personally Administered items for VAT

Ordering appropriate quantities of goods via the wholesalers computer link

To maintain cost effective supply supplies of drugs that are purchased from the wholesaler

Checking goods as and when they are delivered against invoices

Returning incorrect goods to the wholesalers within agreed time limits

Ensuring that drugs are received and stored in an appropriate manner in accordance with the manufacturers instructions

Ensuring that refrigerated items are stored at the appropriate temperature and maintaining the temperature control record/logbook

Removing out of date stock from the shelves, refrigerators and other storage areas and destroying them appropriately and record out of date medications quarterly.

To devise and explain to each dispenser the mechanisms for ordering from the wholesaler.

Disposal of returned unused medicines in line with BMG Policy and guidelines.

Arrange and record CD destruction from stock.

Facilities

Responsible for ordering personally administered items across all sites including miscellaneous items and equipment.

Implement regular stock at Wotter site.

Ensuring the dispensary area remains clean and tidy.

Correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Use and monitoring of the correct use of standard operating procedures

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process

Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment.

Maintain a record for checking equipment maintenance and monitoring, liaising with appropriate staff as necessary.

To ensure that drug safety alerts are acted upon and co-ordinate with the pharmacy team to record them.

Ensure building security- have a thorough knowledge of doors/ windows/ alarm.

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines

Ensure the safety of all who enter the dispensary

Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines

Assist, when necessary, with training of colleagues across BMG

Personal/Professional Development

The postholder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Training Dispensary co-ordinator and anyone new, covering the reception and checking the medication.

Communication

The postholder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Quality

The postholder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The postholder will:

Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.

Participate in audit where appropriate.

The details contained in this Job Description are not exhaustive and may change as the post develops.

Health and Safety

Ensure all members of staff comply with the Groups health and safety policy

Carry out risk assessments to comply with current Health and Safety legislation

Ensure any health and safety concerns are reported to the Operations Manager

To be aware of and adhere to applicable practice rules, regulations, legislation and procedures, national legislation (Health and Safety, COSHH, Data Protection).

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues.

Act in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with group processes and policies and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.

Behaving in a manner that is welcoming, non-judgemental and respects the individuals circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights

The details contained in this job description are not exhaustive and may change as the post develops.

Governance:

Identify and record risks and issues, developing contingency plans with service and contract leads

Ensure the PCN is compliant with health and safety policies and procedures to reflect current best practice

Ensure that the PCN board and Clinical director adhere to the governance structure as set out in the network agreement

Confidentiality:

To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the practice.

The post holder must maintain confidentiality, security and integrity of information relating to patients, staff and the business.

In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the postholder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• Computer skills including good knowledge of databases and record keeping, Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Attention to detail
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities.
• Accurate, attention to detail
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team
• Excellent Interpersonal skills
• Adaptable
• Good communication skills both verbal and in writing
• Flexible approach to work
• Accurate keyboard/data entry skills

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant dispensing qualification to NVQ2 (or equivalent) level or registration as a Pharmacy Technician
• Evidence of a good general standard of education
• Good IT skills
• Previous experience of working in a dispensary or pharmacy
• Evidence of continued professional development at Evidence of CPD.

Values

Essential

• The candidate must demonstrate an understanding of our values.

Experience

Essential

• Dealing with the public.
• Ability to provide health advice or when required medication advice for common ailments
• Handling Stock and making adequate controls
• Ability to provide guidance on administration of medication to patients.
• Being able to raise significant events to the Practice Pharmacist.
• Be able to work with limited supervision
• Ability to prioritise workload
• Used to working in a busy environment
• Able to work under pressure and to deadlines
• Experience of working in a customer service environment
• Understanding of databases, coding and extraction of data for reporting purposes
• Experience of monitoring stock levels, usage tracking and re-ordering systems
• Understanding of prescription claim process

Desirable

• Previous experience working in a GP practice
• Good working knowledge and experience of using SystmOne
• Previous experience of updating SOPs and conducting Dispensing Reviews of Use of Medications with the public
• Previous experience of data entry or coding
• Strong administration skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Beacon Medical Group

Address

Wotter Surgery

Wotter

Plymouth

Devon

PL7 5HN

Employer's website

https://www.beaconmedicalgroup.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)