Dispensary Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE - Dispensary Manager

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE POST: To provide leadership and direction to our Dispensary Team, ensuring that we deliver a safe, financially secure, efficient and patient focused dispensing service.

RESPONSIBLE TO: The Practice Manager and the Partners

Job Summary and Main responsibilities:

As a Dispensary Manager the post holder will be responsible for managing a team of dispensers including rotas, appraisals, arranging cover, training and staff wellbeing. The role holder will also be responsible for a range of duties relating to issuing medication and stock ordering, in line with practice policy and legislation and to support the dispensary team in ensuring a high level of service is delivered and effective stock and financial control of the dispensary. Accuracy and attention to detail are important as well as computer literacy. We use EMIS Web.

Team Management

• Provide direct line management to Dispensary Team.

Develop and implement a dispensary work plan that contributes to achievement of the practices overall strategic objectives.

• Undertake staff supervision and appraisals.
• Work with the Partners and the Practice Manager to ensure effective recruitment, induction and training of new staff within the dispensary team.
• Support the professional development of the dispensary team.
• Ensure all mandatory training is completed within the time frames.
• Promote teamwork and co-operation within the dispensary team and across the wider practice team.
• Oversee the management of dispensary team rotas, ensuring that the practice makes best use of available resources.
• Manage, plan and approve absence leave, including sickness absence, holidays arranging cover when needed.
• Ensure that all team members consistently check and respond appropriately to electronic communications such as tasks and emails.

Promote equality and diversity in all aspects of the role and ensure that the rights and needs of patients, carers and colleagues are recognised.

General Dispensary Duties

Issuing stock items and prepared prescriptions. Issuing, dispensing and checking of repeat prescriptions.

• Collection of prescription charges/checking patient exemption statements and taking payments through cash or card machine.
• To ensure that all medicines and appliances dispensed are checked against the prescription and whenever there is doubt about the appropriateness of the item, or about the dose or labelling instructions to check with the authorising doctor or duty doctor.
• Checking goods as and when they are delivered and recording generic details. Stocking shelves, refrigerators using rotation method.
• Ensure drugs are received and stored in an appropriate manner in accordance with manufacturers instructions. Any fridge items are stored at appropriate temperature and temperature control log.

Taking orders for repeats and dealing with queries from support staff.

To undertake any necessary work as may be required and appropriate to maintain a high standard and efficient dispensing service.

Financial Management

Ensure that all monies received or handled on behalf of the practice are appropriately stored and banked and a record kept of all financial transactions.

Ensure the financial resilience of the dispensary through:

Effective stock management.

Retention of dispensing patients.

Maximising financial claims and income from incentive and medicines optimisation schemes.

Ordering of drugs, liaising with wholesalers to ensure appropriate discounts and deals are obtained.

Review and implement processes to ensure effective cash management within the dispensary.

Organising prescriptions, reviewing endorsements, completing necessary forms, and submitting prescriptions monthly to the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA).

Verify dispensary invoices against delivery notes.

Compare credit notes with returns and follow up on outstanding credits.

Policies & Procedures

Working with the team to develop and implement robust policies and procedures to ensure errors are minimised and patient safety is maintained as a priority.

Support the development and regular review of Dispensary Standard Operating Procedures, ensuring they are current.

Ensure that dispensary teams operate at all times within Standard Operating Procedures.

Ensure safe management of medicines including controlled drugs.

Comply with all relevant deadlines for reports and financial claims e.g. end of Month PPA claims.

Maintain accurate stock levels in line with the formulary for the practice, ensuring accurate stock rotation.

• Carry out all monitoring checks to ensure compliance with CQC regulations, including controlled drugs register.

Ensure controlled Drugs are ordered, handled, recorded and disposed of appropriately

• Dispose of patient returned unused medicines using the medication waste bins, or any controlled drugs to be disposed following procedure.

Dispense items to patients effectively within the SOPS and Policies and Procedures of the practice.

Dispense accurately and safely to eligible patients.

Ensure EMIS is fully utilised and kept up to date to support the smooth running of the dispensary.

Preparing reports (e.g. annual DSQS).

Communication

• Maintain a professional demeanour and uphold high service standards.
• Ensure that a friendly, caring, efficient, professional and consistent service is provided to patients at all sites.
• Establish effective communication methods to ensure those within the team and across the whole practice are kept informed of key issues relating to dispensary.
• Produce timely and effective communications for patients regarding dispensary services, including any changes to existing services.
• Develop effective working relationships within the practice including with the GP lead for dispensary and management team colleagues.

Give advice on HC1 forms or prepayment forms to assist patients with costs.

Quality & Safety

• Monitor performance across a range of indicators including dispensing timescales and take corrective action where required.
• Working in conjunction with the practice team, promptly resolve patient complaints and apply learning to improve future service delivery.
• Comply with all legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure safety alerts are appropriately cascaded, and actions implemented.
• Maintain knowledge of best practice and make appropriate recommendations for implementation.
• Record and monitor events, ensuring that learning is cascaded and effectively embedded.
• Recognise and report safeguarding concerns using the established practice processes.
• Ensure all Health & Safety and Infection Control standards are met within the practices dispensary, including general housekeeping.
• Work with the GP lead in the completion of relevant audits and quality improvement activities including the Dispensing Services Quality Scheme (DSQS).

RISK MANAGEMENT

It is a standard element of the role and responsibility of all staff of Beckington Family Practice that they fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards.

RECORDS MANAGEMENT

As an employee of Beckington Family Practice, you are legally responsible for all records that you gather, create or use as part of your work within the Organisation (including patient health, financial, personal and administrative), whether paper based or on computer. You should consult the Practice Manager if you have any doubt as to the correct management of records with which you work.

HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

All employees of Beckington Family Practice have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Employees are required to co-operate with management to enable the practice to meet its own legal duties and to report any hazardous situations or defective equipment.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All employees of Beckington Family Practice are required to maintain the confidentiality of members of the public and members of staff in accordance with Beckington Family Practice policies.

EQUALITY

Beckington Family Practice will take all practicable steps to ensure that staff are recruited, managed, developed, promoted and rewarded on merit and that equal opportunities are given to all staff. Each employee is responsible for his or her own professional and personal behaviour and there is a requirement of all staff to conduct themselves in a manner which does not cause offence to another person. A separate staff handbook is available for full policy details.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Good standard of general education with GCSE (or equivalent) English and Mathematics at Grade C or above.
• Relevant Dispensary qualification

Desirable

• Management experience

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a dispensary.
• Experience of managing a dispensary or pharmacy.
• Experience of managing staff.
• Experience of designing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Experience of audits and quality improvement activity.
• Experience of identifying and implementing best practice.
• Experience of managing the financial aspects of a dispensary.
• Confident IT user including Microsoft Office and Clinical Systems such as EMIS Web.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
• Detailed knowledge of all aspects of day to day dispensary operations including stock management, ordering, rota planning, customer services, health and safety and infection control, month end procedures etc.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.
• Understanding of team dynamics and ability to promote a harmonious working environment.
• Excellent customer service skills.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a General Practice dispensary environment

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

Beckington Family Practice

Address

St Luke's Surgery

St Luke's Road

Beckington

Somerset

BA11 6SE

Employer's website

http://www.beckingtonfamilypractice.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)