Band 3 Pharmacy Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Service Provision

Patient care:

Tend to nurses and porters at the dispensary hatch, referring queries where necessary

Take in prescriptions from patients in accordance with department procedures including any prescription charges.

Accurately dispense inpatient, discharge, outpatient and day case prescriptions

Follow the defined guidelines in dispensing medication against a prescription or medication request.

Maintain an accurate patient dispensing record.

Dispensary

To assist in recording the daily workload by using the Prescription Tracking System (PTS)

To dispense and supply medication to patients - this may include cytotoxic, clinical trials and controlled drugs (including using the automated dispensing systems (Robot, Omnicell, tablet/capsule counting triangles and automated tablet/capsule counters)

To help maintain accurate stock levels within the dispensary

To help maintain stock levels of sundry items within the dispensary

To answer the telephone, listen and act on the information provided to resolve queries effectively and appropriately.

To help maintain all dispensary records to meet national and legal requirements e.g. dispensing of immunoglobulin

To help ensure the dispensary is a clean, tidy and safe place in which to work

To file all necessary paperwork

Distribution:

To be responsible for the accurate, timely and efficient provision of pharmaceutical supplies for areas who 'self order'

To answer the telephone and accurately transcribe verbal orders

To enter all transactions on the computer to produce picking tickets and delivery notes.

Provide clear documentation enabling the updating of distribution/dispensary stock levels and to provide an accurate audit trail.

To inform wards on stock 'outages', to chase up orders with buying office and in conjunction with Senior Pharmacy Technician make alternative arrangements for supplies

To have a working knowledge of pharmacy stock control and ordering systems

To unpack the distribution/dispensary orders

To load items into the robots

To recycle/dispose of pharmaceutical items returned from the wards

To file all necessary paperwork

To assist in the quality assurance programme and help undertake audits to gather information to improve the quality of the service

Stores:

To take receipt of delivered goods from wholesalers/suppliers/other hospitals etc.

To maintain paperwork, documenting the receipt, issue and storage of goods. Ensure paper and electronic records are filed appropriately.

To note all discrepancies on deliveries and report them to the relevant companies and ensure a full account of the outcome is passed to the pharmacy purchasing office

To assist in the safe storage of all goods ensuring that stock is rotated on a first in first out basis

To maintain a system of identifying short dated and expired stock so that it can be sold if possible before it expires.

To ensure courier transport is organised for sales of goods to external customers

To deal with telephone queries regarding supplies to Charing Cross, Hammersmith, St Marys Hospitals and external customers

To keep the stores in a safe, clean and tidy condition

To complete mandatory Safe Handling of Medical Gases course (where relevant to role)

Where applicable, to maintain the nitrous oxide manifold and change the cylinders as needed

To ensure the correct storage and safe handling of gas cylinders

To order medical gases following pharmacy procedures where applicable.

To issue gas cylinders using the pharmacy computer system

Topping Up Service:

To be responsible for the accurate, timely and efficient provision of pharmaceutical items, to a group of wards via the 'topping up' process

To top-up the ward stock according to pre-defined levels according to rota

To ensure excess stock is returned to pharmacy

To ensure that, no longer required, non-stock items are returned to pharmacy

To ensure that regular expiry date checks are carried out and that short dated stock is returned to pharmacy to be used up

To ensure that any expired stock is returned to pharmacy for destruction

To assist the Senior Technician in stock list reviews for your regular ward(s)

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with computers.
• Experience of working in a customer orientated environment.

Desirable

• Hospital Experience

Qualifications

Essential

• Good Secondary Education
• Literate and numerate (literacy to level 2 and numeracy to level 1) in order to achieve Level 2
• Mandatory Registration as Pharmacy Assistant with GPhC (NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent or to be achieved within 12 months of commencement of the course)

Desirable

• Pharmacy Service Skills NVQ Level 2 (QCF) or equivalent

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

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Address

The Bays

S Wharf Road

London

W2 1NY

Employer's website

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