Senior Pharmacy Assistant Front Door

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for:

• Co-ordinating the safe and secure handling of patients own medication on allocated wards

Assisting ward Pharmacy staff with the supply of missed doses, within agreed time frames.

• Identifying any patients that meet a pre-defined critical medicines list and referring these to the appropriate pharmacist or pharmacy technician to promote early review.
• Establishing whether patients have brought their medicines into hospital and referring patients who will require medicines to the pharmacy team to minimise the delay or omission of missed doses of time critical medicines.

liaising with ward nursing staff in regards to time critical medications from a pre-defined list.

Ensuring patients own medicines are transferred with the patient onto the ward and then with the patient to the appropriate ward areas or discharge lounge when the patient is transferred to prevent missed doses.

Undertaking a top up service to allocated wards done within agreed timeframes by:

o Liaising with the lead technician and speciality pharmacists with regards to stock issues including usage and out of stock items

o Ensuring expiry dates and storage conditions of medicines held on the ward are checked and any out of date or inappropriate items are removed

o Liaising with Pharmacy staff in distribution at the Alexandra Hospital about any items out of stock and owing items

o Assisting Pharmacy Technicians in review of stock lists and implementing agreed changes, thereby ensuring stock lists are kept up to date.

o Seeking advice from the appropriate Pharmacy Technician regarding non-routine issues relating to top-ups raised by ward staff.

Dispensing Duties:

To interpret and dispense prescriptions on a patient specific basis for in-patients and discharge under the supervision of a team pharmacist/accuracy checking technician.

Ensuring all work is carried out to a high degree of accuracy, safely and efficiently following current standard operating procedures of the department on a daily basis.

To successfully complete, a dispensing accuracy assessment to demonstrate competency in dispensing on an on-going basis and once completed to maintain competency accordingly.

To input prescription data into the pharmacy computer system ensuring high levels of accuracy.

To supply controlled drugs on request from designated clinical areas and for discharge / outpatient prescriptions, in accordance with departmental procedures and in compliance with related legislation regarding record keeping, storage and transportation of controlled drugs.

To maintain and replenish identified stock or emergency supplies on a daily basis. To record and monitor medicines room and refrigerator temperatures as delegated to ensure storage conditions are within the defined parameters.

To replace or rotate short dated medicines where appropriate to minimise wastage.

To relay complete and accurate information, recognising self-limitations and referring to appropriate person.

To take appropriate daily action to ensure medication requiring delivery is available to individual patients.

To plan own work, liaising with manager to ensure appropriate management of ward/clinical area work.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

To dispose of waste products according to the Trust waste policy including appropriate handling of corrosive materials, cytotoxic and flammable substances.

To identify stock shortages and place orders communicating with the appropriate staff regarding urgency and availability.

To use a variety of communication techniques appropriate to circumstances preventing barriers to understanding in order to provide advice to patients on the medicine supply, estimating waiting times, arranging for items to be ordered/delivered. To assist patients in obtaining necessary medicine supplies e.g. liaising between the doctor and the patient to ensure that prescriptions are available where appropriate. To respect the patients confidentiality and the sensitive nature of information. Confirming the patients understanding.

To undertake, complete and pass mandatory and recommended training programmes.

To carry out record keeping and data collection data for audit purposes as appropriate.

To comply with requirements of statutory regulations, including Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act and Regulations, Health and Safety at Work Act, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), etc. and local operating procedures to ensure that the work is to a high standard (accurate).

To maintain the security of the medicines within the ward areas and Pharmacy departments at all times To undertake other duties commensurate with this grade of post in agreement with the relevant line manager according to service requirements.

To minimise the Trusts environmental impact wherever possible, including recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel. Where the role includes the ordering and use of supplies or equipment the post holder will consider the environmental impact of purchases.

Please see job description for full details of role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Is eligible to enrol on to the NVQ Level 2 in pharmacy technical services

Desirable

• Holds a NVQ Level 2 in pharmacy technical services

Experience

Essential

• Recent proven experience of working in a pharmacy department as a pharmacy assistant.

Desirable

• Recent hospital proven experience of successfully delivering ward based pharmacy services as a Pharmacy Assistant.
• Experience of operating/utilising an electronic prescription tracking system
• Knowledge of automated medication Storage cabinets

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Standard keyboard skills, including Microsoft office and word.
• A working knowledge of pharmacy computer systems (EMIS).

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

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

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