Senior Pharmacy Assistant

at  East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

The pharmacy department within East Lancashire Hospitals NHS trust provides a comprehensive medicines, dispensing and supply service covering Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn and Accrington. Successful candidates will work at both Blackburn and Burnley hospitals.
We are looking for a motivated and hardworking individual with basic numeracy and literacy skills which will be tested at interview, and who already holds the NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services.
You will be working in a busy and challenging environment as part of a large team, and must be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills.

Training of new staff in the dispensary
Maintaining accurate stock levels of medicines and consumables
Inputting orders into the computer systems
Working on reception dealing with members of the public and clinical staff
Answering telephones and dealing with simple queries
Processing and disposing of medicinal waste
You will need to have basic IT skills, good people skills and be ab le to demonstrate initiative. You will be able to demonstrate attention to detail and have the abilit y to work well under pressure. You will have the physical ability to bend, kneel and lift stock, and to be on your feet all day.
We are a big and friendly team, and we provide a full induction program to new starters.
The inpatient hospital services operate during core hours from 08:00 to 19:00. Our standard working hours are 09:00 to 17:30, with 1 in 8 weekends worked for lieu days, or overtime. We are happy to talk flex, as we have worked hard to ensure our existing team find a role to fit around commitments outside of work.
For more information e-mail Nina Wright on nina.wright@elht.nhs.uk
The post holder will
D eputise for other Senior Pharmacy Assistant colleagues as delegated and as designated in their absence
Support the Assistant Directors of Pharmacy in providing a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centered pharmacy service to the Trust
Work under the direction of the Senior Pharmacy Technicians in Procurement & Distribution Support, Medicines Management and Technical Services in the provision of a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centered pharmacy service to the Trust
Supervise the team involved in the delivery of the service
Support the governance and medicines risk management agenda locally
Support the development of the assistant teams to complement and facilitate multidisciplinary working
Act as a role model and provide a consistently high level of pharmaceutical service
Support the agreed policies and procedures for safe medicines use and support mechanisms to promote high quality medicine use, effective risk management, clinical governance and adherence to Trust policies and guidelines concerning medicines use
W ork closely with other staff in the directorate to ensure the delivery of an integrated pharmacy service
C ontribute to the development of the service
S upport the ‘professional development’ of assistants
Main Duties
Deputise for other Senior Pharmacy Assistant colleagues as delegated and as designated in their absence
S upport the Senior Pharmacy Technician in dispensary and assistant teams and supervise processes
Seek advice and guidance from the Senior Pharmacy Technician where queries and problems exceed their remit
Responsible for organising staffing requirements; and the rota within the dispensary on a day to day basis which will include organising cover for sickness and absence
Act as a role model for the assistants and demonstrate the ability to provide safe, and cost efficient use of medicines
Ensure that all pharmacy assistants are aware of the principles of effective stock control and management and that this is carried out at all times
Undertake waste management and disposal of returned pharmaceutical products which may include hazardous material, following standard operating procedures
Troubleshoot problems and maintain an efficient automated system within the dispensing process by being a robot ‘super-user’
Ensure pharmacy portering and transport staff (including relief staff) are following current procedures when handling and delivering medicines
Maintain the shelves and storage areas in a neat and tidy manner, ensuring good rotation of stock and date checking of stock
Organise and participate in the daily monitoring of fridge and room temperatures for medication stored in pharmacy and on wards/departments and report any deviations to the senior pharmacy technician or pharmacist
Liaise with the dispensary team leader or Senior Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary Manager on a day to day basis to support the smooth running of the dispensary including prioritising workload and coordinating assistants within that area
Support the Senior Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary Manger in meeting the pharmacy’s KPI’s
Interpret, label and dispense all types of medicines in accordance with safe systems of work under the supervision of the dispensary team leader or Senior Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary Manager
Deal with queries, requests from patients and staff at the Pharmacy reception on the telephone
Support reception to ensure all work is logged into the dispensary correctly
Participate in the development of the pharmacy computer system including maintenance of locations and stock control
Support adherence to East Lancashire Medicines Management Board formulary
Ensure that pharmacy assistants read new and updated procedures as issued
Supervise the work of the Pharmacy Assistants as appropriate
Ensure Trust personnel procedures are being adhered to such as sickness management, grievance and disciplinary procedures, when required
Supervise and participate in regular expiry date checks of pharmacy stock, and ensure all expired stock is removed from the computer system and discarded safel