Senior Pharmacy Technician - Band 6 Procurement, Distribution & Stores

at  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Key Result Areas: Procurement To manage the team that organise and maintain efficient drug purchasing and drug management systems, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ordering and invoicing, utilising the pharmacy computer system (EMIS). Work closely with members of the Pharmacy Leadership Team to deliver on various areas within Procurement and to ensure the service meets the needs of the users. Develop, implement and audit Standard Operating Procedures for procurement. Ensure that all procurement activities are in line with the Trust Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs).
Act as a Trust representative on the Regional Pharmacy procurement meetings and regional PPSA tenders/contract review meetings. Work to agreed objectives with annual appraisal from Chief Pharmacy Technician. Maintain high professional standards at all times and ensure compliance with statutory regulations concerning pharmaceuticals and the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Work with the other members of the procurement team to liaise with finance over problems with prompt payment of invoices.
Work closely with the Purchasing Manager, to ensure that Purchasing is fully operational and covered at all times to ensure ordering and invoice processing is maintained. Meet with company representatives and account managers where required. Provide reports and returns for finance and regional CMU as required and ensuring the procurement KPIs are met. Contribute to Purchasing for Safety Policy and processes.
Contribute to development of savings initiatives through off-contract claims (using the RxInfo Exend system), efficiency initiatives in purchasing, or any other initiative directed by Senior Leadership Team. Work closely with counterparts in Cheltenham General hospital to develop cross-site consistent working approach. Automated Services Specialist pharmacy technician managing system administration, maintenance and smooth operation of the Automated Dispensing System in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital pharmacy. To lead and organise the scheduled robot maintenance programme.
To be lead point of contact in the department to investigate and repair software and hardware faults on the Automated Dispensing System (Pharmacy Robots). To communicate with engineers from the manufacturer (BD) when complex faults cannot be solved locally and to judge level of urgency and negotiate with BD regarding engineer call-outs. Interpreting complex information from BD, Trust IT. or Pharmacy Stock Control system and translating to a user-friendly format to ensure that there are no barriers to understanding for all users of the pharmacy robot.
To be responsible for developing, implementing and updating all operational procedures and training manuals. To identify, plan and deliver specialist training sessions for new (as part of induction program) and existing staff on the use of Automated Dispensing System, including ongoing update training and more complex training of higher-level users (Super-users). Developing and writing contingency plans for robot down time. Responsible for organising and instructing super-users during un-planned down time to ensure that there is no impact on patient care.
Ensuring that a service to all sections of the pharmacy department and ultimately the patients, can be maintained at all times. To develop and instigate Business Continuity Plans to ensure service is kept running. To plan and organise regular servicing of robot, liaising with ARX engineers. Ensure that support is given to all users in maintaining a service to the wards/patients during planned down time.
Developing programmes for internal maintenance and housekeeping. To identify and set up systems for the removal of expired stock (monthly) from the Automated Dispensing System and enter new or remove barcodes/drugs from the I.T system as necessary. To provide reports on data from system as required by Senior Leadership Team. Be pro-active in risk assessment and ensuring safe systems of work.
Work closely with counterparts in Cheltenham General Hospital to develop cross site consistent working approach. Distribution and Stores Work closely with the Responsible Person (RP) to ensure that the trust retains its Wholesale Distribution Authorisation by ensuring all criteria outlined in the guidelines for Good Distribution Practice (GDP) are met. Attend and contribute to Quality Management Group meetings related to WDA. Technical lead for Distribution and Stores services and line-manager to Distribution and Stores staff.
To ensure the accurate and timely receipt and supply of pharmaceutical products to all users, including outside hospitals and clinics and customers, ensuring there is no disruption to clinical activity. Lead role in re-engineering services for Pharmacy Distribution and Stores. Project managing, planning and implementing process changes (e.g. automated services, supply processes to wards and departments), ensuring best use of available resources.
Chairing multi-disciplinary meetings where process change has an impact on ward areas, Portering and other departments. To ensure an efficient and cost-effective ward top-up service is provided, ensuring trust standards are adhered to. Ensuring ward stock requirements and levels are appropriate for all wards and departments, organising and liaising with ward pharmacists and nursing leads to ensure stock requirements are reviewed and updated regularly to minimise waste and reflect current clinical policies. To ensure effective working procedures are in place and adhered to in the Distribution and Stores areas and that they are regularly updated to reflect current working practice, departmental policy, and legal requirements for WDA.
To be responsible for work allocation and ensure adequate staffing levels for Procurement, Stores, Distribution, authorising annual leave and managing sickness cover. Ensure Distribution and Stores staffing rotas are planned and followed in liaison with other departmental staff, review rotas and adjust plans on a daily basis to ensure adequate cover. To be actively involved in the selection and recruitment of relevant staff for the Procurement, Distribution and Stores sections and other areas of the department where appropriate, including recruitment lead when required. To ensure a high level of competency and accuracy is maintained in the picking and checking of drugs, collecting and auditing relevant information in order to develop and monitor key performance indicators and quality standards of service.
To ensure that all aspects of Distribution and Stores services adhere to Health and Safety regulations, WDA and other relevant legislation. Maintain and update procedures to ensure Health and Safety at Work Act is followed. Carry out risk assessment for manual handling risks, safe use of stores equipment such as forklifts and stackers, handling of liquid Nitrogen and other materials which are covered by COSHH regulations. Represent Procurement, Distribution and Stores service in regular meetings of department Health and Safety Committee.
Monitor stores staff certificates and plan and organise training using external companies in safe and effective use of equipment, such as pedestrian stackers. To contribute to ensuring cost effective, efficient receipt and use of medicines throughout the hospital, creating reports for senior management or Nursing staff, using information on stock movement, workload figures and stock holding value, waste and returns. To coordinate timely response to MHRA drug recalls, following departments procedures to ensure removal of relevant stock from all wards and departments as well as stock in the robot or pharmacy stores. To monitor and investigate complaints and discrepancies in supply or service provision, taking measures to ensure there is minimum possible risk of recurrence.
Work closely with counterparts in Cheltenham General Hospital to develop cross site consistent working approach. Dispensary (as per agreed rota) Final accuracy check prescriptions, orders and Controlled Drugs carrying out all tasks required to maintain Accuracy Checking Technician status. Use the Pharmacy IT system to label and dispense medication against prescriptions, orders and Controlled Drug requests according to any prescriber instructions. Refer any unclear or ambiguous instructions to a pharmacist or ACT.
Organise, label and prepare compliance aids. Use the prescription tracking system to book in and track prescriptions at each stage in the process, logging work collected by the porters or ward staff

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