Dispensing Assistant

Dispensing Assistant (approx. 34 hours per week)

About us

Auchenblae Medical Practice is a Dispensing Practice with a population of approximately 2300 patients based in the picturesque rural village of Auchenblae, Kincardine and Mearns. We are well established surgery who pride ourselves on delivering excellent patient centred care. We value continuous improvement and strive to explore new ways of working to the benefit of our patients, and our employee’s well-being.

The Practice is very close to the A90 and AWPR and only a short distance from Aberdeen City and Tayside.

The Vacancy

We are delighted to advertise for the position of Dispensing Assistant to join our dynamic and forward thinking team, on a permanent basis. We seek a passionate, self-motivated and caring individual who is process driven and adaptable to the evolving demand of working in a General Practice Dispensary.

This is a unique and rare opportunity for the right person looking to work in a busy Practice and to develop and progress further.

Contracted hours for the position are approximately 34 per week and start and finish times are to be discussed at interview.

Duties

The Dispensing Assistant will work under the supervision of the Managing Partner and have daily support from a Dispensing Support Assistant and the wider Practice team, including our Doctors; our Practice Nurse; Clinical Administrators and our NHS Grampian employed Pharmacist.

The Dispensing Assistant is the first point of contact for all of our patients dispensing needs, and is responsible for the overall effective and efficient day to day running of the Dispensary.

Key duties include:

- Dispense prescribed medications accurately, safely and efficiently to our patients.
- Check dosage and ensure that medicines are correctly and safely supplied and labelled appropriately.
- Co-ordinate prescription deliveries and collections.
- Ordering and processing Dispensing medicine stock from preferred suppliers and managing dispensary stock to maintain appropriate levels whilst being mindful of waste and cost effectiveness.
- Maintaining a register of controlled drugs for legal and stock control purposes.
- Liaising with the GPs regarding prescriptions particularly where alternative medicines are required.
- Prioritising and organising GPs daily workflow for acute medication requests and repeat re-authorisations.
- Liaising with preferred suppliers and trouble-shooting any ordering issues resulting from supply problems.
- Liaising with local pharmacies in relation to serial prescribing and day-to-day requests for non-dispensing patients.
- Co-ordinating prescription requests from other Health professionals e.g. midwives; pharmacist, Consultant clinics, hospital discharges, etc.
- Ensuring the integrity of the dispensing data held within pharmacy manager and other clinical systems.
- Preparing end of month prescriptions submissions.
- Assisting the Managing Partner with Dispensing development projects for operational improvement and efficiency.

Person Specification
- Minimum NVQ Level 2 Dispensing Assistant qualification or equivalent, with previous experience within General Practice Dispensing or a community/hospital based dispensing role.
- A meticulous individual with good attention to detail in the dispensing of medications.
- Good organisational skills and the ability to time manage effectively in a busy working environment faced, at times with conflicting demands.
- Able to work autonomously and on own initiative and take the lead in Dispensing when required.
- Strong interpersonal skills with excellent communication and listening and the ability to deliver excellent patient care in a timely and empathetic manner.
- Ability to build strong and trustworthy working relationships with clinical contacts including GPs, and other health professionals. Must be a good team player.
- A working knowledge of Pharmacy Manager and clinical system Vision and Docman is desirable but not essential as full training will be given.
- Should act with integrity and have a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of data protection, possessing a professional and personal respect for patient confidentiality.

Benefits of working with us

We offer excellent working conditions including a competitive salary and auto-enrolment to the NHS contributory pension scheme; 36 days annual leave per annum (pro rata); a welcoming and supportive team based environment and learning and development opportunities.