Senior Pharmacy Assistant Technical Officer

The post holder will work as part of a dedicated pharmacy team to deliver a high standard of care to patients attending the Caldecot Pharmacy through the provision of a safe and effective dispensing service, supporting homecare invoicing, and liaising with our outsourced outpatient dispensary provider.

They will also be responsible for assisting in the day-to-day duties of the Pharmacy Procurement and Distribution Unit with a specific focus on the receiving and subsequent distribution of all medicines. Work will be carried out under the supervision of the Senior Pharmacy Procurement and Distribution Team.
- Dispensing medicines for inpatient, discharge and outpatient prescriptions ensuring the work is carried out accurately, safely and efficiently following current departmental procedures.
- Accurately supply and dispense Controlled Drugs (CDs) on request from clinical areas and discharge/ outpatient prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures and legal requirements for record keeping, storage, and transportation of CDs.
- Accurately dispensing private, compassionate and unlicensed use prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures and legal requirements for record keeping.
- Overseeing the ordering, safe receipt, handling and storage of medicines in the dispensary.
- Overseeing dispensary housekeeping activities to facilitate the smooth running of patient services. This includes but is not limited to co-ordinating expiry date checking and stock rotation on shelves, undertaking weekday filing & stock cycle counts and weekly dispensary consumables top-ups.
- Accepting and signing the receipt for deliveries of Pharmaceutical products from suppliers, checking that the delivery is for the Pharmacy Department.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
- Conducting reception duties and answering the telephone promptly and politely as needed.
- Processing to-follow prescriptions in accordance with departmental procedures.
- Overseeing the ordering, safe receipt, handling and storage of medicines in the dispensary.
- Overseeing dispensary housekeeping activities to facilitate the smooth running of patient services. This includes but is not limited to co-ordinating expiry date checking and stock rotation on shelves, undertaking weekday filing & stock cycle counts and weekly dispensary consumables top-ups.
- Supporting the supervision of assistants in the team through the organisation and prioritisation of workload.
- Supporting the training of assistants and undergraduate students as needed.
- Supporting the invoicing of homecare medicines if required.
- Liaising with the outsourced outpatient pharmacy provider to ensure medicines are available for Caldecot patients as required.
- Referring to more senior members of the Caldecot Pharmacy, Patient Services or stores and distribution team team for advice where appropriate.
- Using information obtained from the Trust automated cabinet system; Omnicell, to respond to stock requests and assist with stock optimisation.
- To have responsibility for the top-up of drugs to a designated ward/ department and to provide cover as necessary for any unavailable staff on their wards/department.
- To unpack goods received and;
- Check that items and quantities received match delivery notes and purchase orders
- Check that items are in good condition, and tamper seals are intact
- Check items have an adequate shelf life, referring to senior team for goods with a shelf life of 6 months or less
- Check that prices match those on both the delivery notes and purchase orders, referring to senior team for any discrepancies