Pharmacy ATO Dispensary

Job summary

Assist the pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in the provision of the broad range of pharmacy technical services provided across the Trust working on their own initiative, referring to their supervisor - a pharmacy technician or pharmacist when necessary

Support the work in the provision of an extended hour's service.

Assistant Technical Officers are expected to expand and broaden their skills and abilities. Nonetheless, they must operate at all times under the direct supervision of a qualified Pharmacy Technician or Pharmacist unless operating according to agreed procedures that have been approved by the Director of Pharmacy.

Provides pharmacy service including dispensing medicines to patients

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a Dispensing Assistants to work within the pharmacy departments at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

The main duties are to carry out the labelling & dispensing of medicines under the supervision of a pharmacy technician or pharmacist to patients

This will be in both pharmacy departments based at New Cross, Wolverhampton and Cannock Chase Hospital.

All applicants must have good communication and organisational skills.

They must be flexible and able to work well under pressure

The post holder must hold, or be working towards, a level 2 NVQ in Pharmacy Services Skills and the relevant underpinning knowledge.

Four GSCEs, including Maths, English and a Science subject are essential.

Experience in hospital pharmacy is desirable but not essential as full training will be provided for the successful candidate.

About us

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services and we are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. We're passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients.

We are delighted that we have been rated as "Good" by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards; The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020. The pharmacy department has also been awarded Clinical Team of the Year 2024 in the Royal Wolverhampton Trust Awards.

The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and as such will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To carry out routine supply of medicines under the supervision of a qualified member of staff with the appropriate support for the assistants level of training and experience including:

Inpatient dispensing

Controlled drugs dispensing

Recycling and returning medicines no longer needed

To receive prescriptions, labelling and dispensing routine items for in patients and out patients, seeking advice from senior staff where appropriate.

To dispense and self-check medications both manually and with the use of a computerised automated dispensing system. This requires use of bar code technology and scanners.

To dispense non routine medicines complex prescriptions and compliance aid boxes under the direct supervision of a pharmacy technician.

To operate at all times within the local standard operating procedures relevant to the area of work.

To work on reception in the provision of hatch and associated duties receiving work from wards and departments through the pharmacy reception entering details onto the pharmacy tracker system.

To carry out filing, photocopying and scanning of paperwork within the department when required.

To fill up bottles, bags tops and sundry items ensuring availability of items at all times.

To answer the telephone handling routine enquiries and referring all non-routine to the specified personnel to ensure accurate communication channels are maintained within the hospital.

To store stock in the correct shelf locations ensuring appropriate stock rotation measures are in place.

To check expiry dates and undertake stock rotation of stock held within individuals area of responsibility

To recycle, return and destroy any unwanted medicines from wards and departments following standard operating procedure and under the supervision of a technician

To dispense and record appropriate details according to written protocols for unlicensed and named patient medicines within pharmacy.

To dispense controlled drugs to be held as stock on wards and for the completion of TTO medicines completing the necessary legal documentation

Study towards an NVQ level 2 qualification if not already held.

To participate in any education and training programmes

To assist in ensuring that a high quality Pharmacy service is maintained.

To undertake the in-house ATO training programme, passing competencies proving ability within each area of the dispensary

To demonstrate on request appropriate tasks to unqualified and support staff.

To participate in education and training programmes when appropriate and ensure that accurate records are kept of Continuous Professional Development.

To participate in the provision of extended hours of service, including evening working, Saturdays and Sundays and bank holidays, according to formal rota arrangements.

To report any suspected or observed defects in medicines, medicinal products and equipment to a senior pharmacist on duty

To be familiar with, and maintain, safe standards of work and adequate records of all processes.

To have due regard for, and to conform at all times with, those aspects of the General Pharmaceutical Councils Code of Professional Ethics that apply to technical and support staff.

To have due regard for, and to conform at all times with, directives and circulars associated with the provision of pharmaceutical services, including the Medicines Act, the Duthie Report, relevant Controls Assurance requirements and associated Trust policies and procedures.

To have due regard for all statutory guidance applicable to the pharmacy, including Health and Safety at Work, Manual Handling and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).

To maintain at all times the rules relating to patient confidentiality.

Assist in ensuring a clean and tidy department

Person Specification

Qualification

Essential

NVQ2 Pharmacy Service Skills or working towards 4 GSCEs including Maths, English & Science

Desirable

GCSEs in subjects other than those listed above Willing and enthusiastic to take on NVQ Level 2

Experience

Essential

Experience of working within a pharmacy dispensary

Desirable

Experience of working within a hospital environment

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