Job summary
Employer heading
Medicines Management Pharmacy Assistant
Band 2/3
Job overview
Are you looking for a new challenge and a new career opportunity? Want to work in the NHS? Would like a job working with patients with a difference? If so, this could be the role for you!
The Pharmacy Department at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to be able to offer three vacancies for Medicines Management Pharmacy Assistants.
If you poses a level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff you will commence on a Band 3 pay scale
If you do not poses a level 2 Certificate, successful applicants will receive on the job training with our team and be supported to complete a Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff qualification. After achieving your qualification and training, you will be guaranteed to progress to the Band 3 pay scale.
Our Medicines Management Assistants are important team members, supporting Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians to provide our dispensary and ward-based pharmacy services and help to make sure our patients don’t miss any of their medicines. You also have an important role in maintaining safe storage of medicines in the department and on the ward.
Main duties of the job
What will you do as a Medicines Management Assistant?
- Check the suitability of patient’s own medicines for use whilst in hospital
- Order medicines for patients to use during their stay in hospital
- Dispense medicines
- Transferring medicines from pharmacy and ward to ward
- Work with discharge facilitators and nursing teams to identify patients going home, speak to patients about supply at home/place of residence, order and dispense medication needed to take home.
- Housekeeping – daily fridge and room temperature checks, putting away of medicines into patient lockers and correct storage cupboards.
- Reduce missed doses after medicines rounds by identifying medicines available on the ward to nursing staff or ordering and dispensing medicines where not available
- Check ward medicine stock, re-order and replace. Rotate and check expiry dates
- Recycle and return of unused medicines to ward or pharmacy stock.
- Provide information to patients and nursing staff about medicines and pharmacy services
Working for our organisation
We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.
Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.
You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done. You’ll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path.
You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The job is based at Royal Preston Hospital or Chorley and South Ribble District General Hospital depending on the weekly rota. The hospital provides free transport from site to site.
Working hours are between 8:00am and 7:00pm Monday to Friday on rotation with each shift being 7.5 hours and 30 minute lunch break. There is also a requirement to work one Saturday or Sunday every five weeks (you’ll then get a day off the following week) and one bank holiday a year. Weekend and Bank Holiday shifts have additional pay rates.
Our aim as a department is to provide excellent care with compassion for every patient and their families on every occasion. You will be joining a friendly team, who pride themselves on working to the values and behaviours they have said are important to deliver the best care - Patient Focused, Support Each Other and Embrace Improvement.
Duties will include, but not be limited to:
- Pharmacy work queue review – minimising unnecessary supply of medicines by signposting nurses to use of stock and available patients own medicines, ordering and dispensing of clinically checked medicines.
- Dispensing of inpatient medicines on the ward, from dispensary or in satellite. Managing re-supply of medicines during the inpatient stay.
- Undertake assessment of patient’s own medicines (POMs) for appropriateness for use (suitable and accurate supply).
- Transfer of dispensed medicines from pharmacy and ward to ward
- Liaising with discharge facilitators and multidisciplinary teams to identify patients for discharge. Ordering medicines in anticipation of discharge, assessing patient’s own medicines for use at discharge, liaising with patients about supply at home/place of residence and dispensing of medication on the ward, from dispensary or in satellite.
- Housekeeping – daily fridge and ambient temperature checks, put away of medicines
- Missed dose management – minimising missed doses post medicines round (breakfast and lunchtime) by identifying medicines available on the ward to nursing staff or ordering and dispensing medicines where not available
- Stock Top – weekly/fortnightly stock top up, stock rotation expiry date checks, liaising with Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacist about supply and stock levels. Adhoc ordering as needed.
- Recycling and return of medicines – Empty green pharmacy bins, recycle and return medicines to ward or pharmacy stock as appropriate.
- Controlled drug (CD) stock checks – weekly check of CD cupboard, transfer of POMs, removal of non-stock CDs and return to pharmacy, destroy CDs
- Providing information to patients on their medicines within remit
- Preparing daily handover for pharmacy ward teams
Person specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential criteria
- 2 GCSE Passes Grade C or above (or equivalent) (Maths and English)
Desirable criteria
- 4 GCSE Passes Grade C or above (or equivalent) (Maths and English & science)
- Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff (Qualification) or equivalent OR A General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) accredited support staff dispensing training course OR working towards either of the above or be willing to complete these.
- Leadership/ Management Certificate
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a team
- Computer experience including good keyboard skills
- Good telephone/ communication skills
- Knowledge of Health & safety
Desirable criteria
- Experience of using EMIS (Ascribe)
- Experience of working in pharmacy and with Pharmacy IT systems
- Supervisory Experience
- Knowledge of stock control systems
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sharon Lafferty
- Job title
- Medicines Management Technician Team Leader
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Health Science Services or all sectors