Pharmacy Technician jobs in United Kingdom

Senior Pharmacy Technician- Controlled Drugs Management & Procurement, Band 5

We welcome applications from GPhC registered Pharmacy Technicians and those who are due to qualify within the next 3 months pending successful completion of their training, and who have had hospital pharmacy experience within that training.

This is an exciting and varied role with the opportunity to make the best use of numerous core pharmacy skills.

This person is directly responsible for supporting the Controlled Drug Accountable Officer (CDAO) to maintain compliance to the Trust's Home Office CD License. This will involve several hours a week dedicated to tasks in relation to this responsibility, such as investigating balance discrepancies, delivering training and ensuring that SOPs are maintained and kept in-line with current legislation or best practice.

Additionally, they will support the Senior Technician in Procurement daily to manage the Pharmacy Purchasing service.

Furthermore, they will make a valuable contribution to patient services as a Medicines Optimisation Technician, and with Accuracy Checking responsibilities within Dispensary as per agreed job plan.

The role requires strong attention to detail and tenacity for investigating and fixing problems.

They will be a self-starter and need to demonstrate that they can work autonomously and manage their own time well, whilst fitting in with the wider team priorities.

This person will lead the management of Controlled Drugs (CDs) at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital; including investigating and resolving stock and computer discrepancies, organising and facilitating the CD stock balance checks and CD destruction, and organising and facilitating CD training for pharmacy staff.

They will undertake general pharmaceutical duties under the supervision of a Section Manager or deputy, assisting in the provision of a safe and effective Pharmacy service in line with current policies, procedures and legal requirements.

They will provide support to the Senior Pharmacy Technician as required to enable the day-to-day running of the Distribution & Stores service and/or pharmacy purchasing office as required.

They will work in the dispensary, to dispense a range of prescriptions and provide Accuracy Checking as per agreed job plan.

As per agreed job plan they will work within patient services undertaking medicines optimisation/discharge duties on the wards, improving the quality of care to patients in a clinical area by means of an efficient medicines optimisation system. This will include undertaking medicines reconciliation, assessing patients own medicines ensuring they are suitable for use in hospital, one-stop dispensing to wards in preparation for patients discharge, maintaining and ordering non-stock medicines for patients and counselling patients on use of their medicines and providing information where required.

With a team of over 9,000 employees, we are proud to be the largest employer in Gloucestershire and rank among the top 10 largest Trusts in the South West region. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from an excellent package that includes exclusive benefits, flexible working opportunities and the chance to gain valuable experience in one of our innovative hospitals. Both hospitals are located in the city centres with access to shops and cafes.

The pharmacy department has approximately 240 staff. The 2 sites provide dispensary services to inpatients & outpatients, medicines information, procurement services and full clinical service to wards; the onsite aseptic and manufacturing services are centralised at CGH.

Pharmacy is at the forefront of many exciting projects including an award-winning service provided by pharmacist prescribers in orthopaedic pre-admission clinic.

Within the department are specialist clinical teams; the Specialist Mental Health Pharmacy facilitates delivery of Specialist services for Mental Health & Learning Disabilities. The cancer services team provide a pharmacy service at both sites for oncology & haematology and satellite pharmacy.

We are a friendly, inclusive department who wish to nurture and develop our staff at all grades, from a mentoring programme for band 6 pharmacists to the development of pharmacist prescribers.

Controlled Drugs

Under the supervision of the Senior Pharmacy Technician for the dispensary, lead the management of the Controlled Drugs (CDs) including:

• Investigating, resolving and reporting on stock and computer discrepancies, including written reports for all errors and stock adjustments
• Organising and facilitating the dispensary CD stock balance and expiry checks monthly
• Organising and facilitating patients own CD destruction
• Organising and facilitating the destruction of stock CDs with the registered accountable witness
• Contribute to reviews of CD SOPs
• Ensuring all documentation is filed and retained legally in accordance with legislation
• Maintain sample signature lists where appropriate
• Provide KPI data as requested by senior team
• Compiling and sharing quarterly and annual reports on errors and usage of CDs to senior management and CDAO
• Ensure high levels of dispensing accuracy of staff involved in dispensing of CDs through robust training and continued observations
• Identify any additional training requirements for staff with high CD error rates
• Facilitate the CD training for all new pharmacy staff and any staff needing additional training/support
• Have lead responsibility for the receipt, storage, dispensing and implementation of legislation relating to controlled drugs
• Monitor on a monthly basis and report on any irregularity in the issues of controlled drugs or the suspected diversion or misuse to each destination, principally external entities but also internal wards
• Monitor and maintain the stock levels of controlled drug stationery and other sundry items such as bungs, cable ties, delivery slips etc
• Contribute to other projects/reports surrounding CDs where necessary

Pharmacy Procurement

Under the supervision of the Senior Pharmacy Technician:

• Deputise when required for the Senior Pharmacy Technician, to ensure that Distribution & Stores ATOs have the support they require to manage the service as per daily rota and in compliance with GDP. Be a super user for the pharmacy robot.
• Deputise for the Purchasing Manager when required to cover annual leave and sickness absence.
• To generate and send orders for medicines to suppliers by the most appropriate means, by using electronic data interchange (EDI) or telephoning and emailing.
• To manage urgent medicines request placing orders with appropriate suppliers to ensure timely delivery of medicines in line with patient needs
• To liaise with Purchasing Manager, and suppliers regarding outstanding orders, and to resolve problems regarding deliveries.
• To download invoices via EDI and to process invoices, ensuring all financial information is processed in accordance with the Trusts standing financial instructions and standards for public bodies.
• To perform regular checking and validation of stock re-order levels within the department.
• To pro-actively review out of stock lines and delays in supply from manufacturers and seek alternative suppliers and pack sizes as appropriate.
• Authorise any change in price at the invoicing stage ensuring any increase in price is accurate and appropriate escalating any issue to the Purchasing Manager.
• To bring to the attention of the Purchasing Manager any critical out-of-stocks and changes in supplier in a proactive and timely manner.
• To liaise with the Purchasing Manager about drug recalls issued by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and or manufacturers and be responsible for return of affected stock to the original supplier.
• To assist with the compliance to local, regional and national procurement contracts.
• To participate in the regular checking of stock levels within the department and to contribute to the investigation and rectification of any stock discrepancies.
• To review and assist with updating SOPs in line with change of practice to ensure current working procedures.
• To assist with the training of all Preregistration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians and Foundation pharmacists undertaking basic workplace assessments as necessary.
• To assist in the training of all purchasing staff in ordering, receiving and invoicing.
• To perform general office duties relevant to Pharmacy procurement/stores.
• To co-operate and participate in any training and development in procurement, attending such study days and courses as necessary for service development.
• Work with the Senior Pharmacy technician to develop and maintain systems to demonstrate cost savings obtained from any contracting and procurement agreement.
• To monitor changing usage rates and adjust buying patterns accordingly.
• To assist in the development and management of off contract credit claims ensuring the Trust receives maximum financial rebate for all out-of-stock contract lines.
• Authorise purchasing in line with the framework set out in the departments purchasing for safety policy.

Dispensary (As per agreed Job Plan)

Under the supervision of the Senior Pharmacy Technician for the dispensary:

• Final accuracy check prescriptions, orders and Controlled Drugs carrying out all tasks required to maintain checking technician status.
• Accurately dispense prescriptions for patients (inpatients, outpatients or discharge), liaising with medical & nursing staff where clarification is required and also when there are drug supply problems.
• Accurately dispense controlled drug orders for wards & departments, and patients, making register entries, checking stock balances and reporting discrepancies that cannot be resolved to the Senior Pharmacy Technician.
• To receive prescriptions and fees from the general public at the hatch and process the payment.
• To answer the hatch to other hospital staff, dealing with their requests.
• To answer the telephone if required, dealing with queries regarding work in progress, dealing with the enquiry to the callers satisfaction or passing the call on to the most relevant person.
• Use the prescription tracking system to book in and track prescriptions at each stage in the process.
• Under the supervision of the Chief Pharmacy Technician or nominated deputy:
• Work with minimal supervision to provide an admission, supply and discharge service to nominated wards. Liaising directly with pharmacists, doctors and nursing staff over clinical issues as appropriate.
• On admission, checking that the medicines prescribed for each patient conform with information from the patient, JUYI, SCR, GP letter and/or Nursing Home, carrying out medicine reconciliation for individual patients.
• Operate the patients own drug scheme at all levels, assessing whether any medicines brought in by the patient are fit for use and removing (with patients permission) any medicines not needed.
• Participate and develop a one stop dispensing pharmacy service, ward based including the education of training of nurses and ward staff in the systems operated.
• Initiate & accurately supply medication labelled ready for discharge and medicines needed on an individual basis for patients on the ward. Counsel patients to use their medication and providing written information as required.
• Prioritising and organising daily workload to ensure that all required tasks are completed within allocated timescale.
• Aid discharge planning in conjunction with ward pharmacist and ward staff.
• Liaise with GP surgeries, Community Pharmacies, Patients and Carers to ensure that continuing supply of medicines are provided in compliance aids at discharge.
• Check transcriptions of discharge prescriptions and check medications before bagging up for discharge involving checking the accuracy of the take home prescription against the drug chart and locker contents.
• The post holder will be responsible for the general medicinal housekeeping of the wards, e.g.: 3 monthly CD balance checks (stock & patients own), returning unwanted medicines into stock, keeping control of general ward stock levels, and the cost-effective use of medicines.
• Participate in the audit of the medicines management service through quality standards and robust auditing methods and to maintain such documentation and records of work as may be required.
• Participate in the supervision, training and/or mentoring of student technicians, new or existing technicians, pre-registration pharmacists and junior pharmacists concerning the medicines management role on the wards.
• Provide Late Night, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday cover as per rota.

• BTEC / NVQ Level 3 in Pharmaceutical sciences or equivalent
• Professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (registration number required)

• Experience working in a busy hospital pharmacy working environment within a team
• Evidence of managing own workload to meet the needs of a service
• Working with Pharmacy computer systems (ideally EMIS/Sunrise Clinical Manager)
• Experience of Controlled Drug management and or auditing
• Experience of managing procurement processes and/or drug shortages
• Knowledge and/or experience of Good Distribution Practice

• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft applications
• Ability to make sound judgments where there are a range of options
• Demonstrable attention to detail and ability to unpick complex discrepancies
• Ability to concentrate for prolonged periods when subject to changing working patterns
• Able to effectively and appropriately escalate concerns to reduce risk and promote safety
• Knowledge and clear understanding of Good Distribution Practice, and other relevant regulations, guidance and quality standards
• Knowledge of SOP writing

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust