Bank Patient Service Senior Pharmacy Technician-Dispensary Team Leader

Job summary
Are you a passionate and experienced pharmacy technician ready to take the next step in your career? We are seeking a dynamic Senior Pharmacy Technician to join our forward-thinking team in a modern, automated dispensary environment. This is a fantastic opportunity for a registered pharmacy technician to work as an Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) while developing valuable skills in staff management and service improvement within a busy hospital setting.

In this leadership role, you'll play a vital part in ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the dispensary, supporting and training staff through supervision and performance monitoring. You'll work closely with colleagues and dispensary management to maintain the highest standards of patient care and medicines optimisation.

We're looking for someone proactive, enthusiastic, and open to innovation - someone who thrives on new challenges and is committed to delivering an exceptional patient experience. To be considered, you must be registered with the GPhC and either hold or be close to completing an accuracy checking qualification. We'll provide further training in staff management to support your growth.

Our L&D Pharmacy operates seven days a week, so some weekend working will be required. If you're ready to make a meaningful impact in a progressive pharmacy team, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• To perform the technical accuracy check on dispensed prescriptions
• To undertake day-to-day supervision of junior pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants within the Team
• To support delivery of dispensary Key Performance Indicators
• To provide training in dispensary procedures and pharmacy computer use to all members of staff
• To mentor and develop pharmacy assistants
• To act as a professional role model for pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians, junior pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants, actively demonstrating integrity, ownership and leadership in all aspects of the role
• To manage a defined area of responsibility within the prescribed medication supply chain

About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

• To perform the final technical accuracy check on dispensed prescriptions which have been clinically screened by a pharmacist. This may include prescriptions in both the main dispensary and in the satellite dispensaries
• To lead a team of junior and PTPTs and Pharmacy Assistants in the dispensary, organising and directing their work in a fluid manner to ensure an efficient and responsive service to patients and wards
• To support the Principal Pharmacy Technician in managing and developing staff within their Team, monitoring performance and supporting on-going professional development.
• To assist the Principal Pharmacy Technician, Dispensary in providing hands on induction and on-going training of members of dispensary staff and other pharmacy staff in dispensary procedures including use of the pharmacy IT system. This will include NVQ assessments at level 2 and 3 and competency assessments for pharmacist pre-registration trainees.
• To support the Principal Pharmacy Technician in maintaining continuous improvement and efficiency within the dispensary by managing discrete projects and/or areas of responsibility within the prescribed medication supply chain and being responsible for achieving defined outcomes
• To assist the Principal Pharmacy Technician, Dispensary in the co-ordination of dispensing of medicines for in-patients, out-patients and ward use. This will include when necessary, personally receiving prescriptions into dispensary and ensuring prescription charges are collected where appropriate, accurately labelling, assembling and dispensing individual in-patient, out-patient and discharge prescriptions including cytotoxic medicines, according to departmental policies and standard operating procedures. It will involve solving problems arising from these procedures, including contacting other healthcare professionals.
• To counsel individual patients regarding correct use of medicines when appropriate. To include counselling / demonstration of inhaler and other medical device techniques. This may include counselling of patients at ward level at discharge. To contribute to the provision of information on medicines and general health care to out-patients through the use of posters and leaflets
• To assist the Senior Pharmacy Technician, Clinical Trials, in cascading the procedures required for the dispensing of clinical trial medicines. This includes ensuring all appropriate paperwork is maintained
• To support the Principal Pharmacy Technician, Dispensary in overseeing the safe and secure storage and dispensing of controlled drugs, ensuring all statutory registers are maintained accurately.
• To ensure all appropriate patient medication history data and prescription data is entered accurately onto computerised and manual databases. This will include maintaining databases of prescribing of unlicensed medicines and non-formulary prescribing.
• To support the co-ordination of efficient stock control within the Dispensary, through a rolling programme of stock reconciliation checks and expiry checks on a regular basis. This includes organising safe destruction of drug waste and investigating wrong stock levels and problem solving.
• To liaise with relevant pharmacy and other healthcare staff to ensure an efficient, responsive service to directorates. To implement systems for service provision which enhance the efficiency of the dispensaries
• To regularly formulate, review, update and implement standard operating procedures for the dispensaries.
• To participate in the dispensary till cashing-up rota

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as a Pharmacy Technician
• BTEC + NVQ level 3 in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent qualification
• ACPT qualification or due to imminently complete

Desirable

• Membership with ATPUK
• Leadership Qualification

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of use of Pharmacy computer systems

Desirable

• Familiarity with standard Office IT programs

Skills
Essential

• Ability to analyse problems and devise workable solutions
• Good interpersonal skills

Desirable

• Leading a team

Experience
Essential

• Customer orientated services
• Experience of supervising staff

Desirable

• Experience of contributing to SOP development

Communication Skills
Essential

• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Experience of patient medication counselling
• Empathetic communication skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).