Pharmacy Assistant

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To be responsible for the day-to-day ordering, receiving, and unpacking of pharmaceutical products from suppliers according to GDP and departmental SOPs
• To ensure that medicines are sourced in a timely manner.
• To accurately use the pharmacy computer system to receive goods into the pharmacy store according to departmental SOPs.
• To act as second checker for administration of Controlled Drugs by registered healthcare professionals.
• To carry out regular stock checks, expiry date checks and other monitoring procedures such as logging fridge and ambient temperatures and dealing with any anomalies in accordance with GDP and departmental procedure.
• To ensure high standards and accuracy of work and to ensure all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are read and adhered to.
• To ensure medicines returned from clinical areas, are sorted and either returned to stock or disposed of safely and appropriately in accordance with GDP, Trust guidelines and departmental procedures.
• To undertake administration of weekly and monthly In Possession medication to patients
• To ensure that all work carried out in procurement is done in accordance with current legislation, including GDP and departmental and Trust financial procedures.
• To manage work Medicines Optimisation work in treatment areas ensuring tasks are carried out in a timely manner and orders are received on time.
• To communicate with routinely with the Pharmacy/Healthcare department to place orders, chase receipt of goods and to query discrepancies.
• To deal with telephone queries and staff visiting the department, as first point of contact, dealing with them or referring to others if required according to SOPs.
• To communicate, as necessary, with external regulatory bodies, information pertaining to the WDL or other requests.
• Post holders will need to undertake a prison security check (level 2) prior to being employed, as well the standard NHS recruitment checks.
• To appreciate the secure environment you are working in and to adhere to all prison procedures as necessary.
• To undertake any other tasks at the request of the senior prison services pharmacist.

Oxleas Prison Services Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and provides the pharmacy services to the prison pharmacy contracts.  Due to the recent contract award from NHS England, we are now providing pharmacy services (OPS Ltd) and Healthcare Services (Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust) to the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Devon and Dorset Prisons and are recruiting to newly established posts. 

Oxleas Prison Services Ltd and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust has a long history of innovation, with established prescribing guidelines, excellent relationships with medical staff, a strong culture of leading clinical audit and research projects and an excellent publication record.  All of these attributes we wish to extend to the prison pharmacy and healthcare services.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.  

You will need to provide: 

Proof of right to work documentation 

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID

Proof of address documentation 

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code. 

Address History: 

5 years address history will be needed.  

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously. 

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).