Medicines Management Assistant - Adult Critical Care and Theatres

Job overview

Due to career progression of the current post holders within our team an exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated pharmacy assistant to join our well-established and respected Theatres and Adult Critical Care pharmacy team.

The successful candidate will become an integral member of our friendly, multi-disciplinary team, providing invaluable support to both specialist pharmacists and medicines management technicians helping to optimise medications management within these areas.

The role will support the provision of a medicines service across all NUH Theatres, theatre recovery areas, Adult Critical Care and the Enhanced Peri-operative Care Units (EPOC) cross-campus.

This role provides an excellent opportunity for an ambitious pharmacy assistant to enhance patient care and develop their own skills in these dynamic and fast paced areas.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job

Manage ward and patient drug stocks ensuring adequate stock is available in the clinical area by topping up stock, processing extra requests and proactively managing stock levels

Dispense urgent inpatient and discharge prescriptions for patients within the clinical area

Assist in the management of drug supply problems in the clinical area, moving stock within the trust to ensure availability

Play an active role in managing the automated medicines storage system (currently Omnicell®) within the clinical areas helping to ensure that cost-effectiveness, efficiency and safety are optimised.

Play an active role in assisting the development, monitoring and audit of the Critical Care and Theatres clinical pharmacy service

The post holder will be expected to work at Queens Medical Centre, City Campus and Nottingham Treatment Centre.

Contribution to weekend rota: 1 in 4. (1 full day or 2 half day shifts)

Shift times: 7am – 3pm or 8am-4pm

Whilst this post is commissioned to be full time (equivalent of 37.5 hours per week) we would welcome applications from those wanting a better work life balance. If you would like to consider this post but on less than full time hours please still apply and outline this on your application form or please contact us for further discussion.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In addition to the summary below you need to familiarise yourself with the full job description and person specification.

Successful candidates must be in possession of Level 2 Pharmacy Services Assistant Standard or an equivalent to work as Band 3. If working towards this or needing to undertake this qualification, successful applicants will be a Band 2 until qualification is gained.

To contribute to the provision of the drug and fluid replenishment service to Adult Critical Care areas and Theatres

Maintain and review drug supply issues relevant to the clinical area to ensure an effective and safe system of drug supply, through effective communication with relevant pharmacy and ward staff.

To co-ordinate and process ad-hoc and urgent stock requests ensuring that stock levels are efficiently maintained

To ensure that all ward stock is put away in the correct place, keeping the cabinets and ward stock cupboards tidy and regularly stock checked.

To maintain the medicines stock for the clinical areas, regularly completing defined audits under the advice of the medicine management technicians

To facilitate the rapid transfer of patients’ medications to and from the appropriate dispensary either by air tube or on foot, for those prescriptions that cannot be supplied locally.

To collect and transfer patients’ medication between wards and departments

To assist the Medicines Management Technicians in collecting data to support audit and research, which includes transaction reports from the Omnicell® and to investigate discrepancies. To monitor the local usage of drugs that are desirable/abusable and to highlight and investigate unexplained changes in usage patterns.

To be responsible for the local implementation of standards relating to medicines storage and security

Representing the Pharmacy Department when working in ward and theatre environments upholding the standards expected

To successfully complete and maintain a dispensing validation programme and accurately label and dispense medicines under the supervision of a registered pharmacy professional following departmental stand operating procedures.

The pharmacy department operates a 7 day shifted working model which will include weekends and Bank Holidays.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.