Senior Medicine Management Assistant

Job overview

At Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust we have an exciting opportunity for a senior medicine management assistant who has previous experience of working in either a hospital or community pharmacy and has a minimum of a NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy services or equivalent to work within our clinical pharmacy team. This post is being advertised due to the current post holder starting a pre registration trainee pharmacy technician role within the department.

The role will focus on providing a safe supply of medicines to our patients during their inpatient admission, reducing medication waste and carrying out governance audits to inpatient wards at Kingsway Hospital and Radbourne unit with occasion working on our inpatient wards at Derwent Unit and Walton Hospital. Visits to community mental health bases will also be undertaken to carry out quarterly medicine management audits.

Regular weekly sessions within the pharmacy dispensary or distribution area at Kingsway Hospital will be required.

Main duties of the job

Ward-based medicines management

• Undertake inpatient repeat top-ups, process medication orders through the electronic prescribing system for supply.
• Check ward medicine stocks and identify shortages and reorder.
• Support appropriate storage, security and organisation of medicines.
• Help reduce medicine wastage and identify opportunities to return or reuse medicines appropriately.
• Support the pharmacy team with ward-based medicines management, ensuring medicine information, resources, posters are up to date to support patient care.
• Complete medicines management governance audits on inpatient wards and community teams.
• Check compliance with medicines storage and management standards.
• Record findings and escalate issues to the Medicines Management Pharmacy Technicians and Ward Managers
• Support implementation of actions arising from audits.
• Complete trust Datix incidents
• Escalate discrepancies or concerns to the appropriate pharmacy professional.
• Work directly with ward staff and the wider multidisciplinary team.
• Help ensure patients receive their medicines safely and in a timely manner.
• Provide dispensing and distribution support when required.
• Carry out specific training of team members once in house competencies have been achieved.
• Independently travel between trust sites
• Medicines governance and audit

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Ward/Team/Governance

Ensure the temperature readings in the clinic room and refrigerator are recorded daily and report any out-of-range temperatures using Datix. Provide training to staff to ensure temperatures are taken and recorded correctly.

To undertake stock top-up services to wards and teams, assess and monitor medication usage and generate stock orders for patient treatment to the appropriate levels against an agree stock list. Produce the picking ticket item(s) at ward level to include emergency stock items (south only).

Ensure medicine keys are held safely when carrying out medicine related duties.

Resolve routine patient relating queries to stock medicine issues.

To transport goods to and from wards/teams /pharmacy as and when requested.

To ensure receipts are checked and signed for after medication deliveries to wards and teams.

To ensure that consumable items in designated storage units within pharmacy offices are maintained at correct levels, ordering items, ensuring arrival and filling daily.

To maintain the emergency cupboard and out of hours crisis cupboard supplies, storage area and audit the cupboard.

Review ward/team usage and monitor changes to products/demands. Carry out regular stock level checks and report any discrepancies to the Deputy Chief Pharmacy technicians. Support any investigations into medicines.

To ensure all medicine storage facilities comply with the trust medicine code and are always kept tidy. Ensure pharmacy medicine management audits are completed and outstanding actions followed up. Report any breaches of medicine security to appropriate ward and pharmacy staff.

Responsible for ordering identified inpatient repeat medicines as per standard operating procedure. Liaise with pharmacy staff and nursing staff to prevent delays in patients receiving their medicines or being omitted.

Support the transfer of individual patient medicines between wards and ensure an audit process is maintained.

Ensure the EMIS system is kept accurate with any stock list and these are clinically agreed by the pharmacist.

Input and update patient medication information data onto the pharmacy computer system and other record systems, according to department procedures.

Use SystmOne to view patient records and order medication accordingly.

Carry out Search & Replace of pharmaceutical items on stock lists using the EMIS computer system as per departmental procedure.

Ensure resuscitation boxes on wards are in date and changed prior to expiry. Support any ordering for resuscitation trolley.

Updating and reviewing pharmacy procedures in line with current pharmacy process

Undertake training to complete trust Datix incidents relating to medicines and individual/ team health & safety incidents.

Complete MHRA drug alert and follow up actions at ward/team level.

To undertake regular defrosting of refrigerators as per schedule

Support pharmacy supply and audit for vaccine campaigns Support homecare prescription request, supply and monthly data inputting.

Sort and process returns at ward/team level ensuring an audit trail is maintained and returned to the pharmacy department as per departmental procedure.

Accurately dispense medicines including controlled drugs from allocated workload as per departmental procedure. Maintain a tidy environment so that space is effectively utilised, and all bench space is kept clear, clean and tidy so good dispensing practice is maintained to include stock rotation and expiry checks.

Distribution/Procurement

Designated Person in Charge co-ordinating day to day workload (maintaining rotas against workflow) including emergency orders and tasks of pharmacy support workers and students. Ensuring the distribution and procurement email box is checked regularly and all emails are actioned.Carry out Search & Replace of pharmaceutical items on stock lists using the EMIS computer system as per departmental procedure.

Accurately input, assemble and issue stock medication for patients from agreed stock lists and worksheets using the pharmacy computer system and other recording systems as per departmental procedures.

Ensure all routine pharmacy items and orders received within the distribution area are processed in accordance with departmental procedures and health and safety.

Pack all medication accurately and securely for distribution to ensure correct and timely delivery for patient treatment as per departmental procedure.

Empty and record pharmacy boxes returned to the pharmacy department as per departmental procedure.

Refer to full description for further details

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.