Senior Pharmacy Assistant - Distribution

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Assistant to join our Pharmacy Stores and Distribution team who will be responsible for the safe and effective receipt, supply and distribution of medicines to various wards and departments within the Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

We are looking for a motivated and dedicated individual to join our pharmacy team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment and is passionate about delivering high-quality services.

Key qualities we are seeking:

• A strong team player with excellent leadership skills, capable of supporting and motivating colleagues
• Highly organised, hardworking, and proactive in their approach
• Strong problem-solving abilities with the ability to remain calm under pressure
• Exceptional attention to detail to ensure accuracy and maintain high standards
• Enthusiastic and committed to contributing to and supporting the supervision of our pharmacy services

If you are driven, reliable, and eager to play an active role in a forward-thinking pharmacy team, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Support the Pharmacy Distribution Team to complete day-to-day operations by managing stock / supply of pharmaceutical products for wards and clinics, through the routine top up service and the provision of ad hoc requests in a timely and accurate manner.
• To act as a point of contact and escalation point for the Pharmacy Distribution team and to support the team on a day-to-day basis in a professional manner in line with the trust values and behaviours.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To order, pick, deliver, and put away stock supplies of pharmaceutical products (including bulk fluids and feeds), for departments, wards and clinics through the top up service.
• To carry out general stock management duties in all areas of pharmacy, including transfers, stock counts, stock rotation and investigation of stock discrepancies when necessary. Communicating any delays in the topping up of items to the designated ward pharmacist. E.g. short term out of stocks but due in the following day.
• To provide a point of contact for service users and escalate any queries and requests from ward and pharmacy staff.
• To participate in reporting incidents through the near miss error log, or Inphase as per trust policy and raising deviations relating to the distribution team as per the quality management system
• To participate in stock management and maintenance of medicines stored within ward automation systems. To undertake ‘housekeeping’ of ward stock to reduce incidence of damage or product miss-selection e.g. allocating bins.
• Troubleshoot minor problems e.g jammed/faulty label & receipt printers, rebooting cabinets when appropriate, checking lights & locks operating correctly, but escalating any serious issues to the EPMA senior Technician or Omnicell engineers.
• Attend and input into the monthly Omnicell meetings and action any changes to the Omnicell system under the direction of the clinical team including co-ordinating agreed actions relating to ward moves or new Omnicell cabinets.
• Responsible for routine stock take of drugs of interest self-med packs (not controlled drugs) and investigating any stock discrepancies, escalating any issues to Principal technician. Using Omnicell reports and TRACE on CMM to identify where the error may have occurred.
• Implement adhoc changes to ward stock lists or Omnicell cabinets, including new bar codes and BMAINT change requests ensuring communication regarding any changes to ward staff
• Manage the process for the distribution team to undertake routine expiry checks and cycle counts of ward stock, including Omnicell.
• Undertake defined housekeeping duties on the Pharmacy robot as a super user and fix any basic errors identified, escalating any serious errors to Dispensary Manager or Principal Pharmacy Technician.
• Produce stores and distribution rotas on behalf of principal technician, ensuring the ward top up service is delivered. Respond to planned or unexpected changes in staffing within the distribution team, escalating any issues to the Principal Technician.
• To train new starters in distribution on pharmacy automation systems, completing the appropriate training frameworks. Participating in progress review meetings with trainees and feeding back / escalating any issues, errors or trends identified during training to Principal Pharmacy Technician or Quality Assurance.
• Attend and participate in the Education and Training meeting, supporting learning development plans and acting as a role model and mentor including the distribution team and volunteers.
• Undertake randomised second checks of ward stock top ups to ensure training frameworks are upheld.
• To support the distribution team through change management in a positive and motivational way in response to continuous improvement plans laid out by the senior team or Principal Pharmacy Technician
• Act as lead on Health and Safety issues and attend the trust Health and Safety meeting as a pharmacy representative. Review the health and safety action plan and feedback to the incident and risk meeting, escalating any issues to Pharmacy Patient Service Lead.
• To participate in weekend and Bank holiday working in accordance with agreed rotas.
• To ensure that all stock queries arising from adhoc requisitions books or online forms are dealt with in the most efficient and timely manner.
• To assist in activities associated with product recalls, identifying where stock is located and retrieving it promptly