Pharmacy Purchasing Officer

NHS; Leicester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is seeking a Pharmacy Purchasing Officer to join their team. This full-time role involves managing pharmaceutical purchases and stock control, ensuring timely delivery and compliance with local procedures. Candidates should have strong customer service skills, relevant qualifications, and experience in a pharmacy environment. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to high-quality patient care in a dynamic healthcare setting.

Qualifications

• Experience in customer service and dealing with various people.
• Proven experience in a pharmacy environment and using medical terminology.
• Knowledge of purchasing and invoicing procedures.

Responsibilities

• Provide pharmaceutical purchasing and stock control services.
• Manage accounts for patient supplies and ensure timely delivery.
• Maintain proper financial control and ensure maximum value for money.

Skills

Customer services

Office organisation

Team working

Analytical skills

Education

Minimum of four GCSE passes including English and Maths

European Computer Driving Licence or equivalent

NVQ Level 3 Purchasing or Business Administration

Job description

Go back University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Pharmacy Purchasing Officer

The closing date is 02 June 2025

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week. Permanent

Base: You may be required to work in other designated locations of theTrust as well as your primary base. In particular, flexibility isrequired across the three main hospital sites (Leicester RoyalInfirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital). Ifyour initial location is one of these sites excess travelreimbursement would not apply for a permanent or temporarychange of base. Your primary base will be LGH.

Reports to: Chief Pharmacy Technician Procurement

We are a relatively small team made up of pharmacy technicians and purchasing officers but interact with the wider pharmacy department plus external contacts such as wholesalers and manufacturers.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a pharmaceutical purchasing, stock control and procurement service to the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) and the TrustMed Outpatient Pharmacies (TMP).
• To promote and maintain good working relationships with staff in all the pharmacy departments in the Leicester hospitals.
• To deal effectively with pharmacy staff and their stock related problems (determining the real nature and extent of the problem and providing a satisfactory solution).
• To learn how to use new technology to best effect improvements and efficiencies in the provision of a high quality purchasing service.

About us

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

http://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/work-for-us/current-vacancies/

Job responsibilities

• Purchases pharmaceuticals for each of the pharmacy departments in accordance with local procedures and contracts, ensuring timely delivery and optimum order quantities.
• Manages accounts for patient supplies of home delivered medicines and therapies.
• Assists local pharmacy stores managers in ensuring effective stock control and maintaining appropriate stock levels to meet patients needs.
• Expedites orders for pharmaceuticals and obtains acceptable alternatives to unavailable items, keeping pharmacy departments informed, to maintain the clinical service.
• Assists in sourcing any new, unusual or alternative pharmaceutical products that may be required.
• Advises pharmacy staff on the availability of requested items and responds to urgent requests to ensure that patient therapy is not compromised and continuity of supply is maintained.
• Manages own workload and sets priorities, to ensure clinical service is not compromised.
• Measures procurement workload and assists in analysing performance indicators to improve efficiency.
• Responsible for maintaining proper financial control by ensuring prices paid and goods received are correct before authorising payment of invoices.
• Manages financial accounts with pharmaceutical companies, to minimise the trusts liabilities and to ensure all income is received.
• Responsible for ensuring UHL and TMP obtain maximum value for money on medicines purchases by keeping costs to a minimum, ensuring correct products are purchased, contracts adhered to and all due compensation is claimed.
• Responsible for keeping computer stock, supplier and financial records up to date and accurate, to maximise the efficiency of the purchasing service.
• Assists in the training of other staff groups in purchasing procedures.
• Ensures drug alerts and hazard recalls are implemented promptly to minimise risk to patients and staff.
• Assumes responsibility when necessary for the security of the district pharmacy building.
• To undertake such other reasonable duties as may be required from time to time.
• To participate in evening, weekend, bank holiday and on-call work in accordance with departmental rotas.

Please see attached job description for more information.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

• Minimum of four GCSE passes including English and Maths
• European Computer Driving Licence or other computing qualification NVQ Level 3 Purchasing or Business Administration or equivalent, or Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Foundation level Knowledge of contract law, negotiation skills and contract management eg through NHS PaSA short courses

Experience

• Proven/previous experience of the following: Customer services - particularly dealing with a variety of people using the telephone Using computer systems Office organisation, team working Purchasing and Invoicing procedures
• Proven/ previous experience working in a Pharmacy environment, using medical terminology and drug names.
• Word processing. Use of simple spreadsheets
• Proven/previous experience working in an NHS hospital

Communication & Relationship Skills

• Inter-personal communication skills and ability to deal with people at all levels

Analytical & Judgement Skills

• Flair for problem analysis and solution Literate and numerate

Physical Skills

• Ability to think clearly and logically under pressure Enthusiasm for and willingness to learn about new technology and systems of work Word processing Use of simple spreadsheets

Planning & Organisation Skills

• Organisational skills including the ability to prioritise effectively, especially one's own work

Other Requirements

• Drug nomenclature Purchasing and Invoicing procedures Stock control systems
• Trust Standing Financial Instructions Contract Law Medicines Act - in respect of purchase of medicines

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.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust