Senior Assistant Technical Officer

Liverpool University Hospitals Nhs Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Rotational Senior Pharmacy Assistant to join our hospital pharmacy teams. You will lead, train and supervise junior staff while delivering a patient-centered dispensing and medicines management service.

As part of the Pharmacy Directorate, you will rotate across dispensaries and stores, ensure high quality standards, support pharmacists and technicians, and participate in flexible shifts including evenings and weekends as required

Qualifications

• NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent is required.
• Experience as a pharmacy assistant in a hospital setting is essential.
• Ability to supervise and train staff.
• Flexibility to rotate across LUHFT sites.
• Strong communication and attention to detail are crucial.

Responsibilities

• Dispense and issue medicines and manage pharmaceutical stock.
• Supervise pharmacy assistants and support staff.
• Lead training and development initiatives for staff.
• Ensure accurate data entry and documentation in the Pharmacy system.
• Participate in evening, weekend, and Bank Holiday duties as required.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Training

Attention to detail

Team supervision

Flexibility

Education

NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services

Job description

Job summary

Are you an experienced pharmacy assistant who has completed NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent? At LUFHT may have the perfect opportunity for you. We are looking for a Rotational Senior Pharmacy Assistant who can act as a great role model, provide excellent training and demonstrate our trust values. You must be able to show great leadership qualities, a broad experience of working in a pharmacy and knowledge and understanding of working in a hospital. We want to recruit a Senior Pharmacy Assistant who is enthusiastic, motivated who will work to our professional standards to provide an efficient and patient focused service. All levels of experience within a Pharmacy Assistant role will be considered and salary will be dependent. You may be required to rotate across all sites of LUHFT.

Main duties of the job

In the role as a Senior Pharmacy Assistant you must have excellent communication skills, attention to detail and be flexible as you will work within our dispensaries and stores alongside pharmacy teams including pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. You will be required to supervise work of pharmacy assistants ensuring work is prioritised appropriately and play a key role in training and development of staff to maintain a quality and standards of work. You will be required to participate in evening, weekend, and Bank Holiday working in keeping with the Pharmacy Directorate arrangements and the needs of the Trust.

About us

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital. We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients. UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West. Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services. For roles at Liverpool Women's, visit their careers page.

Key Responsibilities

• Dispense and issue medicines from the Pharmacy Department including extemporaneously prepared products, controlled drugs, unlicensed medicines and clinical trials, in accordance with the policies, procedures and safe systems of work, which prevail in the department at the time.
• Order and supply pharmaceuticals as part of the ward stock top-up service.
• Load medicines received into the automated dispensing machine.
• Take lead responsibility for reception duties and direct workload and queries in the most appropriate staff members within the department and escalates if required.
• Input data into the Pharmacy computer system to ensure all appropriate records are made and kept up to date.
• Receive medicines into the Pharmacy Department and ensure that documentation and computer entry is carried out in a timely and accurate manner.
• Investigate and resolve delivery discrepancies, liaising with invoicing staff, and suppliers, making appropriate records of all investigations and outcomes keeping line manager fully briefed about key operational matters.
• Ensure that all pharmaceutical preparations are stored appropriately.
• Rotate stock at the point of goods receipt.
• Deal with more complicated enquiries referring to line manager if they are not commensurate with role.
• Ensure that all unused medicines (if appropriate) returned to the pharmacy are recycled in accordance with the safe systems of work and always participate in the safe disposal of medicines in accordance with departmental procedures.
• Manually handle IV fluids, bulk feed deliveries and manoeuvre cages and tote boxes for delivery towards departments, outside clinics.
• Deliver medicines to ward and departments as required.
• Deal with frequent interruptions eg telephone enquiries from internal and external customers.
• Fix the robot when basic errors occur.
• Participate in daily stock count.
• Issue medicines which are on To-Follows list.
• Participate in development and project work in line with the objectives of the Trust and Pharmacy Directorate.
• Check picked stock items to ensure accuracy of medicines supplies on top up.
• Train, supervise and assess support workers.
• Deliver robot error training for pharmacy assistants and other staff who are new to the department in line with standard training plan.
• Deliver training to pharmacy assistants and other staff as they rotate through areas of practice.
• Deal with ad hoc stock requests as they arise (by telephone or portal) from wards, departments and outside clinics. These may be urgent and will need to be prioritised appropriately.
• Supply emergency orders.
• Support pharmacy assistants with NVQ level 2 training where appropriate.
• Prioritise work so that services meet their objectives.
• Together with other members of staff to ensure that procedures are carried out in accordance with current legislation and regulations in respect of the Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH and that other pertinent recommendations and standards are complied with.
• Participate and co-operate in weekend, Bank Holiday, Statutory Holiday, early morning and evening services as per departmental arrangements.
• Undertake other reasonable duties commensurate with this role as required. This may be subject to change to meet the needs of our patients.
• Work across site where required.
• The post holder will be expected to adapt to changes that may occur, which may affect the current practices within the Pharmacy Department, such as the introduction of new equipment, procedures, policies, and hours of working.

Person Specification

Essential Skills

• Clear and accurate written communication skills
• Clear and accurate verbal communication skills
• Ability to use different IT applications
• Ability to work in a busy environment to meet deadlines whilst paying attention to detail
• Ability to work alone or part of a team
• Methodical with attention to detail
• Ability to adapt to change
• Ability to show initiative and work efficiently
• Able to supervise and prioritise tasks for others and prioritise team workflow
• Ability to set routines and implement new working procedures
• Ability to train others
• Ability to respond to non-routine queries and elevate when outside limitations

Essential Other

• Enthusiasm for the position
• Can use own initiative and shows attention to detail
• Interest in pharmacy service provision
• Proactive
• Friendly, empathetic and reliable team worker able to relate to all grades of staff
• Willingness to learn
• Commitment to work
• Reliable and flexible to the needs of the service
• Self-motivated and ability to motivate others
• Ability to work as per departmental weekend, evening