Dispensary Lead in Ashley

Ashley Surgery are looking for an organised, friendly and dynamic individual to join our Dispensary team.

Main duties of the job

As a Dispensary Lead, your role will be to deal with patients politely and efficiently whilst dispensing prescriptions in line with practice policies. The role also requires managing aspects of the dispensary including effectively managing stock levels to minimise waste and expenditure, ensuring the service meets DSQS standards including audits, completing the monthly returns and ensuring FP10's are submitted to NHSBSA in a time efficient manner. Running searches and completing necessary audits together with developing, reviewing and improving standard operating procedures and policies and managing the dispensary rota.

About us

Ashley Surgery is a small and friendly rural dispensing GP practice within the Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent ICB. We have a team of 4 receptionists/administrators, 3 dispensers, 2 practice nurses, 1 HCA, 1 salaried GP, 1 operations manager, 1 practice manager and 2 partners. We have a number of ARRS roles who work in practice and we are a training practice. We are located 20 minutes from Newcastle under Lyme and 15 minutes from Market Drayton.

Job responsibilities

• Prescriptions
• To deal with patients politely and efficiently.
• To dispense prescriptions in line with standard operating procedures.
• To deal with repeat prescription requests in line with practice protocols.
• To ensure information is accurately recorded on patient’s records.
• To highlight any discrepancies or queries to the appropriate GP to action.
• To ensure that prescriptions are completed appropriately by both GP and patient.
• To record and collect prescription payments and other monies as required.
• To balance cash till at end of work sessions and prepare cash sheet weekly prior to banking.
• To ensure correct procedures are followed for Controlled Drugs working to the Dispensary protocols at all times.
• To ensure that prescriptions are correctly endorsed.
• To complete the end of the month prescription data and to ensure that FP10s are returned within the requested time restrictions to the appropriate body.
• Stock
• To order dispensary supplies at appropriate times from suppliers approved by the GPs.
• To stock shelves ensuring that they are kept clean and tidy at all times.
• To assist in annual stock checks.
• To ensure that out‑of‑date stock is disposed of correctly following the Dispensary protocols.
• To ensure that only necessary stock is ordered and stored appropriately.
• To liaise with third parties to obtain best purchase prices/deals for all drugs purchased.
• To liaise and arrange meetings with third parties to discuss queries/costings and/or purchase of stock.
• General
• To have an understanding of the DrugTariff and British National Formulary.
• To complete all records accurately and legibly in particular the storage and records for controlled drugs.
• To follow, update and create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all areas of dispensary practice.
• To participate in audits of service provision when requested.
• To ensure that the department and equipment are kept clean and tidy at all times.
• To prepare invoices and PAs for submission to the Practice Manager prior to payment.
• To organise, in advance, the dispensary team rota for holiday cover.
• To organise sickness cover for the dispensary team rota.
• Personnel
• To carry out such tasks as may reasonably be asked of you by the Doctors or Practice Manager.
• To work as part of the dispensary team.
• To maintain good working relationships.
• To adhere to statutory regulations/policies and codes of practice and safety rules.
• To be flexible to offer holiday and sickness cover as and when required.
• To participate in staff meetings.
• To have an awareness of own limitations and experience.
• Educational
• The postholder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
• Training may need to be undertaken outside normal practice hours, and off site.
• To identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the manager.
• To undertake any training as required.
• To participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills.
• Flexibility

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive description of every duty performed by the Dispensary Lead, but rather a guide to the type and nature of the duties. In this environment flexibility in the duties undertaken and the hours worked are essential to achieve the objectives of a smooth running practice. The Dispensary Lead role may change from time to time in the light of local and national developments.

• Care Quality Commissioning

To be aware of the essential standards of quality and care for General Practice. To work in conjunction with the practice team to ensure that CQC standards are met and updated, as required.

• Equality & Diversity

The postholder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Act in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non‑judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.
• Quality

The postholder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patient needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
• Communication

The postholder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Confidentiality

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately. In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the postholder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential. Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

• Health & Safety

All employees are subject to the requirements of the Health & Safety at Work Act. The post holder is required to ensure, as an employee, that his/her work methods do not endanger other people or themselves. The postholder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
• To report accidents and untoward incidents in accordance with current legislation and Practice procedures.
• To carry out risk assessments as and when required (DSE/Manual Handling/Fire/COSHH).
• General Terms and Conditions

All employees are employed on an initial assessment basis. All employees must comply with the practice’s opportunities policy, and must not discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national grounds, sex, marital status, disability or any other grounds that cannot be shown to be justifiable. This Job Description may be reviewed in the light of changed service needs and developments. Any changes will be fully discussed with the post holder. The post holder may be required to carry out other duties appropriate to the grade of the post. Ashley Surgery operates a non‑smoking policy.

Person Specification

• Qualifications
• GCSE Grade A to C in English & Maths
• Qualified to NVQ Level II Dispenser/Buttercups Level II support staff for Dispensing Assistants
• Skills
• Ability to provide excellent quality customer service
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• EMIS and Docman experience
• 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.