Dispenser in Huntingdon

We are 4 GP Surgeries located in the beautiful Fens. We have an exciting opportunity for a qualified dispenser to join our team at Rainbow Surgery and Doddington Medical Centre. You will be providing acute and repeat medication to our patients, both weekly and monthly prescriptions and dealing with queries.

Main duties of the job

• Must have an NVQ Level 2 or equivalent in Pharmacy Service Skills
• To accurately and efficiently dispense medication
• To issue prescriptions for repeat medication when required
• To be able to work well on their own and within a team
• To communicate with colleagues, patients and their representatives
• To operate efficient stock control, with the objective of ensuring continuity of supply for patients and minimising wastage
• Be able to deal with problems and enquiries

About us

You will be joining a friendly and helpful team across 4 practices, dispensing at all sites - Doddington, Wimblington, Manea and Rainbow.

We expect all our staff to follow our core values:

• Be Collaborative - respectful, takes personal accountability, open and honest, fair
• Be Healthy - supportive and caring, listens and consults, focuses on the positives, takes time to reflect
• Be Ambitious - promotes learning and personal growth, constantly improves performance, encouraging, develops self and others
• Be Open - demonstrates trust in others, shows personal respect and sensitivity, enables great teamwork, creates co-operation and enthusiasm

Job responsibilities

Job Summary: To accurately and efficiently process all relevant prescriptions as authorised by GPs and prescribing nurses where appropriate in accordance with the principles of good practice. To assist the Dispensing Manager in ensuring effective financial control of the dispensary.

Job Responsibilities:

• Dispensing acute, repeat and private prescriptions, controlled drugs and special items
• Not to dispense medicines to unauthorised persons, without the doctors consent
• To ensure that all medicines and appliances dispensed are checked against the prescription and whenever there is doubt about the appropriateness of the item, or about the dose or labelling instructions to check with the authorising doctor or duty doctor
• Ensuring the Dispensary area remains clean and tidy
• Maintaining complete and accurate records for controlled drugs
• Handing out prescriptions and collecting charges when appropriate
• Endorsing prescriptions when necessary
• Collect all due prescription charges and ensure that the patient declaration on the reverse of the FP10 is duly filled in and signed by the patient/representative
• Ordering appropriate quantities of goods via the wholesalers computer link
• Checking goods as and when they are delivered
• Returning and claiming for incorrect/missing goods to the wholesalers
• Stocking shelves, refrigerators and other storage areas using rotation method
• To operate efficient stock control appropriate to the needs of the practice with the objective of ensuring continuity of supply for patients and minimising wastage through out of date stock
• To ensure that drugs are stored in an appropriate manner in accordance with the accompanying instructions
• Removing out of date stock from the shelves, refrigerators and other storage areas
• Disposal of returned unused medicines
• To answer telephone calls & passing on messages as appropriate
• Dealing with problems & enquiries
• Inputting information onto computer
• To work flexibly within the team & to provide cover across all sites as necessary
• To ensure that shelves and all work surfaces are regularly cleaned to maintain a high level of hygiene within the dispensary and that all dispensary equipment is kept clean and kept in good working order
• To take prompt action in response to any drug alert bulletins that may be received from time to time
• To ensure that refrigerated items are stored at the appropriate temperature and to maintain a temperature control record/logbook
• To maintain full and accurate records of all dispensing
• To undertake any necessary work as may be required and appropriate to maintain a high standard and efficient dispensing service
• To cover delivering prescriptions to our housebound patients when necessary

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 post-holder 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: The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include: 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.

Equality and Diversity: The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples 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.

Personal/Professional Development: The post-holder 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 up-to-date mandatory training. Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Quality: The post-holder 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 teams performance. Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs. Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication: The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to: Communicate effectively with other team members. Communicate effectively with patients and carers. Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services: The post-holder will: Apply practice policies, standards and guidance. Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work. Participate in audit where appropriate.

Person Specification

• Basic IT skills - internet and email
• Competence in the use of SystmOne, ordering portals
• Communication - be able to pass on information to colleagues/patients/patient representatives in a clear and concise manner

Experience

A minimum of 1 year working in a dispensary environment.

Qualifications

Qualified NVQ level 2 or equivalent in Pharmacy Services Skills. GCSE Grade A to C in English and Maths.

Knowledge

Understand dispensary systems - able to understand dispensary stock management and ordering systems.

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.