Pharmacy ATO Dispensary

Overview

Assist the pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in the provision of the broad range of pharmacy technical services provided across the Trust working on their own initiative, referring to their supervisor – a pharmacy technician or pharmacist when necessary. Assistant Technical Officers are expected to expand and broaden their skills and abilities, operating at all times under the direct supervision of a qualified Pharmacy Technician or Pharmacist unless operating according to approved procedures.

Provides pharmacy service including dispensing medicines to patients. The main duties are to carry out the labelling and dispensing of medicines under the supervision of a pharmacy technician or pharmacist to patients.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands, providing primary, acute and community services. We are proud of the diversity of our staff and the communities we serve, building a workforce that helps us fulfil our values, improve quality of care for patients and solve tomorrow’s health‑care problems. We are passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings to becoming a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care.

We are delighted that we have been rated as \”Good\” by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards including the Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020. The pharmacy department has also been awarded Clinical Team of the Year 2024 in the Royal Wolverhampton Trust Awards.

The Trust offers a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and considers all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.

Responsibilities

• Assist the pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in the provision of pharmacy technical services.
• Carry out routine supply of medicines under the supervision of a qualified member of staff, including:
  • Inpatient dispensing
  • Controlled drugs dispensing
  • Recycling and returning medicines no longer needed
• Receive prescriptions, label and dispense routine items for inpatients and outpatients, seeking advice from senior staff where appropriate.
• Dispense and self‑check medications both manually and with the use of a computerized automated dispensing system, employing bar‑code technology and scanners.
• Dispense non‑routine medicines such as complex prescriptions and compliance aid boxes under the direct supervision of a pharmacy technician.
• Operate at all times within the local standard operating procedures relevant to the area of work.
• Work on reception, providing hatch and associated duties, entering details onto the pharmacy tracker system.
• Carry out filing, photocopying and scanning of paperwork within the department when required.
• Fill up bottles, bags, tops and sundry items to ensure availability at all times.
• Answer the telephone, handling routine enquiries and referring all non‑routine ones to the specified personnel to maintain accurate communication channels.
• Store stock in the correct shelf locations, ensuring appropriate stock rotation measures are in place.
• Check expiry dates and undertake stock rotation of stock held within the area of responsibility.
• Recycle, return and destroy any unwanted medicines from wards and departments following standard operating procedures and under the supervision of a technician.
• Dispense and record appropriate details according to written protocols for unlicensed and named patient medicines within pharmacy.
• Dispense controlled drugs to be held as stock on wards and for the completion of TTO medicines, completing the necessary legal documentation.
• Maintain accurate records of prescription pads including receipt and issuing of both internal and FP10 prescriptions to assigned areas.
• Study towards an NVQ level 2 qualification if not already held.
• Participate in any education and training programmes, ensuring accurate records are kept of Continuous Professional Development.
• Assist in ensuring that a high‑quality pharmacy service is maintained.
• Undertake the in‑house ATO training programme, passing competencies proving ability within each area of the dispensary.
• Demonstrate on request appropriate tasks to unqualified and support staff.
• Participate in the provision of extended hours of service, including evening working, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, according to formal rota arrangements.
• Report any suspected or observed defects in medicines, medicinal products and equipment to a senior pharmacist on duty.
• Be familiar with, and maintain, safe standards of work and adequate records of all processes.
• Conform at all times with those aspects of the General Pharmaceutical Council\’s Code of Professional Ethics that apply to technical and support staff.
• Conform at all times with directives and circulars associated with the provision of pharmaceutical services, including the Medicines Act, the Duthie Report, relevant Controls Assurance requirements and Trust policies and procedures.
• Conform with all statutory guidance applicable to the pharmacy, including Health and Safety at Work, Manual Handling and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).
• Maintain at all times the rules relating to patient confidentiality.
• Assist in ensuring a clean and tidy department.
• Offer flexible working arrangements, including consideration of individual circumstances and service needs.

Qualifications and Experience

• Good communication and organisational skills.
• Flexible and able to work well under pressure.
• Hold, be working towards, or be willing to work towards a Level 2 NVQ in Pharmacy Services Skills and the relevant underpinning knowledge.
• Four GCSEs, including Maths, English and a Science subject, are essential.
• Experience in hospital pharmacy is desirable but not essential; full training will be provided for the successful candidate.

Benefits

• Supportive working environment.
• Flexible working arrangements that take into account personal and individual circumstances.
• Opportunities for training and professional development.