Pharmacy Homecare assistant Swindon, Wiltshire, South West England, England
Job description
** Previous applicants need not apply**
To work as a core member of the pharmacy homecare team under the supervision of the lead pharmacy technician for homecare supporting the wider team in the day to day processing of prescriptions and payment of invoices.
To support the homecare technician(s) to ensure the service complies with all national legislation and local policies, working closely with trust staff and with homecare providers
Work in the dispensary dispensing prescriptions and provide support to the dispensary manager and lead technician in the day to day running of the dispensary
To work with Pharmacy colleagues to provide a high quality of patient care for those patients who require homecare medicines, through good communication, attention to detail and responding to any service requirements in a timely manner, working as part of a team working within rotas. This included the processing and sending of prescriptions to the homecare providers and paying the resultant invoices as well as ensuring a good service to our patients and clinical teams.
Under the supervision of the Dispensary Manager or nominated deputy to use the Pharmacy IT system to label and dispense medication against prescriptions, orders and Controlled Drug requests according to any prescriber instructions referring any unclear or ambiguous instructions to a Pharmacist or accuracy checking technician.
Our 115-strong Pharmacy team provides procurement, distribution, dispensary, ward-based, cancer, aseptic and homecare services to Great Western Hospital, our Trust- managed primary care network and several other local community health services.
We embrace new technologies. Our pharmacy robots, Wally & Eve, are invaluable members of our team; electronic prescribing is well-established in almost all inpatient and outpatient settings at Great Western Hospital; we use CareFlow EPR electronic patient records system and NerveCentre for electronic handover notes; and all pharmacists are issued with their own laptop to capitalise on this connectivity.
We proudly uphold the Trust's STAR Values:
Service - We will put our patients first.
Teamwork - We will work together.
Ambition - We will aspire to provide the best service.
Respect - We will act with integrity.
and would expect successful candidates to also uphold these values.
With excellent transport links, Swindon is bordered by the rolling hills of the Cotswolds to the North and West, the Upper Thames valley to the East, and the Marlborough Downs to the South, and its surrounding countryside is dotted with pretty villages and enticing rural pubs.
It has excellent local schools, sporting and leisure facilities, a thriving local theatre and two large cinema complexes, with other cultural opportunities within one hour's travelling time in London, Bristol, Oxford and Bath.
Homecare
- To work with Pharmacy colleagues to provide a high quality of patient care for those patients who require homecare medicines, through good communication, attention to detail and responding to any service requirements in a timely manner, working as part of a team working within rotas,
- To ensure the arrival of the prescriptions into the homecare team are fully documented / recorded onto the homecare systems.
- To supervise the work flow of the prescriptions, ensuring if they are given to screening pharmacists, that documentation is completed to manage the prescription movement
- To ensure that all prescription errors are documented on the appropriate spreadsheet and that the clinic is notified appropriately to collect the prescription for amendment or for a new prescription and that appropriate log-sheets are completed to allow the tracking of these.
- To supervise the end of shift; being responsible for all completed prescriptions that have been processed and destined for the post are included in the correct envelopes and posted.
- To process homecare prescriptions as per the SOPs as per the rota and to teach / mentor the homecare team as required
- To ensure priority prescriptions and are prioritised by the homecare team and sent appropriately to the homecare provider.
- To co-manage the homecare joint email box, identifying emails that are urgent and need acting upon immediately and to forward onto the homecare technician(s).
- To oversee the receipt of checklist of prescriptions received by the homecare providers and intervene where the homecare provider does not provide evidence of their arrival.
- To co-ordinate the download of the homecare invoices and saving them onto the t-drive; in order for them to be processed in order of arrival
- To process homecare invoices as per the SOPs as per the rota and to teach / mentor the homecare team as required
- As homecare providers increase the use of portals to access patient data, invoices and other information; to act as the main user.
- To identify and to facilitate the homecare training that is required by the homecare team pharmacy assistants.
- As new medication and services are added to the homecare portfolio; to work with the homecare technician(s) to ensure that the homecare pharmacy assistants are aware of the changes and at identify any extra training needed.
- To be responsible for the monthly checking and interpretation of homecare provider statements, identifying problems and to minimise any long term debt; by being aware of all overdue invoices and that the homecare provider is aware of the reason for these.
- To work with the homecare technician(s) to minimise overdue invoices and to document the reason and next steps necessary.
- To maintain and update the ‘HELP’ files on the t-drive and within the printed file.
- To ensure the use of the change control and ensure the SOPs are followed and reporting to the lead homecare technician if the change control is not being used as expected
- To ensure the spreadsheets capture all patients that leave a homecare service, ensuring all components are completed
- To understand fully the processes within the homecare service module on JAC; to be able to identify problems and refer to the homecare technician(s) as necessary
- To maintain homecare folders on the t-drive, ensuring the content is accurate and consistent.
- To write and review SOPs for processes for the pharmacy homecare team as requested
- Assist the homecare technician(s) with KPIs and to assist with other data as necessary.
- To undertake any homecare specific training when required and ensuring all training records are updated.
- Answer, or refer when appropriate, telephone queries from patients, healthcare professionals and homecare suppliers whilst at all times maintaining patient confidentiality.
- Co-ordinate and assist in the chasing of outstanding orders to ensure continuity of supply.
- To help with the general pharmacy invoicing as requested and be able to complete and send the RTP files.
- Under the supervision of the Dispensary Manager or nominated deputy
- Use the Pharmacy IT system to label and dispense medication against prescriptions, orders and Controlled Drug requests according to any prescriber instructions. Refer any unclear or ambiguous instructions to a Pharmacist or ACT
- Organise, label and prepare compliance aids (Dosette boxes)
- Assess POD drugs against TTA prescriptions, endorsing with relevant information and documenting any discrepancies.
- Use the prescription tracking system to book in and track prescriptions at each stage in the process, logging work collected by the porters or ward staff.
- Support the team leader in the management of the prescription tracking system to ensure prescriptions are completed within the allocated turnaround times.
- Undertake manual top-up of non-robot medication, obtaining stock from Stores and storing on appropriate shelving in the Dispensary
- Undertake daily and ad-hoc stock and expiry date checks as required
- Deal with telephone and face to face enquiries as appropriate, obtaining adequate details and establishing urgency of response
- Ensure that stock is stored in such a way to allow good stock rotation and that those items with the shortest expiry date are used first
- Keep the departments clean and tidy, undertaking tasks as required on the relevant cleaning roster
- Maintain safe systems of work at all times, being responsible for the quality and accuracy of all work undertaken
- Assisting in quality assurance procedures such as the monitoring of all near miss and critical errors, ensuring that they are logged and reflective practice is carried out after critical errors leaving the department
- Maintain documentation and records of work as required
- Understand the procedures required when you encounter potentially hazardous products such as cytotoxics, cytostatics, irritants and poisons
- Participate in the weekend, evening and bank holiday services according to departmental rosters
- Undertake and achieve QCF level 2 in Pharmacy Services within 2 years of starting in post
