South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.
We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 5300 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.
The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Probationary Period
All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.
Agile and Flexible Working
All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.
Staff Benefits
The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.
Car Parking
The Trust have recently completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at our Warwick Hospital site. This ensures all new staff joining the Trust will have access to car parking facilities without the need to go on a waiting list.
To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).
Job overview
The Pharmacy Department at SWUFT is looking to recruit a talented and enthusiastic senior pharmacy technician to join our team in the delivery of excellent hospital pharmacy services. This post offers an exciting opportunity for experienced GPhC registered technicians looking to apply themselves in our well-established Ward Based Medicines Management service.
Although this post would be well suited to those with existing experience in ward-based hospital pharmacy setting, applications from registered technicians with at least 1 year of relevant experience from other pharmacy settings would be considered as in-house training is provided for this role.
The successful candidate will have strong communication, team-working and time management skills, and will have shown a commitment to excellent safe and effective pharmacy practice to achieve the very best outcomes for patients.
Advert
To ensure the delivery of a safe, effective and efficient ward-based Medicines Management service.
Key Working Relationships
Managed by the Lead Pharmacy Technician or the Lead Pharmacist for the clinical team to which allocated.
Supervises other Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Assistants, Senior Assistants, and Trainees on rotation in the section of work to which allocated.
Works and co-operates with all Pharmacy and healthcare staff in the provision of services.
Maintains a network with counterparts in other Trusts, for the exchange of information and the sharing of idea.
Working for our organisation
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Participate in the operation of the Medicines Management Service at ward level:
Compile drug histories and reconcile medicines against approved sources (including the NHS Summary Care Record).
Identify medicines reconciliation discrepancies, highlighting to pharmacist or doctor on ward.
Assess suitability of patients’ own drugs for continued use and arrange the safe disposal of those drugs which are not (subject to patient consent).
Transcribe from patients’ drug charts for subsequent dispensing.
Specialised medication counselling.
Discharge planning, including the identification of patients requiring their discharge supply in a monitored dose device, and liaison with community pharmacies, and with care homes and hospices which may have non-standard arrangements.
Use professional judgement to make referrals for follow-up interventions by community pharmacies using the PharmOutcomes system.
Participate in the prioritisation of clinical workload as part of the pharmacy ward team.
Lead in the prioritisation of operational pharmacy workload across the ward team.
Supervise the activities of Pharmacy Technicians working within the ward service.
Undertake unaccompanied visits to wards at the base hospital and to outlying hospitals, including wards without pharmacist input; to undertake medicines management duties relating to the drug distribution and non-stock pharmaceuticals supply service; and to provide pharmaceutical advice to ward staff as required within professional limitations.
Identify and make interventions, using the principles of medicines optimisation to promote patient medicines compliance and improve patient outcomes.
Where appropriate, identify and refer clinical interventions such as polypharmacy/falls risk within professional limitations to the ward pharmacist.
Liaise with ward pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and ward staff in determining appropriate pharmaceuticals stock levels, for the production and updating of ward-stock lists and to assist in the provision of advice to ward staff on the storage and handling of pharmaceuticals in line with national standards.
Drug transcription error reporting.
Create and adapt rotas for the Medicines Management Team assessing and prioritising the needs of the service.
Participate in audits to monitor and analyse Controlled Drug use and Safe and Secure Handling of medicines on wards/clinical areas.
Dispensary based duties:
Carry out dispensing of drugs, medicated dressings, enteral feeds, and drug-related devices for outpatients, in-patients, and clinical trial patients, from the dispensary as required.
Give routine pharmaceutical advice to healthcare staff within professional limitations, referring to a pharmacist if required.
Undertake the final accuracy checking (as an Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician ACPT) of dispensed prescriptions in the dispensary in accordance with pharmacy departmental policies and procedures. Ensure the timely and supportive notification to dispensers, of any error found when checking.
To ensure such errors are recorded, and to participate in the Trust Incident Reporting process as appropriate.
Counsel all out-patients when issuing drugs, and in-patients as appropriate, in order to ensure the safe and effective use and storage of their medicines.
Cover day to day managerial duties in the absence of the section Lead Technician, including managing and prioritising daily workload, organising staff breaks and ensuring adequate cover in all areas during times of absence.
Undertake audits, which include regular safe handling and storage of medicines audits on wards and in Departments. To work with ward staff to develop action plans on audit outcomes and give advice and support as appropriate.
Monitor the continued suitability of pharmaceutical stock on wards and in departments and to arrange the appropriate removal/destruction in accordance with environmental regulations.
Carry out accurate entry of data into the Pharmacy computer system.
Use networks and other resources to identify opportunities to improve the service.
Participate in weekday late night, weekend and Bank Holiday services on rotation.
Undertake other duties at the base hospital and other hospitals in the area as required by the Head of Pharmacy in accordance with this grade of post.
Ensure that all Trust standards are maintained and monitored to improve the quality of care to all who come into contact with services provided by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.
The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).
Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.
We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.
Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
All South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.
The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability ofall threeorganisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.