Job overview

Working Full time : 37.5 hours per week 

Are you an experienced dispenser seeking new challenges in hospital pharmacy or a pharmacy assistant who has completed NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent?

We are seeking a flexible, conscientious, reliable and motivated individual with a positive attitude to join our pharmacy team. The ability to work under pressure is essential.

Based in the Dispensary at the Countess of Chester Hospital you will work as a member of our pharmacy team in the delivery of an efficient pharmacy service to all service users. You must be able work under pressure and communicate effectively in a number of situations with a variety of people including patients, pharmacy staff and other healthcare professionals. Duties will include reception cover, ordering and receipt of pharmaceutical orders, pre-packing and over-labelling of medication, replenishing and overseeing the supply of cardiac arrest boxes, storage and disposal of patients own medication, ward returns and participation in the dispensing rota.

Inclusion in weekend working & Bank Holiday rota paid as extra

Main duties of the job

1. To carry out accurately and efficiently the dispensing of prescriptions, including unlicensed and named-patient medication, oral cytotoxic, controlled drugs and Patient’s own medication 
   in accordance with the agreed safe systems of work practice; This includes drug’s strength, formulation, pack size, expiry date and quantity, in line with departmental procedures.
2. To prepare blister packs for designated patients
3. To extemporaneously dispense medicines in accordance with COSHH regulations and standard operating procedures.
4. Be aware of department dispensing Key Performance Indicators, work towards achieving them and reporting breaches.
5. To input and maintain accurate computer and register records for controlled drugs, 
   unlicensed drugs and named-patient medication according to departmental procedures.

Working for our organisation

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.                                                                 

The Trust employs over 5916 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 411,000. This includes 361,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.

The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.