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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Outpatient Duties

• To work in the Sussex Cancer Centre or Hurstwood Park Day Unit in PRH as the primary contact person between the out-patient units, Aseptics and the out-patient pharmacy.
• To problem solve pharmacy related issues that arise at the point of prescribing or drug administration. When necessary, take an active role to resolve any problems that arise.
• To educate and counsel patients on their chemotherapy supportive medication and when necessary, provide supporting information.
• To work with scheduled patients’ lists each day ensuring prescriptions have been prescribed and dispensed in advance of patients’ treatment date.
• Manage stock lists and perform regular stock checks including expiry date checking.
• Contribute to the development of Standard Operating Procedures.
• Take an active part in data collection for departmental audits.
• Have a working knowledge of the cancer prescribing system.
• Ensure a good system is in place for the management and return of unused drugs.
• Assist in the monitoring of Blueteq funding forms.
• Help to manage the oral chemotherapy clinics by ensuring that all required prescriptions are available on the day units prior to the patient’s treatment day.
• Support the registration of new homecare patients.
• If necessary undertake drug histories prior to patients attending for chemotherapy.
• Resolve queries relating to patients’ medications, referring when necessary to pharmacists, hospital doctors, GP’s, nurses, care homes and other health care professionals.
• Prioritise any urgent requests, communicating the urgency to the relevant people, to ensure the timely receipt of medications to the patient.
• Undertake any duties that will facilitate the safe and prompt supply of medication to patients in the day units.

Pharmacy Specific Duties:

 The post holder will be required to provide a regular commitment to the pharmacy team. This may be in the aseptics unit or the main pharmacy dispensary;

• Prepare labels using the pharmacy computer system (JAC) from a requisition/prescription for both in-patients and out-patients, ensuring accurate data entry.
• Dispense for in-patients and out-patients from a requisition/prescription ensuring each item is accurately dispensed, and in the correct packaging, according to SOPs.
• Accurately record the batch numbers and expiry dates of named patient medications, unlicensed medications and human blood products according to pharmaceutical SOPs and national requirements.
• To perform the final accuracy check on dispensed items, from clinically screened prescriptions, on completion of National Accreditation – Accredited Checking Technician course.

• Upon completion of in-house training and competencies, to label, dispense and check controlled drugs for wards/departments against a ward stock order, without the need for a pharmacist’s final check.
• Organise the timely supply of to-follow medications to patients on wards and at home.  Prioritise and delegate to other pharmacy team members when necessary.
• Communicate any delays in supply to the appropriate person.
• After the appropriate training ensure that aseptic duties are carried out according to national standards and the following texts governing aseptic practice: Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributors.  Aseptic Dispensing for NHS Patients (Farwell). Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services.  Isolators for Pharmaceutical Applications and departmental SOPs.
• Prepare worksheets, accurately calculate doses/volumes required for the product, and accurately enter the data required.
• Prepare labels using the pharmacy aseptic labelling system from a prepared worksheet ensuring accurate data entry.
• Prepare labels and issue purchased items using pharmacy computer system (JAC) from a prescription ensuring accurate data entry.
• Assemble drugs and equipment required for preparation of aseptic products, accurately record the batch numbers and expiry dates
• Label and pack prepared aseptic products according to SOPs

Medicine Management Duties

•  Provide medicines management services to the oncology wards in order to maintain competences in all aspects of working as a ward-based technician and provide backfill cover if necessary
• Complete in-house medicines optimisation training/competencies
• Check patients’ own medicines brought into hospital on admission against the patients’ drug chart, according to patients own drugs guidelines.
• Undertake drug history and medication reconciliation early in the admission process, making referrals as appropriate to a pharmacist.
• Resolve queries relating to patients’ medications, referring when necessary to pharmacists, hospital doctors, GP’s, nurses and other health care professionals and inform ward pharmacist.
• Transcribe for supply, medications labelled for discharge, on an individual patient basis, against the patient’s drug chart, for patients on wards. According to POD guidelines.
• Prioritise any urgent requests, communicating the urgency to the dispensary, to ensure the timely receipt of medications to the patient.
• To improve the supply of medicines to patients on admission and discharge, including the use of PODs and transfer of medicines during inpatient stay.
• Deliver and evaluate systems to facilitate discharge at ward level.
• Undertake duties as necessary for facilitating the discharge of patients including transfer of information to primary care and facilitating appropriate follow up of medication that needs monitoring narrow therapeutic drugs/drugs with unusual reducing regimes.

Ordering and stock control duties/ Financial management :

• Source medication from alternative suppliers/sources to meet urgent orders or requests to meet patients’ needs.
• Check controlled drugs receipts from manufacturers/wholesalers for accuracy against delivery note and annotate according to procedure.
• Enter controlled drugs into appropriate registers and securely store stock in allocated areas ensuring rotation of stock.

Communication

• The post holder will be required to liaise with patients, carers, relatives, nurses, doctors, GP surgery staff, pharmacy staff and other healthcare professionals.
• Counsel patients on the use of their dispensed medications, offering advice, and answering any queries they may have. Refer any queries to a more experienced member of staff or a pharmacist when appropriate and understand your own limitations within this.
• Answer pharmacy or day unit telephone and resolve enquiries as appropriate.
• Undertake discharge counselling for patients on the ward to ensure the patient understands how to take their medications, as required by the clinical pharmacists.
• Provide and receive complex and sensitive information from both patients and colleagues related to all aspects of medicines optimisation.
• Communicate sensitive or complex information both to healthcare professionals and patients.

Service Delivery and Improvement 

• Undertake in-house accreditations as necessary including: Controlled Drug dispensing, POD and Aseptics preparation and assembly.
• Train pharmacy staff (new technicians, student technicians, pre-registration pharmacists and assistants) by demonstrating techniques and procedures to undertake labelling, dispensing and the making of extemporaneous preparations within the pharmacy department.
• Assist the clinical Pharmacists in the training of clinical staff and undergraduates as required.
• Attend pharmacy and cancer education and training sessions when possible to maintain existing competencies.

People Management and Development 

• Take responsibility for own CPD and maintain an up-to-date portfolio of evidence to meet GPhC requirements.
• Train as a Medicines Reconciliation Technician.
• Train as an Accredited Checking Technician (national accreditation) if deemed appropriate; maintain an up-to-date record of CPD, demonstrating maintenance of competence in this accreditation, in line with both national and local standards.

Personal and Professional Development  

• Take responsibility for own CPD and maintain an up-to-date portfolio of evidence to meet GPhC requirements.
• Train as a Medicines Reconciliation Technician.
• Train as an Accredited Checking Technician (national accreditation) if deemed appropriate; maintain an up-to-date record of CPD, demonstrating maintenance of competence in this accreditation, in line with both national and local standards