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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (weekend working as per department rota)
Job ref
196-LIS9640
Employer
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Harefield Hospital
Town
Uxbridge
Salary
£29,176 - £30,225 per annum inc. HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
06/07/2025 23:59
Interview date
17/07/2025

Employer heading

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust logo

Medicines Optimisation Pharmacy Assistant- Harefield Hospital

NHS AfC: Band 3

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. 

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.



Job overview

We are delighted to invite applications for a Medicines Optimisation Pharmacy Assistant post. This is an opportunity to work on a rotational basis within the different pharmacy teams at Harefield Hospital.

You will assist the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians to provide Medicines Optimisation Services to patients at a ward level within the Cardiothoracic, Critical Care and Transplant areas.

Previous experience in a hospital or customer orientated environment is essential and you must have already obtained your NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services .

Training will be offered to develop skills within this role.

Main tasks will include:

  • To assist in the provision of a high-quality patient focused medicines management service to patients at the Trust.
  • To ensure the safe and timely transfer of named patient medications between wards
  • To assist in the provision of a high quality 'topping up' service of pharmaceutical supplies to wards, clinics and associated areas, including Omnicell automated drug cabinets (ADC).
  • To label and dispense discharge prescriptions (TTA) on wards and within main dispensary
  • In association with the Medicines Management Pharmacy Technicians, clinical pharmacists and ward teams, ensure that stock lists for clinical wards and departments are reviewed regularly and are updated and adequately reflect the needs of the area

 

Main duties of the job

To support the ward teams in maintaining safe storage and temperature control of medications in all areas of the ward(s).

To ensure the safe and timely transfer of named patient medications between wards.

To assist in the provision of a high-quality patient focused medicines management service to patients at the Trust.

To assist in the provision of a high quality 'topping up' service of pharmaceutical supplies to wards, clinics and associated areas, including Omnicell automated drug cabinets (ADC)

To place stock within automated drug cabinets and carry out maintenance including rotation and expiry date checks.

To act as a point of contact between pharmacy and ward staff for maintenance and troubleshooting regarding the automated drug cabinet systems.

To process medication waste and returns, assessing medicines for destruction and assessment of medicines which are safe to return to pharmacy or ward stock for re-issue to patients according to established pharmacy, health and safety and risk assessment procedures.

To assist the transplant and cardiology pharmacy teams in the coordination and production of Homecare prescriptions, ensuring relevant databases are maintained, and liaising with patients, healthcare professionals and Homecare providers as necessary to facilitate Homecare for adult transplant and cardiology patients.

To undertake day-to-day housekeeping tasks and other basic duties as necessary.

Working for our organisation

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is among the largest in the UK and is recognised for its clinical excellence, teaching, and research. In addition to providing local hospital and community services, the Trust delivers specialist care in cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, paediatrics, and Acute Medicine. Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Guy’s Cancer Centre are key components of its services.

In February 2021, the Trust merged with Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, forming one of Europe’s largest centres for heart and lung services. This merger enhances collaboration across services and research, enabling innovation and ensuring exceptional care for patients with complex conditions.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ continues to build on its legacy of delivering world-class care, with Acute Medicine at the forefront of its commitment to meeting the evolving needs of patients. The Trust is also committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for its patients and staff

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for the full duties and responsibilities of this role.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services, or willing to work towards
  • Maths and English GCSE or equivalent, grade C or above
Desirable criteria
  • HEE Medicines Optimisation Programme POD assessment & Transcribing module or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working in a hospital or customer orientated environment
  • Experience of working with information technology, such as computers and automated systems
  • Previous and relevant experience in stock control

Skills and abilities

Essential criteria
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Software
  • Good ability to organise and prioritise work
  • Able to work under pressure
  • Ability to deal with non-routine tasks
  • The ability to communicate empathetically with patients
  • Good communication skills
Desirable criteria
  • Experience in using EPIC Pharmacy Stock Control and Dispensing computer system

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Timewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employer

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Jasmine Dhesi
Job title
Lead Pharmacy Technician, Medicines Optimisation
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01895828596
Additional information

Dinuna Siriwardena

[email protected]

01895828596

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