Senior service technician

Job summary

Working within prisons can be challenging, yet extremely rewarding for Pharmacy Technicians to work - where you can use your clinical skills and develop them within the Health and Justice system, supported throughout by Oxleas Prison Services Ltd.

As a Band 6 Senior Prison Service Technician, you will work as part of our dispensary teams whilst having lots of patient contact! The post-holder will provide pharmaceutical services to a cluster of prisons, supported and trained by the Lead Pharmacist for Kent Prisons.

Within this role, you will be an integral member of the Medicines Management team, which forms part of the wider cluster of Healthcare Services.

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is a leading provider of Pharmacy services in South East, South West and London Prisons. The pharmacy department has a long history of innovation within such areas, with established prescribing guidelines, excellent relationships with medical staff, a strong culture of leading clinical audit and research projects and an excellent publication record.

All of these attributes we wish to extend to the prison pharmacy services.

We believe in supporting our staff to develop to their full potential. As a service, we encourage progression clinically and professionally, through funding of management courses as well as clinical diplomas and independent prescribing.

Main duties of the job

1) manage on a daily basis the Medicines Management Service at HMP Rochester,

2) Manage the medicines administration as well as the printing and coordination of the repeat prescription process.

3) Administer medicines to offenders against a valid prescription on the house blocks.

About us

Oxleas - About Us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies.

Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives.

Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent.

We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs.

We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London.

We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

This role has the opportunity to be able to undertake the clinical diploma and independent prescribing course.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Task and Responsibilities

• To organise and manage the day-to-day running of the pharmacy mediated Medicines Management services at HMP Rochester, reporting any immediate issues to the GP Pharmacist Sheppey and any significant issues to the Lead Prison Services Pharmacist for Kent.
• To ensure safe supply and administer medication to the patients at HMP Rochester.
• To promote and ensure high standards of work to all Medicines Management staff in HMP Rochester and ensure all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are read and adhered to.
• To assist the GP Pharmacist with writing, updating and monitoring the use of SOPs.
• To ensure, on a daily basis, that all pharmacy operations are within the requirements of the GPhC
• To ensure systems are in place and to carry out the ordering / supply of repeat prescriptions.

Management responsibilities

• To manage the entire medicines management process at HMP Rochester.
• To manage and coordinate repeat prescriptions.
• To monitor the performance of the medicines optimisation technicians when placed at HMP Rochester and implement remedial action should an issue arise.

Leadership

• To assist with annual appraisals of the Pharmacy Technicians and Assistant team members.
• To mentor and train medicines optimisation staff using specialist knowledge and experience, to ensure all staff are working to high standards.

Clinical

To provide cover for medicines optimisation visits in the absence of one of the technicians.

On these visits you will :

• undertake a stock top-up service for all areas medicines are stored within the prison.
• review the expiry dates and storage facilities for all such medicines and report any deficiencies to the prison service pharmacist for that prison.
• assist the prison service pharmacist to provide advice to prisoners and staff about the appropriate use of medicines.
• undertake 3 monthly controlled drugs stock checks and report any issues to the Prison Service Pharmacist for that prison.
• undertake medicines management audits on monthly basis

Promote healthy lifestyles for offenders in line with local and national guidelines or promotions. 3. To demonstrate on-going continual professional development (CPD) and be responsible for self-development and learning within the field of pharmacy or other speciality where appropriate.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION PLEASE READ :

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

• oNVQ level 3 Pharmacy Services or equivalent
• oAccredited Checking Technician Certificate
• oNVQ A1 assessors award
• oEvidence of CPD
• oRegistration with GPhC as a pharmacy technician

Experience

Essential

o6 years experience of working in a pharmacy

Desirable

• oMinimum of 4 years prison or hospital pharmacy experience
• o2 years mental health experience
• oManagement experience

Skills / Abilities / Knowledge

Essential

• oKnowledge and experience of checking dispensed prescriptions
• oGood oral and written communication skills
• oGood interpersonal skills
• oAbility to work independently and as part of a team

Last updated : 2024-04-29