Pharmacy Operations Manager (Dispensary)
Job overview
Are you ready to unlock your potential within a challenging, creative and fast paced work environment? Do you want to work with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past?
This is an excellent opportunity for a senior pharmacy technician to join us as a Pharmacy Operations Manager. You will be joining a team of diverse, talented healthcare professionals to deliver care that is not only efficient but deeply centred on the patient.
Our healthcare team have a real impact on promoting health and well-being to those in prison and we pride ourselves on using skills and strategies that instil hope for patient’s future resettlement back into the community. We directly deliver Mental Health, Physical Health, Pharmacy and Clinical Substance Misuse in an integrated healthcare delivery model to provide effective and responsive care to improve wellbeing and support better outcomes in the future.
This position isn’t just a job; it’s a chance to blend your clinical knowledge, personal skills and a commitment to delivering the highest standards of care in an environment that is as rewarding as it is challenging.
Important Sponsorship Information for this post: Due to service budget restrictions we are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.
Main duties of the job
As a Pharmacy Operations Manager you will be repsonsible for the operational management of the registered pharmacy premises. This will include overseeing the supply of medicines within both the dispensary and pharmacy stores, supporting the responsible person for the wholesale dealer's licence and providing technical support to the dispensary pharmacy team.
You will be responsible for the day to day management of the dispensary team consisting of registered technicians and Pharmacy Assistants. You will manage their performance, training and development and implement SOPs.
In addition, the role provides specialist medicines management support across all areas of OPS operations within BSGW prisons, from a dispensary perspective and in accordance with established practice guidelines.
The position is also responsible for maintaining pharmaceutical governance standards, promoting best practices, and contributing to clinical audits within the dispensary. It ensures that all professional and legal requirements for the safe and effective handling of medicines are met, while managing daily compliance with the Wholesale Dealer’s Licence.
Working for our organisation
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.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We’re Kind
- We’re Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
- Oversee and manage the daily operations of the pharmacy dispensary at HMP Bristol, promptly reporting immediate issues to the responsible pharmacist and escalating significant concerns to the Lead Prison Pharmacist.
- Supervise, mentor, and train pharmacy technicians and assistants, applying specialist knowledge and experience to support their development.
- Dispense prescriptions and stock items while working within the dispensary.
- Perform final accuracy checks as an Accredited Checking Technician (ACT).
- Promote and maintain high standards of work among all dispensary staff, ensuring adherence to all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Assist the Senior Prisons Pharmacist in the development, review, and implementation of SOPs.
- Ensure daily compliance with the requirements of the Wholesale Dealers License across all pharmacy operations.
- Maintain robust systems to support the ordering and supply of repeat prescriptions in a timely and efficient manner.
- Oversee the pharmacy technicians and assistants within the pharmacy department at HMP Bristol, ensuring efficient day-to-day operations and high standards of practice.
- Manage and coordinate leave requests from the dispensary team, liaising with clinical pharmacists to ensure adequate staffing levels and uninterrupted clinical service coverage.
- Maintain compliance with the Wholesale Dealer’s Licence by managing daily operational requirements and promptly reporting any concerns to the Responsible Person or their deputy.
- Monitor the performance of Accredited Checking Technicians (ACTs), identifying issues proactively and implementing corrective actions when necessary.
- Communicate complex or sensitive information effectively and with discretion, using tact and persuasive skills to overcome communication barriers with patients regarding their medicines.
- Provide clear and supportive communication to patients, clients, or carers regarding medication, adapting communication styles as needed to address potential difficulties or misunderstandings.
- Coordinate the daily delivery of technical pharmacy services, including planning and overseeing training and assessment in line with current procedures and best practices.
- To undertake annual appraisals of the dispensary team members.
- To mentor and train dispensary pharmacy staff using specialist knowledge and experience, to ensure all staff are working to high standards.
- To train as an accredited checking facilitator (if not already achieved) and to ensure all pharmacy technicians achieve accreditation in a timely manner when employed.
- To train as an NVQ assessor (if not already achieved) and support all technical staff through their NVQ qualifications as necessary.
- Plan, complex activities or programmes requiring formulation. Coordinate with broader healthcare teams to deliver high standards of care around medicine management services within BSGW.
- Provide cover for weekly clinical visits in the absence of a technician. During these visits, you will:
- Conduct stock top-ups for all areas where medicines are stored within the prison.
- Review expiry dates and assess storage conditions for all medicines, reporting any issues to the Prison Service Pharmacist.
- Support the Prison Service Pharmacist in advising prisoners and staff on the appropriate use of medications.
- Perform controlled drugs stock checks every three months and report any discrepancies or concerns to the Prison Service Pharmacist.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:
All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.
You will need to provide:
Proof of right to work documentation
Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID
Proof of address documentation
Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.
Address History:
5 years address history will be needed.
Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.
Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.
In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants
If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).
Person specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential criteria- NVQ L3 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent
- GPhC Registration
- Accredieted checking technician qualification
Experience
Essential criteria- Substantial experience of working within in pharmacy
- Experience of checking dispensed prescriptions
- Prison/secure environment experience
- Mental Health experience
Skills
Essential criteria- Good oral and written communication skills
- Knowledge or writing and working within a set of SOPS
We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.
If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.
We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.
Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process. We also discourage overuse of AI during the application process because this can negatively impact the quality of your application and may hinder your chances of being shortlisted.Thank you.