Pharmacy Procurement Officer
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Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Procurement Officer to join our Procurement team. This is a fixed term post for 9 months.
Applicants should have good communication skills and be able to work accurately within a busy Pharmacy setting.
Main duties of the job
You will assist in the safe and effective procurement of pharmaceuticals for the patients of the Trust and provide administrative support in the monitoring and invoicing of pharmaceuticals.
To assist in the safe and effective procurement of pharmaceutical products within the Trust, including routine and non-routine orders.
To assist in the training and supervision of ATO, clerical and rotational staff as required.
Working for our organisation
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients.We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY DUTIES- To place orders for pharmaceuticals using the pharmacy electronic ordering systems, following local procedures for sourcing from external suppliers and using own judgement in selecting the appropriate supplier following contract arrangements.
- To be an authorised signatory for the ordering of pharmaceuticals with delegated authority of up to £15K.
- To be responsible for checking the accuracy of invoices for pharmaceuticals against regional / national contract prices using the pharmacy computer systems and provide complex information to the finance department in relation to orders placed which may require adjustment.
- To be responsible for communicating with external suppliers in relation to any invoice discrepancies and to take action to rectify.
- To take action if discrepancies occur between ordering and delivery, liaising with external suppliers to arrange credits and returns.
- To authorise invoices for payment once goods are received.
- To pursue outstanding orders for pharmaceuticals urgently required on a daily basis and seek alternative suppliers where necessary.
- To assist in the implementation of procedures relating to the procurement of pharmaceuticals to provide an efficient and effective administration service.
- To be responsible for maintaining an orderly filing system for all orders, delivery notes, to-follows and unlicensed material documentation.
- To provide complex information to external suppliers for the ordering of named patient supplies, maintaining patient confidentiality at all times.
- To assist in the running of relevant reports required by the procurement office for internal audit and to update the pharmacy computer database (JAC / WellSky) as necessary.
- To participate in audit and stock taking processes where appropriate
- To assist in the implementation of new technology relevant to procurement and distribution.
- To assist other members of staff in the performance of an efficient and cost effective service.
- To participate in all Saturday, Sunday, evening, on-call and bank holiday rotas in response to the changing needs of the Pharmacy service.
Person specification
Other
Essential criteria- Supportive of colleagues of all grades
- Ability to participate in the departmental rota for late and weekend working
Skills
Essential criteria- Good verbal and communication skills both face to face and using telephones
- Ability to talk to patients, staff and other senior health professionals
- Ability to work accurately and efficiently with good attention to detail
- Good administration skills including record-keeping
- Ability to concentrate for long periods of time and able work under pressure
- Hardworking with a determination to overcome obstacles and understand the importance and context of the role.
- Self-motivated team player with the ability to motivate the team performance to achieve objectives
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria- Experience working in Pharmacy
- Experience of Working with computer systems
- Experience in using the JAC Pharmacy Computer System
- Experience of clerical / administrative work
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Has completed a recognised dispensing qualification
- NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy services qualification
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. You are part of an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce.We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [email protected]
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.
If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
- All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
- There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
- Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts.Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated.
Additional Information
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.
An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.