Pharmacy Homecare Manager - Band 5

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Under the guidance of the Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Homecare manage the day-to-day operation of the Pharmacy Homecare team in line with Trust policies and Hackett recommendations to ensure a safe, effective, timely and high-quality patient centred service is always provided.

To oversee all aspects of administration involved with the Pharmacy Homecare service at North Bristol NHS Trust from order creation through to checking documentation ready for invoice payment and passing invoices for payment.

To be responsible for all aspects of HR and recruitment (including but not limited to staff appraisals, sickness absence management, capabilities and disciplinary procedures and processes as required by the Trust).

Main duties of the job

• Responsible for managing the homecare team’s workload dictated by service needs, prioritising work according to clinical need and service requirements, and ensuring the day-to-day operation of the pharmacy homecare team is carried out within expected key performance indicators.
• Responsible for overseeing the financial statements of the homecare providers, liaising with the relevant disputes teams to resolve invoicing queries, and ensuring invoices are paid in a timely manner to ensure efficient flow of invoicing.
• Carry out quarterly performance review meetings with suppliers, including minute taking and management of action logs.
• Maintain the correct CMU contract information on the pharmacy computer system and ensure this information is communicated correctly to the homecare providers in a timely manner.
• Developing training programmes for new homecare staff and rotational staff, responsible for training and developing new homecare staff and rotational staff including competency assessment and sign off.
• Participates in the induction programme for all appropriate new staff to ensure they are aware of essential Homecare procedures.
• To investigate patient or staff led complaints involving or relating to homecare services, taking appropriate action, developing, and implementing necessary changes in practice to ensure improvement.

Working for our organisation

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

We commit to treating each patient as an individual with respect and dignity, aiming to deliver excellent clinical outcomes and a first-class experience for everyone who uses our services. North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

If you are from outside the area, Bristol is consistently voted as one of the best places to live in the UK, with a rich history, thriving arts, music, gastronomic and independent retails scenes, excellent transport links and easy access to the spectacular countryside and coastlines of South Wales, Devon, and Cornwall.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Work with homecare providers to maintain continuity of supply ensuring any supply problems or queries are resolved and/or effectively communicated within the Trust.
• Communicate effectively with pharmacy staff, wider trust staff, Suppliers, and patients or agreed patient representatives to ensure that queries and issues are resolved in a timely manner.
• Responsible for overseeing the maintenance of Homecare records relating to homecare patients, prescriptions processed, and invoices passed for payment.
• Able to deal with the volume of work by effectively managing own time and workload unsupervised.
• Attend regional homecare meetings on behalf of NBT if required.
• Monitor and review KPIs from Homecare providers and appropriately escalate any performance issues.
• Ensures that all systems and processes related to the smooth running of the Homecare service are followed, and prepare the way for future developments, including but not limited to electronic working, to ensure that NBT. Homecare services are of a consistently high standard.
• Ensures that any service changes or issues are effectively communicated to all relevant Trust and Departmental Staff.
• Assist in internal audits of the homecare service in line with regional and national requirements.
• Responsible for producing and reviewing standard operating procedures for own work area as well as processes and procedures that involve service changes that will impact on other sections/departments and, ultimately, patients. To ensure these standard operating procedures and process changes are communicated thoroughly to all relevant sections/departments whilst ensuring all staff training is current and valid in line with SOPs in all aspects of services for Homecare.
• Deputise the Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Homecare. 
• Carry out procurement activities as part of the procurement weekend rota.

Person specification

Education/Training/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent, or BTEC National Certificate in Pharmacy Services, or a recognised equivalent qualification, or a qualification at degree level.
• IT competencies equivalent to GCSE Grade C or above, including experience using Microsoft Office software Inc. Excel.

Desirable criteria

• Leadership and Management Level 2 qualification.

Work Experience

Essential criteria

• Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a pharmacy technician or a minimum of two years’ experience working in senior pharmacy assistant role.
• Experience of managing a team of two or more people.
• Experience of using systematic working practices with very high degrees of accuracy.
• Experienced in managing and applying CMU contract information to Pharmacy Systems – or willing to undertake and complete training within first year in post.
• Experience in customer orientated services with a broad knowledge of customer care.
• Experience of analysing financial data.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with multidisciplinary stakeholders.
• Experience of writing standard operating procedures.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Essential criteria

• Well-developed problem-solving skills.
• Ability to react to and manage changing situations, work demands and priorities, and to liaise with staff and external contractors accordingly and to escalate whenever indicated.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Training skills.

Desirable criteria

• Familiar with all relevant Trust Policies and Procedures.
• Current knowledge of the range and type of pharmaceutical products in current use with Homecare.

Personal Qualities/Special Circumstances

Essential criteria

• Self-motivated individual with an organised and logical approach to work.
• Ability to work flexibly under pressure as part of a busy team, and on own initiative without direct supervision to prioritise and achieve workload and deadlines.
• Able to deal professionally with staff, patients and suppliers when dealing with sensitive information.
• Ability to plan and organise on-going service delivery.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Able to thrive on development/ change.
• Able to work accurately under pressure and interruptions.

Desirable criteria

• Able to cope with frequent, light, manual handling activities.