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.
To
(1) manage on a daily basis the Medicines Management Service at HMPRochester,
(2) Manage the medicines administration as well as the printingand coordination of the repeat prescription process.
(3) Administer medicines to offenders against a valid prescription on the house blocks.
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.
Key Task and Responsibilities
1. 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.
2. To ensure safe supply and administer medication to the patients at HMP Rochester.
3. 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.
4. To assist the GP Pharmacist with writing, updating and monitoring the use of SOPs.
5. To ensure, on a daily basis, that all pharmacy operations are within the requirements of the GPhC
6. To ensure systems are in place and to carry out the ordering/supply of repeat prescriptions.
Management responsibilities
1. To manage the entire medicines management process at HMP Rochester.
2. To manage and coordinate repeat prescriptions.
3. To monitor the performance of the medicines optimisation technicians when placed at HMP Rochester and implement remedial action should an issue arise.
Leadership
1. To assist with annual appraisals of the Pharmacy Technicians and Assistant team members.
2. 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:
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:
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 (
This advert closes on Wednesday 1 Jan 2025
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