About this role
Job summary
We are seeking a motivated, reliable, and patient-focused individual to join our friendly dispensary team. This is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local community within a busy and rewarding healthcare environment.
As a Dispenser, you will process repeat prescription requests, respond to medication queries, and safely dispense medicines and appliances, including monitored dosage systems. You will help ensure high standards of medicines management by maintaining stock levels, actioning drug safety alerts, supporting controlled drug procedures, and ensuring medicines are stored and handled safely in line with practice policies and legal requirements.
The role also involves ordering medicines, managing stock rotation, arranging the safe disposal of returned or expired medication, and supporting quality improvement through dispensary audits and DSQS participation. You will work closely with patients and the wider practice team, including undertaking DRUMS consultations to help patients get the most from their medicines.
We are looking for someone with excellent attention to detail, strong organisational skills, and a commitment to delivering outstanding patient care. If you enjoy working as part of a supportive team and want to make a genuine difference in your community, we would love to hear from you.
Apply today and help us continue delivering safe, effective, and compassionate care to our patients.
Main duties of the job
Based across Bettws and Llangeinor Dispensaries, this role offers an excellent opportunity to become part of a friendly, supportive practice team dedicated to delivering high-quality patient care to our local communities.
As a Dispenser, you will play a key role in ensuring patients receive their medications safely, accurately, and efficiently. Your responsibilities will include processing repeat prescription requests, dispensing medicines and appliances, preparing monitored dosage systems, managing medication stock levels, ordering supplies, and maintaining strict medicines governance and controlled drug procedures. You will also support patients with medication queries, undertake medication reviews (DRUMS), contribute to quality assurance programmes and audits, and help maintain a safe, organised, and compliant dispensary environment.
Alongside your dispensary duties, you will work collaboratively with clinicians and colleagues across the practice, providing excellent customer service to patients both in person and over the telephone. The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to confidentiality, teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement, helping to ensure the smooth running of the practice at all times.
About us
Cwm Garw Practice is a well-established dispensing GP practice serving a rural and semi-rural population in Wales. We provide comprehensive General Medical Services (GMS) and pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, patient-centred care within NHS Wales.
As a dispensing practice, we offer an integrated service to our patients, supported by an experienced and efficient dispensary team. We work closely with our local Primary Care Cluster, community services and secondary care colleagues.
Our multidisciplinary team includes GPs, practice nurses, pharmacists, HCAs, care coordinators, dispensary staff and a strong administrative and management team. We actively promote staff wellbeing, professional development and sustainable working practices.
Job description Job responsibilities
General duties across all roles:
It is the responsibility of each staff member to assist in the smooth running of the Practice in general, and to project a positive and friendly image to our patients and other professionals who may contact us either in person or via the telephone. To act with the strictest confidentiality regarding all aspects of patient care and practice business To recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly To facilitate patients accessing the clinical care provided by the practice To support the GPs and Nurses in providing that care To ensure that all visitors and telephone callers to the practice are greeted professionally To deal with patient enquiries efficiently and courteously To ensure all telephone calls are managed appropriately To access patient medical records where needed To assist with maintenance and security of the premises To keep up to date with policies and procedures within the practice To assist in the training of colleagues (demonstrating own tasks) To act as a chaperone to a clinical colleague for patient examinations To assist in collecting data for audits To participate in staff meetings To participate in staff training To keep updated in basic life support and putting that basic life support training into use during times of emergency To participate in appraisal including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development To take responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work To assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision To contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance To have a thorough knowledge of all practice policies and procedures To work in accordance of written protocols To provide administrative support for clinical staff. To support colleagues in workload when needed To prepare equipment for calibration and PAT testing To participate actively in no blame significant event analysis To ensure building security/premises at the end of the day and ensure the building is totally secured, internal lights off and alarm activated. To carry out any other duties agreed between employee and the practice to ensure the smooth running of the practice To keep own work areas and general/patient areas free from hazards To report potential risks identified To participate in the overtime rota to cover staff sickness and holidays To make refreshments To undertake any other reasonable duty as neededDispensers only
To ensure that the dispensary is kept tidy and well organised at all times To open and close the dispensary To work under the directives of the dispensary SOPs, reporting any non- compliance in keeping with practice procedure To take orders for repeat prescriptions and acute medication queries To dispense drugs and appliances To ensure all dispensed items are checked. To fill and dispense monitored dose systems To ensure that drug alerts are actioned promptly To undertake opportunistic health promotion of patients To maintain stock check and rotate dates on stock To maintain security of drug stock To maintain CD registers and strict CD stock control To arrange safe disposal of out of date and retuned drugs To arrange the safe destruction of out of date and returned controlled drugs To provide a list of near dated stock to clinicians To undertake DRUMS with patients To participate in DSQS To participate in dispensary audit To order drugs from wholesalers ensuring adequate though not excessive stock levels To ensure that stock is received and stored in an appropriate manner in accordance with manufacturers instructions To return unordered or damaged stock to suppliers To assist the stock taker where necessary To complete the end of month WP34 To count and tabulate all PA items To prepare delivery items for the delivery driver To clean the dispensary
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Dispensing NVQ 2/3 or equivalent Competent IT abilities Good Communication Skills Good Organisation Skill GCSEs in English and Maths Past Experience Be able to work as part of a team Attention to detail Be accurate
Experience Essential
Worked previously in Dispensing / Pharmacy
Desirable
Worked in Primary Care
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such 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.
Employer details Employer name Cwm Garw Practice
Address Victoria Street
Pontycymer
Bridgend
CF32 8NN
United Kingdom
Employer's website http://www.cwmgarwpractice.wales.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)