Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to maintain relationships with residential care facilities to provide quality service and coordinate the ongoing supply of medications and other pharmacy products to their residents. It requires the ability to administer trading terms and contracts and to assist pharmacists with patient medication reviews, administrative records and reports.
This unit applies to senior dispensary assistants working in community pharmacies. When coordinating care facility services, they work under the direct supervision of a pharmacist and their role is limited to those functions that do not require them to exercise professional pharmaceutical judgement or discretion.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Maintain contact with residential care facilities. | 1.1.Confirm relevant contact personnel for residential care facilities. 1.2.Act as contact person to coordinate overall pharmacy service to residential care customers. 1.3.Initiate regular contact to improve service efficiency. |
2. Identify and respond to service requirements. | 2.1.Consult with care facility and establish ordering needs. 2.2.Clearly explain and confirm trading terms for care facility. 2.3.Clearly explain pricing policy and procedures. 2.4.Monitor currency of contract between pharmacy and facility and take action in the case of non-current contracts according to organisational procedures. |
3. Maintain services to residential care facilities. | 3.1.Receive and process pharmacy notifications of resident admissions or re-admissions. 3.2.Negotiate and coordinate arrangements for receiving and filling regular care facility orders. 3.3.Supply stock medicines to care facility and maintain stock control system according to organisational procedures. 3.4.Coordinate delivery schedule, emergency deliveries and persons authorised to receive. 3.5.Negotiate a system to notify pharmacy of all changes to individual patient medication regimens. 3.6.Liaise with care facility director of nursing or other nominated person to identify information and education needs. 3.7.Respond to medicine information queries promptly. |
4. Administer records. | 4.1.Maintain accurate and complete record of medicines supplied for each resident. 4.2.Assist pharmacist to regularly review patient medicines and amend patient medication charts, according to organisational procedures. 4.3.Assist pharmacist to monitor Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR), Adverse Drug Events (ADE) and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM). 4.4.Maintain and follow pharmacy system for recording and reporting medication-related incidents. 4.5.Input data, raise and forward invoices 4.6.Analyse and reconcile payments in pharmacy systems according to organisational procedures. 4.7.Identify and respond to discrepancies in records within scope of own role. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
complete the following activities to supply medications and other pharmacy products to residential care facilities:
coordinate supply services to at least one residential care facility over two supply periods to include:
receiving and processing orders for bulk stock and multiple individual medications for patients
scheduling all regular deliveries
scheduling emergency deliveries
maintaining patient supply records
issuing invoices and reconciling payments
assist pharmacist to review patient medications across two care facilities and amend medical charts for three patients
assist in generating each of these types of reports:
Adverse Drug Reactions reports
Adverse Drug Events reports.
Evidence of Knowledge
Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
primary components of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Professional Practice Standards – provisions relevant to services to residential care facilities
role boundaries and responsibilities of dispensary assistants and pharmacists for providing services to residential care facilities
basic aspects of medication provision in residential care facilities
full details of contractual arrangements with residential care facilities:
services provided:
education and information
stock control
storage
roles and responsibilities of care facility and pharmacy
pricing schedule
trading terms
formats, content and use of:
patient medication charts
medication-related incident reports and registers
pharmacy systems and organisational procedures for:
notifying pharmacy of changes to individual patient medication regimens
receiving and processing orders for bulk stock and multiple individual medications for patients
providing information and education on medications
scheduling regular and emergency medicine deliveries
maintaining patient supply records and medication charts
reviewing patient medications
recording and reporting medication-related incidents
pricing and invoicing for residential care facilities.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated in a pharmacy with a designated operational dispensary and administration area. This must be in an industry workplace, which meets Pharmacy Board of Australia and relevant industry standards for dispensary operations.
Assessment must ensure use of:
information technology hardware and software
dispensary and invoicing software currently used by the community pharmacy industry
template contracts with residential care facilities
orders for bulk stock and multiple individual medications for patients
template:
delivery schedules
patient supply records and medication charts
medication-related incident reports and registers
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Professional Practice Standards – provisions relevant to services to residential care facilities
organisational procedures for supplying medications and products to residential care facilities
residential care facility customers with whom the individual can interact
pharmacists with whom the individual can interact
assessment activities that allow the individual to work with commercial speed, timing and productivity to complete care facility enquiries and orders within nominated service deadlines.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisation’s requirements for assessors, and:
have worked in the pharmacy sector for at least two years.
Foundation Skills
Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed here, along with a brief context statement. | |
Reading skills to: | interpret a range of complex documents including organisational procedures for servicing residential care facilities, contracts, orders for bulk stock and multiple individual medications. |
Sectors
Community Pharmacy
Competency Field
Dispensary