PCN Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Clinical

• To work with GP practices within the PCN to develop and/or improve repeat medication protocols;
• Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings
• Assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation, incentive schemes and patient safety audits;
• To address the following areas without the need to consult a GP/Pharmacist (although clinical support and advice will always be available if required):
• Addition/removal of medications following receipt of a discharge summary
• Effecting medication changes as per secondary care and community clinic letters
• Changing acute medications to repeat where appropriate- e.g. A new medication that a GP/Nurse Practitioner has commenced and there is evidence for the need for the item on a repeat basis and necessary tests/checks have confirmed this.
• District Nurse Dressing requests.
• Catheter, supplements/feeds and stoma care requests
• Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing;
• Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients;
• Provide specialist expertise, where competent, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities
• Support, as determined by the PCN, medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings and linking with local community pharmacists
• Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g. checking inhaler technique), supporting medication reviews, and medicines reconciliation.
• Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use and request their medicines effectively;
• Undertake patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared-decision making conversations with patients;

Organisational

• Work with the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes, and reducing wastage
• Supervise practice reception teams in sorting and streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests;
• Provide leadership for medicines optimisation systems across PCNs, supporting practices with a range of services to get the best value from medicines by encouraging and implementing Electronic Prescriptions, safe repeat prescribing systems, and timely monitoring and management of high-risk medicines;
• Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS); and
• Develop relationships with other pharmacy technicians, pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care, and mental health

Governance and Audit

• Actively participate in clinical governance within the PCNs and the member practices;
• Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient / family / staff / records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act and Practices policies and procedures;
• Adhere to and participate with practices in infection control policies and procedures;
• Maintain professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPC);
• Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by PCN Practices or OurNet Health Services;
• Undertake and/or participate in regular audits to monitor standards and quality.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Medicines management or dispensing role in the community

Desirable

• Policy / Procedure Development
• General Practice repeat prescribing systems

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent
• Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from an approved training pathway (i.e. PCPEP / MOCH / APTUK)

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Walsall Primary Care Network

Address

OurNet Communication Centre

The Old Stables, Elmore Court

Elmore Green Road

Walsall

WS23 2QW

Employer's website

https://www.ournhs.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)