Primary Care Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: PHARMACY TECHNICIAN

REPORTS TO: LEAD CLINICAL PHARMACIST

ACCOUNTABLE TO: PCN MANAGER

HOURS: 24 TO 37.5 HOURS PERMANENT

JOB SUMMARY:

PCN pharmacy staff work with GP practices, care homes and community pharmacy colleagues to enable our patients to get the most from their medicines. We maximise safe, cost-effective prescribing through medicines optimisation and quality improvement projects.

The post holder will work across our 3 practices – Sid Valley Practice, The Coleridge Medical Centre and Honiton Surgery, but will predominantly be based at Sid Valley Practice.

The post holder will contribute to repeat prescribing processes minimising clinical risk and reducing wasted medicines.

Promotion of medicine reconciliation and staff training are key elements of this role.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical

· Undertake patient facing conversations to promote understanding and effective medicines use, through shared decision-making

· Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including supply synchronisation and administration support (inhaler technique, formulation choice).

· Undertake medicines reconciliation for care home residents and elderly patients recently discharged from hospital.

· Visit care homes to optimise medicine safety and improve patient outcomes.

· Link with community pharmacies to deliver joined up care through the Community Pharmacy Contract and Community Pharmacy Consultation Service.

· Assist in the audit & management of patients with shared care protocols & high-risk medications.

· Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

· Provide advice to patients and multidisciplinary teams within professional limits of expertise and refer to pharmacist or GP when appropriate.

· Attend the prescribing committee meetings & develop PCN policies, prescribing protocols and standard operating procedures

· Support the PCN Pharmacy Team to implement the DES and IIF annual targets through quality improvement, educational presentations and multidisciplinary working

· Line manager to the HR administrator and the Rota and facilities administrator and secretarial team

Technical and Administrative

• Implement efficient ordering and reduce medication wastage.
• Link with community pharmacies to communicate supply issues and solutions
• Promote electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD), online ordering and proxy ordering processes for care homes.
• Link with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration across health and social care.
• Support staff on secondments and training rotations from other organisations.
• Support prescription teams, deliver audits and training and lead change to improve services across the practices
• Deliver changes in prescribing practice according to QIPP agenda, QOF, PCN DES and other enhanced services
• Assist in transportation of vaccine for vaccination campaigns according to national and local protocols

General

• Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The postholder must be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of the appointing GP Federation and comply with all the requirements of these policies and actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post.
• Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candor are observed and upheld in all working practices.

· The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organisation, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisation’s safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

·

PERSON SPECIFICATION ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

Qualifications and Experience

Professional registration with GPhC

BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences

Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)

Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, care homes, community or hospital pharmacy

Experience of Quality Improvement and Audit

Knowledge and Understanding

Knowledge of Primary Care including PCNs, General Practice and community pharmacy

An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets

Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology

An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement

Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation

Skills and Competencies

Excellent communication skills.

Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)

Ability to effectively manage allocated resources and prioritise own workload to meet strict deadlines

Influencing and negotiating skills

Attention to detail, able to work accurately and to identify errors

Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills

Attributes

Works effectively independently and as a member of a team

Flexible approach to meet service needs

Self-motivated and proactive

Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work

Independently mobile to access all PCN sites

Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager/Infection Prevention and Control

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, care homes, community or hospital pharmacy
• Experience of Quality Improvement and Audit

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional registration with GPhC
• BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
• Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Knowledge of Primary Care including PCNs, General Practice and community pharmacy
• An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets
• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement
• Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation
• Excellent communication skills.
• Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
• Ability to effectively manage allocated resources and prioritise own workload to meet strict deadlines
• Influencing and negotiating skills
• Attention to detail, able to work accurately and to identify errors
• Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills
• Attributes
• Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
• Flexible approach to meet service needs
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
• Independently mobile to access all PCN sites

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

Honiton Surgery

Address

Beacon Medical Centre

Sedemuda Road

Sidmouth

Devon

EX10 9YA

Employer's website

https://www.honitonsurgery.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)