Pharmacy Technician

Job responsibilities

Work with the care coordinator prescription clerks, pharmacists, and wider team to help patients get the best from their medicines by:

• Shared decision-making conversations with patients.
• Improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, including promoting repeat dispensing and online ordering
• Ensuring adherence to local formularies
• Minimising clinical risk and reducing medication waste.

Support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for

• Patients discharged from hospital
• Patients following Outpatient appointments
• Patients consulting with Private providers
• New care home patients
• Patients using Monitored Dosage Systems

Patient transfers between care settings (including synchronising medicines)Understand and consider the common needs and safeguarding issues of vulnerable patient groups, including the elderly, housebound, and those with long-term conditions or disabilities (physical and mental).

• Work alongside PCN clinical pharmacists to deliver aspects of the PCN Direct Enhanced Service (DES), such as Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs).

Work within the Pharmacy Team, alongside clinical pharmacists, to:

• Respond to medication-related queries from patients, GPs, healthcare professionals, and staff within own competence.
• Develop and maintain a safe, efficient medicines optimisation programme, including repeat prescribing, medication reviews, and reconciliation services.

• Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team in implementing and maintaining efficient medicines optimisation processes.
• Support implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes, and other primary care settings.
• Always support medication safety, including the application of tools such as ICB Medication Safety Dashboard, Eclipse RADAR, MHRA alerts, NPSA alerts as well as CQC related audits/searches.
• Support the PCN in delivering Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) targets and locally commissioned enhanced services.
• Contribute to the training and development of care coordinator prescription clerks to improve coordination and effectiveness in medicines management within the PCN.
• Contribute to the development and ongoing review of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Prescription Hub, ensure all staff are compliant with the SOPs.
• Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes. Attend a formal appraisal with the manager at least every 12 months, with regular progress reviews and new objective setting.
• Be available to work weekends if and when required.

In addition to the primary duties, the pharmacy technician may be requested to carry out any other duties as may be required by the PCN either temporarily or permanently. This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities. There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to consider developments within the PCN.

Other

Essential

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Able to work under pressure.
• Hard working, adaptable, reliable, honest, pleasant and approachable
• Able to work autonomously with minimal supervision
• Clean driving licence

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills
• Excellent leadership skills
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing
• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• Self-motivated and able to work on own initiative with the ability to prioritise workload and exercise good time management skills
• Proven track record of team-working
• Ability to respond to change and adapt accordingly

Desirable

• Good influencing and negotiating skills
• Good presentation skills
• Aware of current issues in medicines optimisation
• Knowledge (theoretical +/or practical) of PCNs, GP practices and evidence based medicine
• IT skills with EMISWeb clinical system.

Qualifications

Essential

• BTEC / NVQ level 3 qualification in pharmaceutical sciences
• Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development.
• Completion of Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) primary care Pharmacy Education Pathway

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 2 years post-registration experience
• Dealing with the public / patients
• Previous primary care experience

Desirable

• Previous work in a multi-disciplinary team

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).