Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties

Clinical

• Support the delivery of clinical pharmacy services across the PCN, to include:

• liaising with clinicians and administrative staff to answer medicines related queries within the Technicians scope of competence or referring them to the most suitable healthcare professional where appropriate;

• in accordance with agreed and approved protocols, assisting the Clinical Pharmacists with Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) such as providing background information, arranging necessary monitoring tests before SMR and follow up of patients after review by the Clinical Pharmacist through domiciliary and Care Home visits, utilising consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to optimise their use of medicines;

• providing medicines reconciliation for patients in a timely and effective manner when they register with the practice or transfer back into primary care, liaising with patients and other providers to ensure patients receive appropriate medication.

• Assist with medication safety monitoring systems including managing drug monitoring of medicines prescribed under shared care (e.g. high-risk drugs).

• Participate in quality improvement work and clinical audits to maximise safe and cost-effective medicines use. This will include assisting with searches, data collection and medicine safety tasks.

• Provide advice to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, signposting and helping to tackle local health inequalities.

• Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

Technical and administration

• Improve and implement efficient ordering and repeat prescribing processes, including:

• promoting and implementing aspects of electronic prescribing (ETP) and electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) and online ordering, in particular to minimise clinical risk and waste of medicines;

• supporting the PCN with prescription processing and improving the service to patients, including community pharmacy liaison around medication changes and out of stock medications.

• Provide advice and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines.

• Maintain the practice formulary.

• Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.

• Monitor practice prescribing and adherence to Coastal PCN, local and national prescribing policies.

• Assist the practice with the identification and management of patients taking medications that are subject to CAS/MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local/national guidance.

• Support the PCN to deliver on QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.

• Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements.

Equality and diversity

Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity, to include:

• acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures, policies and current legislation;

• respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues; and

• behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional development

Participate in mandatory training and any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, to include:

• engaging with an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development; and

• taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Quality

Strive to maintain quality within the practice, including:

• alerting other team members to issues of quality and risk;

• assessing own performance and taking accountability for own actions, directly or under supervision;

• contributing 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;

• working effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patient needs; and

• effectively managing own time, workload and resources.

General

• Participate in practice meetings, patient participation groups and other local meetings to improve engagement with the role of the Pharmacy Technician.

• Ensure principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld in all working practices.

• Work in accordance with PCN policies, including the equal opportunities, equality and diversity, safeguarding, health and safety, and infection control policies.

• Develop relationships and work closely with community, hospital, MOT pharmacy colleagues and the wider health system.

• Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required from time to time.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
• Evidence of continued professional development

Desirable

• Experience working with GP
• surgeries in this role
• Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of
• the respective merits of different options, innovations new opportunities and challenges

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge
• Good understanding of the nature of primary care, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for
• improvement and medicines optimisation
• Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation

Desirable

• Relevant knowledge of Primary Care
• Networks, General Practice and evidence based medicine
• An appreciation of NHS agenda and government targets
• Awareness of how Clinical Pharmacy Services assist delivery of NHS priorities including requirements for financial balance and quality

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Computer literate with ability to use Microsoft office packages
• Excellent attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and taking steps to correct
• Able to effectively manage allocated resources
• Demonstrates a planned and organised approach with the ability to prioritise own workload and meet strict deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to adapt communication style and content to suit the audience, including patients, carers and other healthcare professionals, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication
• Good understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
• Ability to think analytically, anticipating obstacles, thinking ahead, using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems
• Good influencing and negotiating skills

Desirable

• Experience of using GP Clinical system (SystmOne

Attributes

Essential

• Ability to multi-task, work effectively, independently and as part of a team
• Ability to be flexible with hours if required to meet service needs
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
• Independently mobile and be able to work across several sites and conduct patient or care home visits
• Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment, dealing with urgent and important tasks to prioritise effectively whilst also supporting others
• Excellent time keeping and prioritising skills
• Acceptable Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change

Desirable

• Ability to drive and have own car

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional registration with GPhC
• BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences.
• Is enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway, i.e. the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP); Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH), or is prepared to enrol in

Desirable

• Accredited Checking Technician (ACT) Qualification

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

Coastal Medical Partnership

Address

The Arnewood Practice

Avenue Road

New Milton

Hampshire

BH25 5JP

Employer's website

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