PCN Pharmacy Technician

Job responsibilities

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Clinical

2. Technical and Administrative

1.1. Undertake patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.

1.2. Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g. checking inhaler technique), actioning, clinical letters and discharge summaries, supporting medication reviews, medicines reconciliation and drug monitoring. Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.

1.3. As determined by the PCN, support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies

1.4. Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) e.g. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR

1.5. Provide expertise to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities

1.6. Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients

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

2.1. Work with the clinical pharmacists and support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.

2.2. Action clinical letter and discharge summaries, daily and within a timely manner

2.3. Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).

2.4. Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering

2.5. Develop relationships with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health

2.6. Support practice prescriptions teams in streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests

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

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

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

Qualifications

Essential

• BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
• Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Completed or be willing to complete the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Program (CPPE)

Desirable

• Additional clinical pharmacy training/qualification
• Primary Care Pharmacy Education Program (CPPE)

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
• Confident in use of electronic records and systems; databases and spreadsheets.
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
• Can work independently on a day-to-day basis
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (Email, telephone & online meetings)

Desirable

• Experience of using SystmOne
• Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing
• Awareness of GP budget-management and funding systems to enable GP clinical pharmacist services to assist delivery of PCN and NHS priorities and requirements for financial balance and quality

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Self-motivated and able to work independently, resourcefully and under pressure, without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities.
• An understanding and acceptance of ones capabilities and awareness of own limitations
• Must be reliable and accurate in all aspects of work.
• Able to work under pressure
• Flexible and Adaptable.
• Flexibility of working hours to cover changes in service demand as required by business needs
• Must be adaptable and comfortable dealing with changing priorities
• Able to work in a challenging and changing environment, responding quickly and flexibly to new developments
• Communication.
• Confident in communication methods and able communicate effectively with a wide variety of people with different skill sets, verbally and in writing
• Needs to be able to remain calm in fraught circumstances.
• Diplomatic when dealing with sensitive information or managing potential conflict
• Understanding of the need to maintain confidentiality and data security
• Teamwork.
• The ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team.
• Ability to lead, support and motivate a team successfully
• An understanding, acceptance and adherence for the need to work to set guidelines and procedures with having work checked directly and indirectly by other members of the practice health care team
• Show professional attitude and demeanour including courteous interaction with team members and managers.
• Ability to work effectively and build relationships with a wide variety of people with different skill sets
• Able to use initiative and develop new ideas to improve services
• Customer Focus
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, common sense and local knowledge, to respond to enquiries and requests while adhering to practice limitations.
• Must be non-prejudicial
• Sensitive & empathetic in distressing situations
• Problem Solving
• Ability to make decisions appropriate to the situation while adhering to practice policies.
• Ability to investigate and resolve discrepancies while adhering to practice policies.
• Ability to apply common sense when dealing with situations which do not fit the norm.
• Able to demonstrate innovation and resourcefulness
• Full driving licence

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).