Primary Care Network - Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

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 their medicines effectively

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

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

Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients

Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing

Assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation and management incentive schemes and patient safety audits

Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings. This will be achieved through undertaking clinical audits (e.g. use of antibiotics), supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services.

Reconcile the medicines of patients whose care is transferred back to primary care in a timely and effective manner liaising with patients and other providers to ensure patients receive appropriate medication on discharge

Proactively engage with patients whose care has been transferred to reduce potential readmission including identifying and rectifying unexplained variation

Work with pharmacy service team to develop safe, effective and efficient systems for the repeat prescribing of medication at scale across the five GP sites.

Work alongside our current pharmacy service team to develop and implement systems to ensure the effective and continuous supply of medication to high risk patients

Work with pharmacy service team to develop and implement systems to ensure safe and effective management of high risk medication

Work with pharmacy services to develop and implement changes to medicines in line with MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local or national guidance

Provide feedback and seek advice from pharmacist for patients where the post holder has clinical concerns around competence to safely manage their medications

Develop relationships with other Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team within the PCN, or wider afield within the locality to support the integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health

Support the delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives

Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner

Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility.

There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities & Skills

Essential

• Is working under appropriate clinical supervision to ensure safe, effective and efficient use of medicines
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Knowledge of IT systems, including the ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Good personal organisational skills
• Effective time management
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
• Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
• Flexible and cooperative
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Able to finish work tasks
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician
• Enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP)

Experience

Essential

• Experience working in a primary care setting
• Understanding and knowledge of healthcare provision in GP practices, QOF and enhanced services
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners
• Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS

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

Gateshead Inner West Primary Care Network

Address

Gateshead Inner West Primary Care Network

Whickham Cottage Medical Centre

Gateshead

Tyne & Wear

NE16 4PD

Employer's website

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