PCN Pharmacy Technician

Job responsibilities

Job description - Pharmacy Technician Care home Team

Job responsibilities

Responsible to - Care Home Team Clinical Lead, supported by the Pharmacy lead for technicians

Accountable to: GP Clinical Lead - Care Homes

Salary: dependant on experience

Job Summary

The pharmacy technician will work with the care home team to support the care home team and GP practices pro-actively keep patients safe, well and out of hospital, as well as helping to reduce the demands on general practice.

The purpose of the role is to work closely with the care home team and care home staff to ensure safe, cost effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care.

Reconciling and aligning medications ordering

minimising clinical risk

aiming to reduce wasted medicines.

Main duties of the job

This is an evolving role but your duties will include the following:

Medicines Reconciliation, especially for new residents and after hospital discharge

Completing concordance / compliance medication reviews

Support the care home clinicians with resident reviews where necessary and appropriate.

Support the delivery of COVID and flu vaccinations to care home residents, including collecting, monitoring and recording vaccines, plus with training, drawing up and vaccination.

Counselling patients, and care home staff where residents dont have capacity, to support them in using their medicines effectively

Supporting, providing advice and guidance to the advanced clinical practitioners and care home staff on new or high-risk medication

Medication switching using agreed and approved protocols

Responding to the MHRA recalls

Liaise with patients, clinicians, administrative staff and hospital teams to resolve medicine-related queries

Support delivery of QoF (Quality & Outcomes Framework)

Identifying areas of good practice and share learning across the PCN

Developing policies and protocols to ensure good practice across the PCN

Promotion and implementation of robust systems around medicines

Monitor practice prescribing and adherence to local and national prescribing policies

Improve service, quality and safety through clinical audit and searches

Develop good working relations with the PCN pharmacists and technicians working within practice to ensure a seamless process of medications management for people living in care homes.

Where appropriate to do so, run reports and review coding of medications.

Experience

Essential

• An appreciation of the NHS agenda and government targets, especially in relation to general practice
• Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting
• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, such as rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation
• Reviewing medications in line with NICE and best practice guidance.

Desirable

• A working knowledge of primary care and GP clinical systems, such as SystmOne and Ardens.
• Experience of working with older patients, and care homes.

Skills, Competencies & Attributes

Essential

• Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems and Microsoft office
• Understand the aims of current healthcare policy
• Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
• Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
• Able to effectively manage allocated resources
• Has a planned and organised approach
• Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead to draw logical solutions to problems
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust style to suit the audience
• Influencing and negotiating skills
• An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
• Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
• Flexible approach to meet service needs and ensure a stakeholder focused response
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
• Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to meet with stakeholders
• Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
• Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment
• Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills

Desirable

• An Understanding of the Enhanced Healthcare in Care Home Framework

Qualifications

Essential

• 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, community or hospital pharmacy
• Willingness to complete 15-month CPPE training pathway for pharmacy technicians.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualifications of a relevant nature. e.g. FdSc in Medicines Management/Pharmacy Services; BTEC Therapeutics

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).