Pharmacy Technician

Giffords Surgery

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Pharmacy technicians are different to clinical pharmacists as they are not able to prescribe or make clinical decisions, instead working under supervision to ensure effective and efficient use of medicines.

Pharmacy technicians core role responsibilities will cover clinical, and technical and administrative categories.

Main duties of the job

The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care. The post holder will help patients to get the best from their medicines by switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, including promotion of electronic repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and reducing wasted medicines.

In addition, the post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principles of medicines optimisation throughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of ICB medicines optimisation initiatives.

About us

Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice is part of an exciting programme of transformation to develop a new model of care which addresses our ambition to deliver person-centered, coordinated care across the Primary Care Network (PCN). The Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice model is supported by the direction of national policy including the Five Year Forward View and GP Forward View where there is a need to better utilize the role of pharmacy within primary care to pro-actively help patients stay safe and well and out of hospital as well as helping to reduce the demands on general practice.

Date posted

19 June 2023

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£26,326 to £30,693 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

A1925-23-0002

Job locations

Spa Road

Melksham

Wiltshire

SN12 7EA


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

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.

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

Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structure Medication Reviews (SMR) i.e. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR

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.

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

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

Technical and Administrative

Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.

Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage.

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

Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering

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.

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

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

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

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.

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

Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structure Medication Reviews (SMR) i.e. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR

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.

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

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

Technical and Administrative

Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.

Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage.

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

Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering

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.

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

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

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

Person Specification

Skills and Competencies

Essential

  • Comfortably computer literate with an ability to use the S1 clinical system (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
  • Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN.
  • 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 with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines.
  • Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems.
  • Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals. Whilst recognising peoples needs for alternative methods of communication
  • Influencing and negotiating skills.
  • An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues.

Desirable

  • Puts the patients best interests at the heart of all they do
  • Works effectively, both independently and as a member of a team
  • Self-motivated and proactive.
  • Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work.
  • Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required.
  • Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to visit patients at home across Bradford on Avon and Melksham and its surrounding villages.
  • Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change.
  • Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment; ability to deal with both urgent and important tasks and to prioritise effectively whilst also supporting others.
  • Excellent time keeping.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Professional registration with GPhC - Required
  • 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
  • Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities and challenges

Desirable

  • Relevant theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks, General Practice and evidence based medicine
  • An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets
  • Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting, delivering pharmaceutical input and support in the context of pathways of care and the business of the organisation(s)
  • 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
  • Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
  • An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing

Quality

Essential

  • The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
  • Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
  • Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
  • Contribute 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
  • Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
  • Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
Person Specification

Skills and Competencies

Essential

  • Comfortably computer literate with an ability to use the S1 clinical system (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
  • Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN.
  • 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 with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines.
  • Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems.
  • Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals. Whilst recognising peoples needs for alternative methods of communication
  • Influencing and negotiating skills.
  • An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues.

Desirable

  • Puts the patients best interests at the heart of all they do
  • Works effectively, both independently and as a member of a team
  • Self-motivated and proactive.
  • Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work.
  • Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required.
  • Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to visit patients at home across Bradford on Avon and Melksham and its surrounding villages.
  • Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change.
  • Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment; ability to deal with both urgent and important tasks and to prioritise effectively whilst also supporting others.
  • Excellent time keeping.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Professional registration with GPhC - Required
  • 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
  • Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities and challenges

Desirable

  • Relevant theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks, General Practice and evidence based medicine
  • An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets
  • Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting, delivering pharmaceutical input and support in the context of pathways of care and the business of the organisation(s)
  • 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
  • Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
  • An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing

Quality

Essential

  • The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
  • Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
  • Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
  • Contribute 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
  • Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
  • Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

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

Giffords Surgery

Address

Spa Road

Melksham

Wiltshire

SN12 7EA


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Giffords Surgery

Address

Spa Road

Melksham

Wiltshire

SN12 7EA


Employer's website

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

For questions about the job, contact:

Operations Manager

Samantha Waugh

samantha.waugh@nhs.net

Date posted

19 June 2023

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£26,326 to £30,693 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

A1925-23-0002

Job locations

Spa Road

Melksham

Wiltshire

SN12 7EA


Privacy notice

Giffords Surgery's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)