Pharmacy Technician

Job responsibilities

Main Duties

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

Conduct 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 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.

Support the 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 multidisciplinary team to support integration across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care, and mental health.

Support practice reception teams in streamlining general prescription requests, 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 practice to deliver on QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.

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

Such other duties of a similar nature as may be required from time to time commensurate with the post.

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional registration with GPhC
• BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
• Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)

Experience

Essential

• Proven experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community, or hospital pharmacy
• Proven ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities, and challenges.
• 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.
• Proven 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.
• Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation.
• Skills and Competencies
• Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages.
• Understand the aims of current healthcare policy.
• Proven ability to analyse and interpret prescribing data.
• Proven experience of attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily.
• Able to effectively manage allocated resources.
• Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems.
• Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent effective communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience.
• Excellent and effective 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.
• Attributes
• 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.
• 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 meet with stakeholders.
• 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 and prioritisation skills.

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).