PCN Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

Pendle West PCN

PCN Pharmacy Technician - Job Description

Responsible to: Clinical Director

Accountable to: Pendle West PCN Board

Hours of work: 22.5 37.5 (As agreed)

Salary: Dependent on Experience

Job Summary

The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role, supporting the PCN Pharmacists and other members of the practice teams to deliver DES and other PCN targets.

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 agree and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in general practices, including promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and aiming to reduce 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 within the PCN and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.

Job Purpose

Working within your clinical and professional boundaries, you will work alongside the PCN Clinical Pharmacists to support the clinical teams in all aspects of prescribing and medicines safety.

The purpose of this role is to promote and support improvements to maximise safe and best practice in prescribing and improve the quality of patient care. The Pharmacy Technician will be a point of contact for patients enquiries regarding their prescriptions. The post holder will help patients to get the best from their medicines through effective medicines reconciliation after discharge and on other transfers of care, identification of patients potentially suitable for repeat dispensing, providing assistance in the monitoring of high-risk and high-cost drugs, and handling of prescription queries within the areas of competence.

This will also involve work to deliver key medicines optimisation outcomes against a set work plan. Contribute to quality improvement and clinical audit, as well as supporting aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework, medicines safety and antibiotic stewardship. You will also be required to contribute towards practice financial stability through medicines optimisation and related targets in QOF.

The role will include training and development of practice based administrative staff that process repeat prescriptions to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration within general practice, especially with relation to repeat prescribing systems and processes.

Main Duties and Areas of Responsibility

- Support practice Clinical Pharmacists and Practice clinical teams to provide a safe and effective repeat prescribing service.

- Comply with legal and professional requirements and with safe systems of work for re-authorising repeat prescriptions.

- Co-ordinate medication review appointments and any changes of medication as advised by the clinical team.

- Liaise with pharmacies on the supply of prescribed drugs, alert clinicians of any supply issues and forward recommendations of alternatives.

- Medicines reconciliation post discharge and on other transfers of care.

- Bring queries to clinical team to include under or over usage.

- Day to day handling of prescription queries within area of own competence.

- Delivery of training and development to practice administrative staff who process repeat prescription requests to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration.

- Use and maintain information reporting systems and databases relevant to the position including incident reporting, prescribing data and patient outcomes.

- Participate in practice meetings, and other meetings to improve engagement of the role and to promote issues relevant to prescribing.

- Liaise with multidisciplinary team, prescribing support team, community pharmacy and hospital pharmacy teams.

- Handle function specific information, which may be sensitive, complex or confidential and appropriately recording, transferring and/or coordinating such information in accordance with the GDPR; Caldecott Guidelines and the Confidentiality Code of Conduct.

- Be responsible for the organisation and planning of own workload to meet set deadlines.

- Utilise GP practice clinical systems to conduct prescribing audits.

- Support the Clinical Pharmacists and Practices with the work required under Medicines Management Local Incentive Schemes.

- Support the Clinical Pharmacists in shared care monitoring and processes.

- In collaboration with Practice Clinical Pharmacists and GP Prescribing Leads ensure that all major MHRA drug alerts, where appropriate and within levels of competence, are acted upon within practices over an appropriate time frame and to advise on any medication changes that occur as a result.

- Undertake training and development, to ensure the required knowledge and skills for Practice based work.

- Escalate problems or issues to line manager that requires additional support or input.

- Carry out other duties which are appropriate to the skills and competencies of the post holder and grade of the post as the priorities of the service change.

- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with GP practices, staff and other healthcare professionals.

- The post holder will develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The post holder must be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of the practice and comply with all the requirements of these policies and actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post.

- Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld.

- The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organisation, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisations safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Good IT Skills
• Excellent communications skills (verbal and written)
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to work safely under pressure
• Work as part of a team
• Have excellent time management and workload prioritisation skills
• Understand clinical governance and risk management
• Awareness of current medicines Management Agendas
• Knowledge of audit and research
• Demonstrate accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision

Desirable

• Previous Work within patient facing role
• Understanding of GMS contracts and Medicines Management Incentive Schemes
• Experience of NHS IT Systems

Qualifications

Essential

• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Society and have a BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
• Evidence of continuing Professional development

Desirable

• Medicines Reconciliation Certificate / Equivalent
• Completed the CPPE pathway

Other

Essential

• Self-Motivation
• Adaptable
• DBS check
• Safeguarding adult and children
• Immunisation status
• UK Work Permit (if required)

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

Pendle West PCN

Address

Yarnspinners PHCC

Carr Road

Nelson

Primary Care

BB9 7SR

Employer's website

https://www.nelsonmedicalpracticelancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)