Job responsibilities
POST TITLE: Pharmacy Technician
RESPONSIBLE TO: PRACTICE MANAGER
POST HOLDER:
POST SUMMARY:
The pharmacy technician will have a key role in improving and supporting the GPs in prudent prescribing and medicines management in primary care.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Duties and responsibilities:
- Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by GPs
- New Patient Medication reviews
- Management of medicines at discharge from hospital including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge
- Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high-risk groups of patients (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids i.e. dossette box or those in care homes)
- Manage the 6 monthly repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates and flagging up patients who need a GP appointment or further tests
- Telephone and patient facing medicine queries to ensure patients are fully compliant with their medication and all concerns are addressed accordingly
- Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients (face-face or without patient) and produce recommendations for the GP on prescribing and monitoring
- Support the cardiac nurse with patients with single medical problems where medicine titration/optimisation is required (e.g. Heart Failure/Hypertension)
- Undertake simple audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team
- Provide education and training to the practice prescribing team (and GPs if applicable) on therapeutics and medicines optimisation
- Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance
- Requesting pathology tests as required/necessary, for example urine culture, swabs, blood tests
- Manage the Emis workflow system as instructed by GPs (discharge summaries and change of medication on clinical letters).
- Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to GPs as appropriate
- Participation in administrative systems in the Practice
- At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records
- A duty to advise GPs/Practice Manager of potential problems or errors within a range of assigned tasks
- To assist in seasonal and special projects as requested e.g. Flu Campaign.
- Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post
Confidentiality:
- In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
- In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
- Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety:
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
- Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
- Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
- Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
- Reporting potential risks identified.
Equality and Diversity:
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional Development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Quality:
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.
Communication:
The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers
- Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
Contribution to the Implementation of Services:
The post-holder will:
- Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
- Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
- Participate in audit where appropriate.
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Essential:
Pharmacy technician qualification
Computer skills
Willingness to undertake further training.
Excellent communication skills
Pleasant and outgoing manner.
Ability to work in a team environment.
Willingness to accept change
Flexibility
Desirable:
Previous experience
Job profile updated September 2025