Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

As part of the prescribing team the post holder is responsible in supporting our GPs, Nursing. Pharmacists, other clinical staff and reception teams, coordinating discharge summaries and medication reviews, playing a central role in repeat prescribing processes, liaising with our patients, carers, hospital and community pharmacies, responding to medication queries and updating medical records.

All staff must follow the professional codes of practice. This means that they must make every effort to protect confidentiality. It also means that no identifiable information about a patient is passed to anyone or any agency without the express permission of that patient.

Working as a key member within the GP practice teams, contributing to prescribing of the highest quality, safety and value and supporting medicines optimisation.

Reporting to the GP Prescribing Lead the post holder will provide support to the GPs, Nurses, HCAs, Clinical Pharmacists, Prescription Clerks and other clinical staff and reception teams to co-ordinate discharge summaries, medication reviews and ensure the safe prescribing of medication.

The post holder will support the development of a safe, cost effective, efficient practice repeat prescribing system through reviewing, improving, and implementing medicines management processes.

Your core role will cover responsibilities in clinical, and technical and administrative areas.

Clinical:

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

Carrying 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.

Supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacists, and referring to the pharmacist for structured medication reviews.

Providing specialist expertise, where competent, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.

Taking a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients.

Supporting initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

Support the Clinical Team in SMRs i.e. organise necessary monitoring test prior to SMR

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

Technical and Administrative: Working with the GP practice multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.

Providing training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service EPS and electronic Repeat Dispensing eRD

The role will also require pharmacy technicians to support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings. This will be achieved through undertaking clinical audits (e.g. use of antibiotics), supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services. In addition, pharmacy technicians will assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation incentive schemes (e.g. medicines switches) and patient safety audits.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Pharmacy technicians are registered healthcare professionals, who have been undertaking clinical and technical roles in hospitals, community and primary care. Their initial 2-year training is mandated by the General Pharmaceutical Council GPhC, which specifies criteria to register as a pharmacy technician and this covers the education, training and experience requirements.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Lionwood Medical Practice

Address

30a Wellesley Avenue

Norwich

Norfolk

NR1 4NU

Employer's website

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