Pharmacy Technician Newcastle South PCN

Job description

Job responsibilities

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION

Salary: Depending on experience

Hours of work: Part Time (22.5 hours per week)

Responsible to: PCN Strategic Business Manager

Location: Required to work across multiple locations. Some remote working may be required.

Closing date for advert:12th September 2025

Primary Care is challenging and rewarding. Newcastle South Primary Care Network (PCN) continues to deliver innovative services to meet the needs of our local population. As part of our on-going development an exciting opportunity has arisen for a Pharmacy Technician to join our team.

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-centred, coordinated care across the PCN.

The Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice model is supported by the direction of national policy including the 10 Year Plan, where there is a need to better utilise the role of pharmacy within primary care to pro-actively help patients stay safe and well, and reduce the risk of hospital admissions, as well as helping to reduce the demands on general practice.

Services delivered to support general practice are underpinned by the Direct Enhanced Services directive which guides the requirements of the Pharmacy Technician, along with other health care professionals within the PCN.

Pharmacy Technicians play an important role, working alongside Clinical Pharmacists, Community Pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Pharmacy Technicians core role responsibilities will cover clinical, technical and administrative categories.

The primary purpose of this role is to ensure that systems, structures and processes are in place to deliver the smooth and efficient day to day running of six sites across Newcastle South PCN.

Main Tasks / Overview of Responsibilities:

• Work alongside the Clinical Pharmacists in the delivery of Pharmacy services
• Perform medicines improvement work to maximise safe, cost-effective best practice in prescribing under the supervision of the GP or Clinical Pharmacist
• Perform medication safety monitoring
• Maintain record logs for reviewing patients at given time intervals
• Liaise with clinicians and administrative staff to resolve medicine-related queries
• Monitor practice prescribing and local and national prescribing policies
• Improve service and quality through mechanisms such as audits
• Perform medicine reconciliations for patients undertaking transfer of care directing any queries outside of competency to the GP or Clinical Pharmacists
• Undertake patient-supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use through shared decision-making
• Support medicine reconciliation of patients whose care is transferred back into primary care in a timely and effective manner liaising with patients and other providers to ensure patients receive appropriate medication post discharge
• Create searches used for the data collection and to identify patients which may be affected by local or national medicine safety alerts. Implementing changes to medication that result from CAS/MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local/national guidance.
• Work collaboratively with the PCN team, supporting the PCN to deliver on QOF, DES and locally commissioned enhanced services
• Develop relationships and work closely with community, hospital, MMT pharmacy colleagues and the wider health system
• Participate in practice meetings, patient participation groups and other local meetings to improve engagement with the role of pharmacy technician.

This job description is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the PCN.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• Relevant advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks, General Practice and evidence based medicine
• 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)

Desirable

• Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN
• An appreciation of NHS agenda and government targets

Skills & Competencies

Essential

• Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines
• 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
• Able to effectively manage allocated resources
• Able to interpret and analyse prescribing data

Other

Essential

• Self-motivation
• Adaptable and flexible
• Full driving licence
• Professional indemnity insurance (if not covered by practice policy)
• Works effectively independently and as a member of a team

Qualifications

Essential

• Registration with the GPhC
• BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical science/pharmacy services

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a primary care, community or hospital setting
• Evidence of continued professional development

Desirable

• Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities and challenges

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

North Staffordshire GP Federation

Address

Newcastle South PCN

And all practices within

ST5 2BQ

Employer's website

http://www.nsgpf.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)