CHAW PCN Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a Pharmacy Technician you will work as part of a pharmacy team and help implement our integrated model of prescribing support. The successful candidate will share our values and have the energy, skills and enthusiasm to contribute to shaping how we support our patients.

This post is part of the PCN roles reimbursement scheme.

The main duties include the safe processing of medication requests, issuing prescriptions following specific checks (which may include reviewing blood results, checking patients INR, checking any QOF coding is accurate and up to date) and dealing with patient requests.

Prescription requests are receive by patient access or written requests and the volume of workload is addressed within 48 hours. We encourage Electronic Prescribing with patients. You can expect to receive hospital discharges, hospital letters and medication recommendations for review and action. You will inform patients when blood tests/ BP checks/ medication reviews are due and keep their electronic notes up to date accordingly.

Our Pharmacy Technicians currently also have telephone consultations for patients with medication queries, and support the prescribing duty doctor with requests. You will liaise regularly with clinicians in secondary care, either initiated by yourself, GP or patient. You will initiate practice policies to ensure safe prescribing and will have very close link with the GPs, with a dedicated time slot each day to discuss queries and assist with decisions over patient care. You will be a valued member of the clinical team.

Key Responsibilities

Administration

Safe processing of medication requests

Help achieve success in ICB prescribing incentive schemes

Transfer medicines information from other healthcare agencies onto in-house patient information systems

Communicate with local pharmacies to ensure efficient & well-managed repeat prescribing system

Liaise with practice doctors and staff over prescribing issues

Liaise with ICB over prescribing policies, targets and general issues

Liaise with nursing and residential homes in the practice area re medication requirements; provide and monitor their scripts.

Liaise with patients re prescribing queries and issues

Policy and service development

Liaise with ICB re local prescribing policies

Define and create protocols and formularies within the practice in consultation with other members of the team including the ICB medicine management team

Leadership

Working as a clinical co-ordinator to ensure success in gaining Quality Outcome Framework points

Working autonomously with due attention to agreed protocols and practice

Ability to prioritise workload

Clinical/Patient care

Dealing with day-to-day patient queries/issues re medication

Undertaking face-to-face medication reviews when required

Providing patient education materials related to medication

Contacting patients after drug alerts

Direct patients into medicine management routines

Possibility of clinical sessions with patients

Information (records, systems)

Understand the practice computer system and use it according to agreed protocols and practice

Undertake practice audits

Flag up areas where improvements can be made

Be fully involved in system changes initiated nationally or locally

Others

To maintain a broad understanding of the work of the prescribing team and of the practice as a whole and actively contribute your ideas for the improvement of service provision

Personal Development and Professional Responsibilities

Undertake the Pharmacy Technician Pathway as per the requirements of the PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme

Actively participate in regular one to one meetings with the Senior clinical pharmacist to review personal development and team performance

Provide a high standard of professional conduct

Actively participate in the practices appraisal scheme

Take responsibility for own developmental learning and performance

Identify appropriate areas of personal development

Undertake training as required including mandatory and statutory training, core skills training and on-going developmental training

Alert management and other team members to issues of quality and risk, taking action where appropriate

Work effectively with individuals in external agencies to meet patient needs

Effectively prioritise, organise and manage own time, workload and resources

Health and Safety / Risk Management

Identify any risks involved in their work activities and undertake them in a way that manages the risks

The post holder must comply at all times with the Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting clinical and non-clinical incidents using the practices Complaints and Incident Reporting systems.

To use computers safely and appropriately

Safeguarding

All employees have a duty and a responsibility to protect adults at risk and to safeguard children. The post holder should have an understanding of the important role in fulfilling our responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.

Information Governance

The Practice is registered under the Data Protection Act 2018. The post holder will comply with the Data Protection Act and the Access to Health Records Act and the Practice policies regarding information governance at all times. You must not at any time use the personal data held by the Practice for a purpose not described in the Register entry or disclose such data to a third party. If you are in any doubt regarding what you should and should not do in connection with the Data Protection Act, then you must contact managing Director or Medical Director

Equality and Diversity

The post holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and treatment in line with the practice Equal Opportunities Policy.

Patients and their families must be treated equally irrespective of gender, including gender reassignment, ethnic origin, age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation or religion and staff are expected to contribute to an environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff and co-workers have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued, and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds noted above. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that you treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Confidentiality

All dealings within the practice remain strictly confidential and the post holder would be expected to maintain this confidentiality at all times. You will have access to confidential information relating to practice business and to individuals. You are required to exercise due consideration in the way you use such information when carrying out your duties. Should you have any doubts regarding the use of information in carrying out your duties, you should seek advice from management before communicating such information to any third party. Any breaches of confidentiality will be considered as a disciplinary matter and could lead to dismissal.

This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties and the post holder may be called upon to take on additional duties commensurate with their position in the practice.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Ideally has experience of working in general practice.

Desirable

• Other locations ie community or hospital

Qualifications

Essential

• Good standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills
• Registered with The General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

• None

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

Vernova Healthcare Community Interest Company

Address

Wilmslow Health Centre

Chapel Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5HX

Employer's website

https://www.vernovahealthcare.org/ (Opens in a new tab)