Pharmacy Technician

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

This is a new role working across the Total Health Excellence (East & West) Primary Care Networks. The role is to support the PCN Clinical Pharmacists to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste, and maximising patient outcomes.

The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and support all staff to develop and improve processes. Innovative ideas are welcomed, and excellent communication skills, enthusiasm and motivation are essential skills for a successful candidate.

A key part of the role will be working alongside the pharmacists to deliver structured medication reviews, and ensure safe and robust processes are in place for drug monitoring.

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 and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the Practices in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.

The Pharmacy technician will work with the pharmacists and other PCN staff on policy development (such as repeat prescribing) and help to implement this in practices.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Work with the pharmacists to develop the PCN pharmacy service and deliver components of the DES specification

Liaise with patients to resolve queries and support their use of medication

Contribute towards improvement of prescribing processes in general practice

Develop processes to ensure medication reviews are effective in care homes

Promotion of electronic repeat dispensing and online ordering

Reviewing patients who need assistance with their medicines, particularly relating to concordance

Carry out housekeeping whilst in patient records e.g. dose optimisation and medicines synchronisation

Use and maintain information systems and databases relevant to the position including incident reporting, medicines optimisation, prescribing data, cost savings and patient outcomes

To utilise GP practice clinical systems to conduct prescribing audits

To undertake, participate and share the outcomes of clinical audits to facilitate improvement and changes in practice

Where applicable, contribute/participate in PCN & practice meetings, patient participation groups, and other meetings to improve engagement of the role of pharmacy technician and to promote issues relevant to prescribing and medicines optimisation

To be responsible for the organisation and planning of own workload to meet set deadlines

To undertake learning and development to maintain the required knowledge and skills for practice based work

To 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

To engage in any other activities/duties as may be required as the service develops, in line with skills and capabilities.

General

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, PCN/Practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the PCN/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 practices may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with PCN/Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990)

Respect for Patient Confidentiality

The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Health & Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to 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 to the relevant Manager

The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990)

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 relevant 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.

Special Working Conditions

The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies

The post-holder may be required to travel to patients homes

The post-holder may have contact with body fluids, i.e. wound exudates, urine etc. while in clinical practice.

Personal/Professional Development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented 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

Completion of all statutory and mandatory training

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality 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

Communicate with other NHS Bodies

Safeguarding

THE PCN and the practices are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, adults and young people. All staff will receive training on Child & Adult Safeguarding as part of their induction, as well as regular updates.

This training will equip the post holder with the knowledge of what to do if they have concerns about the welfare of a child or adult.

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional registration with GPhC
• BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
• Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)

Experience

Desirable

• Experience of working in general practice or similar role
• Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams community groups
• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• An appreciation of the NHS Agenda and Government
• An appreciation of theoretical and practical Knowledge of 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.
• Knowledge/understanding of Primary care and/or General Practice
• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Demonstrates personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
• Computer literate with an ability to use Microsoft office packages
• Knowledge of GP clinical systems, i.e. EMIS Web
• Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
• Influencing and negotiating skills
• Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
• Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines.
• Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience
• Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homes

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).