PCN Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Technical and Administrative

Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.

Supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services;

Support the PCN in reviewing of practice prescribing policies for CQC and other mandatory requirements.

Support the PCNs multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.

Support the PCN to deliver on QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced service targets and the delivery of prescribing budgets.

Implement efficient prescription ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage.

Provide training and support on the legal, safe, and secure handling of prescriptions.

Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering.

Develop relationships with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care, and mental health.

Support practice reception teams in streaming general prescription requests, to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests.

Clinical

Support medicines reconciliation for patients, specifically for patient transfers between care settings, and to include linking with local community pharmacies and/or care homes.

Synchronisation of medicines for patients.

Medication and prescribing queries from both patients and practice staff and other clinical roles within the PCN (GPs, Nurses, ARRS roles etc).

Support practices with high-risk drug monitoring and internal procedures for safe prescribing habits.

Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR).

e.g. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR.

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

Undertake patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients, via medication review with patients or care homes.

Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including supporting 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 and care homes to ensure they use their medicines effectively.

Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

To help with the preparation of evidence-based resources and information to support medicines management, effective cost-effective prescribing and adherence to local and national policy and guidelines.

Supervision

The postholder will have access to appropriate clinical supervision and a named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support on a day-to-day basis.

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with such training to include:

If not already achieved, undertake the Primary Care Pharmacy Education (PCPEP) for Pharmacy Technician.

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.

The postholder will have, or acquire through training, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisations safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager/Infection Prevention and Control.

Ensure all aspects of patient and organisational confidentiality and GDPR requirements are met.

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognises 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.

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.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Computer literate with an ability to use all Microsoft packages.
• Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN.
• Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data.
• Has attention to detail, able to work.
• Accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals. Whilst recognising peoples needs for alternative methods of communication.
• An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues.

Desirable

• Computer literate with an ability to use GP clinical systems (e.g. EMIS, Docman, Eclipse).
• Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines.
• Influencing and negotiating skills.

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional registration as a Level 3 Pharmacy technician with GPhC.
• Evidence of continued professional development (CPD).
• Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community, or hospital pharmacy.

Desirable

• Enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH).
• Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities, and challenges.

Attributes

Essential

• Works effectively independently and as a member of a team.
• Able to undertake the demands of the post using own judgement and resourcefulness, staying motivated and enthusiastic.
• Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites as well as have the ability for hybrid working.
• Adaptable, flexible and can cope with uncertainty and change.
• Demonstrate ability to work under pressure.
• Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills.

Desirable

• Self-motivated, proactive, and organised.

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

Harpenden Health PCN

Address

Elms Medical Practice

5 Stewart Close

Harpenden

Hertfordshire

AL5 4QA

Employer's website

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