PCN Pharmacy Technician in Sunderland

The focus of the post holder's work will depend on the qualifications, skills and experience of the individual and the needs of the PCN, both of which may develop over time. The post holder will:

• Support the role of PCN Clinical Pharmacists in the delivery of clinical pharmacy services.
• Provide technical and administrative support to the clinicians within the PCN.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical

• Undertake patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
• Carry 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.
• As determined by the PCN, support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies.
• Support the clinical pharmacists in providing medication reviews, developing further standard operating procedures, patient information and information about medicine awareness.
• Provide expertise to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.
• Liaise with clinicians and admin staff to resolve prescribing queries.
• Respond to medication queries from patients and staff in a professional manner referring to the GP/clinical pharmacist when appropriate.
• Provide advice to GPs, staff and patients in changes to prescribing to support the improvement of prescribing safety, quality and cost effectiveness.
• Assist with medication safety monitoring systems (e.g., high risk drugs).

Technical and Administrative

• Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.
• Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage.
• Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
• 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.
• Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.
• Support the PCN to deliver on QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.
• Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements.
• Assist with the development and review of medicines audits.
• Take a proactive approach in the safe handling of prescriptions, assessing risks and making any recommendations for change.
• Help, plan, develop and support the introduction of new working processes within the practice to optimise the quality of prescribing.

Culture

• Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity.
• The post holder must be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of the appointing GP Federation and comply with all the requirements of these policies and actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post.
• Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld in all working practices.
• The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organisation, 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.

Personal/Professional Development

• The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the PCN/GP federation as part of this employment, with 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.

Education and Training

• Provide education and training to the primary healthcare team and other health professionals e.g., nursing staff as required.
• Participate in a peer support network with fellow pharmacy technicians.

Research and Evaluation

• The post holder will demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and review literature, applying research evidence base into working place and understand the principles of research governance.

Confidentiality

• 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, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. 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 Alliance may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Alliances policies and procedures relating to confidentiality, and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health & Safety

• The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Alliances Health & Safety Policy to include:
• Identifying the risk involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• Ensuring that all accidents or dangerous accidents are reported and investigated and follow up action taken where necessary.

Equality and Diversity

• The post-holder will support the quality, 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 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-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Quality

• The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Alliance, 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.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Working Conditions

• The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings and training etc. hosted by other agencies.
• The post-holder may have contact with body fluids i.e., wound exudates; urine etc. while in clinical practice.