Pharmacy Technician

Barnsley Primary Care Network is looking to recruit a Pharmacy Technician to develop medicines optimisation services and become a part of the primary care skill mix. This is a new role and will develop over time, but the expectation is that you will work as part of the multi-disciplinary team to support member practices with medicines optimisation. As this is an evolving development position we will support the successful candidates to develop their role within primary care, which will include a full induction programme, ongoing training, a rotation programme across medicines optimisation work streams and supervision both within the PCN. You will work alongside experienced clinical pharmacists and technicians in the Medicines Management Team at Barnsley CCG across practices in Barnsley. This role requires the candidate to be fully committed to undertaking the 15-18 month CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway; this is an essential requirement for this post.

The successful pharmacy technician candidate will play an important role in complementing our clinical pharmacists, other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team and the medicines management team. This is an evolving role with huge scope for development as we expand our PCN team further over the years. Candidates will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, experience of influencing others, and working within professional boundaries. It's an essential requirement for candidates to be registered with the General Pharmacy Council as a pharmacy technician with a BTEC or NVQ3 in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent. This is an opportunity for pharmacy technicians to truly become part of primary care in Barnsley and demonstrate the benefits they can have on care and patient outcomes.

About us: Barnsley has established one super Primary Care Network (PCN) of over 250,000 patients which includes all GP practices across Barnsley. This is supported by six Neighbourhood Networks building on our successful and existing model of neighbourhood working; this enables us to maintain and focus on the specific needs of each local area whilst allowing integration at a borough-wide level. Barnsley's primary care pharmacy team is a fully integrated model providing excellent opportunities for professional development and building strong links across the system.

Main duties of the job:

• To support the PCN practices towards the delivery of the medicines optimisation QIPP agenda and other prescribing objectives.
• To provide medicines optimisation advice and support to GPs, other practice staff, ICB colleagues.
• To deliver training to GP practice staff to support the implementation of medicines optimisation work streams.
• Develop medicines optimisation services across the network working alongside experienced primary care clinical pharmacists and technicians.
• To undertake medicines optimisation reviews, audits, medication changes and other medicines optimisation related activities in selected Barnsley PCN practices and care homes in line with practice, care home and PCN policies.
• To assist with the monitoring and analysis of prescribing data at PCN and practice level and offer support to practices which are outlying on key prescribing indicators.

Primary Duties and Areas of 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.
• Support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronise medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies.
• Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) including organising necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR.
• 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.
• Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients.
• Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
• Support National and local safety agenda and deliver on behalf of the practice.

Technical and Administration:

• Support the PCN to deliver on the Barnsley medicines optimisation scheme, QIPP, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.
• Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reduce medication wastage.
• Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the operation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
• Promote the safe and appropriate implementation 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.
• Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.
• Support the practice reception teams in handling general prescription requests.
• Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements.

Information Support and Record Keeping:

• To keep an accurate record of all activity undertaken within practices.
• To ensure all patient interventions are recorded on the practice computer in accordance with the working procedures developed with the practice.
• To be responsible for keeping accurate retrievable records of all formal queries, data collection exercises, and audits.

Training and Education:

• To supervise and train practice receptionists undertaking the generation of repeat prescriptions.
• To provide training to practice clinical/administration staff on any medicines management issues as agreed by the practice.
• Be willing to undertake any training required for the role e.g. the CPPE Primary care pharmacy education pathway.

Planning and Organisation Freedom to Act:

• To be responsible for the organisation, planning and managing own time, within a broad agenda set by the identified practice.
• To demonstrate professional accountability and responsibility.
• To recognise professional and personal limitations.
• To observe Health and Safety regulations.
• To observe the principles of clinical governance.

Collaborative Working Arrangements:

• Participate in the PCN MDT.
• Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN.
• Explore the potential for collaborative working and take opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships.
• Attend Barnsley place Medicine Optimisation Team meetings and peer groups.
• Attend CCG Medicine Optimisation Team training and development sessions.
• Liaise with colleagues including the Barnsley place Medicines Optimisation Team on prescribing matters.
• Participate in the Barnsley place Medicines Optimisation Team medicines related projects and workstreams.
• Work with primary care to ensure practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved.
• To support public health campaigns and to provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public.

Key Relationships:

• Liaise with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients, key relationships include (but are not limited to): Patients and their representatives, GPs, nurses and other practice staff, social prescribers, community pharmacists and support staff, Barnsley place Medicines Optimisation Team including pharmacists and technicians.

Accountability:

• Accountable to the Accountable Clinical Director of Barnsley PCN and to the Clinical Directors of the Neighbourhood Networks.

Professional:

• Maintain registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Maintain professional indemnity insurance.
• Be part of a professional clinical network, working alongside Barnsley place Medicines Optimisation Team.
• Undertake continual personal and professional development to keep up to date with relevant clinical practice.
• Access regular clinical supervision.
• Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.

Person Specification:

• Experience:
• Essential: Up to date clinical knowledge of drugs and procedures and familiarity with key prescribing information resources.
• Desirable: Experience of working with repeat prescribing systems, previous primary care medicines management experience.
• Qualifications:
• Essential: BTEC or NVQ3 in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent with induction experience and relevant work experience AND current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Skills and Knowledge:
• Essential: Skills for communication on complex information and administrative matters, ability to work effectively as part of a team, problem-solving skills, attention to detail, ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload.