PCN Pharmacy Technician in Kent

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a full time or part time 37.5 hours Pharmacy Technician to join our multi-disciplinary team at Crayford Town Surgery. This role plays a key part in progressing the PCN vision of creating a new wider Community Service. As a Pharmacy Technician, the job holder will support the PCNs delivery of patient care within their role.

Working across the PCN pharmacy dispensaries, the job holder will prepare and supply medicines for prescriptions, under the supervision of a pharmacist, ensure compliance with medicines management processes to achieve highly effective, safe, and patient centred prescribing. The post holder will help patients to get the best from their medicines by switching medications according to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes, including the promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and aiming to reduce wasted medicines, contributing to maximising patient outcomes.

The job holder will also significantly contribute to the supervision, training and coaching of other pharmacy staff through peer-support, ensuring a safe and high-quality service is delivered, promoting agreed prescribing and pharmaceutical activities or development programmes.

Main duties of the job:

• Provide advice and information to patients/carers collecting their medication prescriptions, according to procedures, providing information about prescription payment, exemption and further supplies as well.
• Effectively carry out medicine administration and technical medication reviews.
• Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.
• Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients.
• Support the production and implementation of new working processes within the practice to optimise the quality of prescribing and patient care.

Job responsibilities:

• Carry out in the dispensing of prescriptions for patients and associated pharmaceutical duties, including clinical trials, and to carry out final checks in accordance with the networks policies and procedures, in line with medicines optimisation, under supervision.
• Counsel and provide information to patients/carers collecting their medication from the dispensary, according to procedures, providing information about prescription payment, exemption and further supplies as well.
• Participate in all other dispensary activities as designated by the Pharmacy Technician manager, including ensuring stocks are maintained within the pharmacy and ensuring medicine supplies are maintained where appropriate across the PCN.
• Handle returned drugs and waste, separating items to be credited and to be discarded, and processing stock returns, in line with PCN procedures.
• Present at patient group meetings or other appropriate events to give advice on the appropriate use of medicines.
• To have full knowledge of the budget, and pharmacy practices ensuring best value for money and identifying efficiencies as appropriate, ensuring senior managers are aware of the cost implications of any areas of non-compliance.
• Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within the practice, the PCN and outside of the PCN.
• To develop and facilitate a good working relationship with clinical pharmacists and other local providers of healthcare.
• Liaise with colleagues including BHNC Clinical Pharmacists, Technicians, Heads of Medicines Management/Optimisation to benefit from peer support on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit.
• Foster and maintain strong links with all services within the practice and across the PCN and neighbouring networks.
• Support collaborative working and take opportunities to initiate and sustain such key working relationships with stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients, both within PCN and with external across Bexley.
• To manage resources required for key duties under this Job Description, ensuring value for money at all times and maintain budget management responsibility allocated to the job holder in line with the scheme of delegation, develop, where required, cost-benefit analysis for spending and initiatives.

Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety. Able to operate competently with regard to managing data and information in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) (2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Access to Health Records Act (AHRA) (1990) and the Public Interest Disclosure Act (1998). Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails, and the internet to create simple plans and reports. Adaptable, self-motivated and able to work flexibly and enthusiastically as part of an integrated multi-skilled team, or on own initiative. Able to work effectively under pressure. Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary. 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. Appropriate immunisation status. Independently mobile, with the ability to work across the different PCN sites, and travel to meet with stakeholders where required.