Pharmacy Technician in Skelton

The post-holder will play a key role in supporting clinically and cost-effective prescribing provision across the network population, improving patient outcomes and helping to relieve service and financial pressures across the PCN.

Main duties of the job:

• Undertaking patient-facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
• Carrying out medicines optimisation tasks, including effective medicine administration, supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation.
• Utilising consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.
• Supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, as determined by the PCN.
• Providing specialist expertise, where competent to do so, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling health inequalities.
• Taking a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients.
• Supporting initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
• Working with the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure effective medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.

About us:

East Cleveland PCN Ltd is a forward-thinking Primary Care Network with patient-centred care at its heart. As part of its ambitions to deliver truly transformative care, the PCN is committed to the development of a proactive, multi-disciplinary team that works hand-in-hand with patients to maximise its role in improving population health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities.

The post-holder will be a key part of the emerging network, helping to create a progressive and innovative PCN offer, through a culture of reflective learning and continuous improvement. The PCN values collaboration and creativity, creating strong and trusting relationships with key system partners and local communities, through a shared ambition to improve health outcomes for its local population.

Job responsibilities:

• As part of East Cleveland PCN Ltd's multi-disciplinary team, the post-holder will play a key role in developing and maintaining clinically and cost-effective prescribing provision across the network population.
• The role will include supported progression through the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway, providing an exciting opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in relation to patient-facing, person-centred and integrated care.
• The post holder will be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases undertaking clinical medication reviews to support the proactive management of complex polypharmacy patients.
• This will include, but not be limited to, elderly people in care homes, patients with multiple co-morbidities and those with learning disabilities and autism.
• The post-holder will support the delivery of person-centred medicines optimisation, helping to support standardised approaches to care across the PCN and forging strong relationships with both specialist and community pharmacists.
• Led by a Senior Clinical Pharmacist and working alongside a wider team of Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians across the network, the post-holder will provide day-to-day support to practices regarding prescription and medication queries.
• They will support the repeat prescription system, deal with acute prescription requests, and medicines reconciliation on transfer of care and systems for safe prescribing.
• Providing training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
• Developing relationships with other pharmacy technicians, pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health.
• Supervising practice reception teams in sorting and streamlining general prescription requests.
• Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.
• Participate/assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation incentive schemes and patient safety audits.
• Carry out housekeeping of patient records, as appropriate.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences / QCF Level 3 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent.
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• QCF Level 4 or above in a qualification relevant to the post.

Experience:

• Minimum 1 year post qualification experience.
• Experience in conducting medication reviews.
• Experience in supporting the implementation of new policies and processes to improve the quality and safety of practice.
• Experience in working in a practice or care home setting in the capacity of providing patient-centred medicines optimisation support.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge and awareness of legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures relevant to the role.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Digital skills, including ability to access and competently use clinical systems and electronic transfer of prescriptions.
• Participation in the implementation of changes in service, products and/or systems.
• Problem solving and prioritisation skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of Primary Care Network arrangements and their contribution to the NHS 10-Year Plan.
• Knowledge, awareness and experience of brief intervention and referral pathways that provide opportunistic advice and support for preventable illness and/or long-term conditions.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£31,049 to £37,796 a year depending upon experience.