PCN Pharmacy Technician

We are looking for a Pharmacy Technician to join our network- Central Health Partnerships.

Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementingclinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCNmulti-disciplinary team. Pharmacy technicians are different to clinicalpharmacists as they are not able to prescribe or make clinical decisions,instead working under supervision to ensure effective and efficient use ofmedicines.

Pharmacy technicians core role responsibilities will coverclinical, and technical and administrative categories.

Main duties of the job

The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care. The post holder will help patients to get the best from their medicines by switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, including promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and aiming to reduce wasted medicines.

About us

The Central Health Partnership Network based in Sandwell are a group 8 GP Practices with a collective list size of 52,000 patients and we are looking for a new Pharmacy Technician to join our Primary Care Network team. This role will be based at Great Barr Medical Centre

Job 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), supportingmedication 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 localcommunity pharmacies.
• Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structure Medication Reviews (SMR) i.e. organise 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 locally.

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 multidisciplinary 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, so as 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 QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.
• Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Qualifications and Experience
• – Professional Registration with GPhC.
• – CPPE Pathway completion
• – BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
• – Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)
• – Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
• – Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities and challenges
• – Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
• Knowledge and Understanding
• – Relevant advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks, General Practice and evidence-based medicine
• – An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets
• – Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting, delivering pharmaceutical input and support in the context of pathways of care and the business of the organisation(s)
• – Awareness of GP budget-management and funding systems to enable GP clinical pharmacist services to assist delivery of PCN and NHS priorities and requirements for financial balance and quality
• – Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• – An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing
• – Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation

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.