Pharmacy Technician in Helston

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, motivated pharmacy technician to join our innovative, award‑winning pharmacy team. Based across South Kerrier PCN, our patient population of just over 33,000 patients is spread across five practices: Helston Medical Centre, Mullion & Constantine Group, Cober Valley Health, St Keverne Health Centre and Isles of Scilly St Marys Health Centre. Our pharmacy team is highly valued, well integrated and respected amongst our PCN and individual practices.

The team is well established with a senior lead clinical pharmacist, a senior audit/systems pharmacist, clinical pharmacist and three pharmacy technicians. With a strong training ethos, we are involved in training both undergraduate and graduate pharmacy staff as well as the wider MDT. We have a rolling audit programme which has been acknowledged at local and national level and are well recognised for our success in improving patient safety. We are a friendly, supportive, and welcoming team and value our members while fully supporting their development. We hold regular team meetings, monthly peer review and supervised and mentored sessions. Working in General Practice means no two days are the same. The role is dynamic and exciting. We offer training and the opportunity to develop in areas of interest providing a supportive learning environment. We offer ongoing senior review, technician support and the opportunity for individualised, structured project work.

Main duties of the job

• You will be working as part of a wider practice and PCN team including GPs, nurse and paramedic prescribers, social prescribers and physios.
• You will provide support to practice staff, both clinical and non‑clinical, responding to queries, completion of medicines reconciliation and short- and long-term condition management.
• You will have a regular clinical commitment completing virtual, telephone and face‑to‑face reviews.
• You will be expected to support the teams medicines safety programme and dedicate yourself to improving overall patient care and safety, whilst observing the local and national medicines optimisation agenda.

About us

South Kerrier Primary Care Network is a collaborative group of GP practices working together to deliver high‑quality, person‑centred care to our local communities across South Kerrier, Cornwall. By sharing expertise, resources and innovation, the PCN aims to improve health outcomes, reduce health inequalities and enhance access to services for our patient population. South Kerrier PCN works closely with partner organisations across the NHS, community services, voluntary and social care sectors to ensure coordinated, joined-up care. We are committed to continuous quality improvement, workforce development and supporting staff wellbeing, creating a positive and inclusive working environment where individuals are valued and supported to develop their skills. Our PCN is focused on delivering national and local priorities, including improving access, supporting population health management and developing new models of care that meet the evolving needs of our communities.

Job responsibilities

• Identify patients requiring medication review and conduct appropriate medication review clinics or home visits if required by the organisation/practices and liaise with carers, Community Health teams or social care staff to optimise drug therapy, reduce polypharmacy and minimise unnecessary waste, communicating directly with patients as necessary.
• Provide senior support for technicians within the team.
• Provide day-to-day support and support the wider management team with ongoing line management.
• Provide and support medicines reconciliation on discharge and on transfer of care.
• Work as part of a dedicated PCN medicines team. This will include clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other members of staff who may rotate through the team either as part of their permanent rotation or as part of their training programme.
• Support Kernow clinical commissioning prescribing work‑plans, audits and other related work.
• Provide medicines-related support to care‑home patients and staff. This may include day-to-day enquiries, transfer of care reconciliation or medicines reviews.
• Provide medicines use advice and support to GP practice staff, practice registered patients and the wider practice team such as community staff (district nurses, midwives, and physiotherapists) where appropriate.
• Help support the safe and effective operation of the prescribing system in the GP practice, including updating repeat medication regimes, issuing of appropriate acute prescriptions, flagging relevant laboratory testing and identifying patients due for chronic disease reviews e.g. annual asthma reviews.
• Deal with appropriate prescription queries or presentations, such as medications not available due to stock shortages, synchronisation of repeat medications, telephone queries from patients regarding their prescribed or over‑the‑counter medicines.
• Provide public health education interventions to patients.
• Provide pharmaceutical support to a designated group of GP practices or care settings to enable them to develop, implement and monitor an agreed prescribing process plan which meets the objectives of the medicines management plan.
• Assist practices/ care settings in developing formularies, guidelines and policies to ensure the implementation of NICE guidelines, National Service Frameworks and the requirements of the medicines-related aspects of the GMS contract.
• Advise GPs, care staff and primary health care teams on risk management processes relating to the prescribing and monitoring of specialist drugs e.g. controlled drugs and those subject to shared care arrangements.
• Support practices to review specific areas of prescribing, specified by line management or identified with the GP prescribing lead, including the interpretation of e‑PACT data and the use of practice information to review prescribing and identify areas for action.
• Utilise prescribing systems including Eclipse to improve safe prescribing both within practice and PCN, improving patient safety.
• Assist with the development and ongoing review of practice policy with regard to repeat prescribing systems and repeat dispensing to encourage the implementation of prescribing guidance and monitoring guidelines where appropriate.
• Enroll onto and partake in the 18‑month CPPE GP training pathway. Following this, ensure that CPD is completed in line with individual and professional requirements.
• Participate in multi‑disciplinary meetings related to prescribing topics and to engage in the training of other healthcare professionals and practice staff on matters relating to medicines usage.
• Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas identified by yourself and agreed by the PCN or as directed by the PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.
• Provide advice and support to improve the disease registers within each practice to ensure all suitable patients are identified and offered suitable treatment and monitoring for their condition.
• Liaise with Community Pharmacists to encourage them to reinforce changes made, encouraging them to identify savings which can be achieved with regard to generics, dose optimisations etc. and to assist in building their relationship with the practice.
• Answer medicine-related queries from GPs, care settings, practice staff, PALS, social care staff and the general public in a timely and appropriate manner, escalating to and involving other relevant healthcare professionals within the practice in the absence of national guidance or agreed protocols where needed.
• Work innovatively with new technology to facilitate novel ways of working, which may include as part of a virtual hub within the network which provides support remotely to a number of practices, working alongside clinical pharmacists.
• Respond to MHRA and other patient safety alerts by searching for relevant populations included and implementing agreed patient safety measures in line with the practice prescribing lead.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Confirmation of registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician. Training requirements are currently in transition and further information is available at GPhC
• Enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPE) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH)

Clinical Skills

• Ability to communicate information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face‑to‑face
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Understanding of safeguarding adults and children
• Good clinical system IT knowledge
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Problem solving and analytical skills

Personal Qualities

• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
• Ability to follow legal, ethical and professional policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Knowledge of IT systems including the ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion, and sensitivity
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Good organisational skills
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• Knowledge of and ability to work to key policies and procedures
• Clear, polite telephone manner

Experience

• Is working under appropriate clinical supervision to ensure safe, effective and efficient use of medicines
• Experience of working in a primary care setting
• Understanding and knowledge of healthcare provision in GP practices, QOF and enhanced services
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationship between individual organisations, PCNs and the commissioners

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.