Job summary
Internal applicants only LWSW employees only
This post is available to LWSW employees only. Please do not share these details outside of the organisation.
37.5 hours per week.
The Lead Pharmacy Technician Mental Health is a new role within Livewell Southwest supporting the Mental Health Pharmacists in provision of a high quality, clinical pharmacy service to inpatient and community mental health services, to maximise the best outcomes for the patients.
The postholder will support the development of the pharmacy service to mental health services to ensure an optimum, progressive and efficient service that meets demand. This will entail supporting the Mental Health Pharmacists in delivering a medicines management service across mental health services.
Main duties of the job
Supporting in the delivery of a medicines management service, including the completion of drug histories and medicines reconciliations.
Ensuring patients understand how to take their medicines and assisting in the introduction of patients' involvement in the management of their own medicines.
To implement, evaluate and undertake discharge facilitation, gearing the service to meet individual needs of patients.
Communicating with colleagues across the multi-disciplinary team and liaising with pharmacy colleagues in the Livewell Southwest dispensaries to identify and resolve any clinical or operational medicines issues.
This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.
All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
To work collaboratively with Mental Health Pharmacists and clinical leads in the delivery of pharmacy services to mental health patients. To implement, evaluate and undertake medicines optimisation and discharge facilitation geared to meet individual needs of patients.
To provide a collaborative approach to patient care and the delivery of pharmacy services within the team.
To be a member of the Pharmacy team, contributing in all its' forums, attending meetings as appropriate including team huddles. Build strong relationships with mental health staff. To function as a member of the multi-disciplinary team taking appropriate responsibility for the implementation of decisions made by the team.
To assist in the introduction of the quality improvement and continuous improvement agenda. To assist in the governance agenda in the identification and maintenance of relevant written policies and procedures.
To assistant in the introduction of patients' involvement in the management of their own medicines. Respond, within scope of own competence, to medicines related queries from patients, doctors and other healthcare professionals and when necessary seek guidance from others.
Review and act upon medicines safety notices, medicines alerts and medicines shortage notifications.
To act as clinical role model, demonstrating high standards of pharmacy professional practice.
Actively participate in clinical governance and quality improvement initiatives, e.g. clinical audit, CQUIN and clinical policy development.
Managerial
Participate in the pharmacy services rota, ensuring effective use of resources. Ensure effective leadership and supervision to the pharmacy technical team where appropriate.
To participate in individual performance reviews as the line manager for Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants, holding 1:1s, appraisals and development reviews for those under your line management.
Education
Act as mentor/educational supervisor for Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants.
Provide a medicines compliance and concordance education component to aid the rehabilitation of patients to support them in their homes and where possible to prevent hospital admission or re-admission.
Attend and contribute to in-house Continuing Professional Development sessions.
Ability and willingness to work towards the Pharmacy Technician Clinical Diploma (BTEC Level 4).
Communications and Relationships
Communicate effectively within the Pharmacy team and other members of the mental health teams, including other members of the MDT.
Effectively communicate with patients, carers and family members, verbally and in other appropriate forms, e.g. providing written information, as per the needs of the individual regarding medicines. At times you will be required to explain complex messages in terms that patients and carers can understand.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- * Experience of working across different sectors of specialties.
- * Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team.
- * Able to communicate effectively with the MDT and cooperate with all healthcare professionals.
- * Experience of giving training and supervision.
- * Proven ability to manage competing priorities and to use initiative to coordinate workload.
Desirable
- * Experience of medication counselling and regular contact with patients.
- * Experience of Primary and Secondary Care.
- * Experience of coordinating and prioritising own workload and that of a team.
- * Line management.
- * Involvement in project or service development.
- * Experience of working through a process of change and proactively leading a team through a process of change.
Qualifications
Essential
- * BTEC / NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in Pharmaceutical Sciences
- * Member of GPhC as a registered Pharmacy Technician
- * Evidence of commitment to and able to demonstrate recent and ongoing CPD
- * Medicines Management / Optimisation Accreditation
- * Ability and willingness to work towards Pharmacy Technician Clinical Diploma (BTEC / NVQ Level 4)
Desirable
- * Member of APT UK
- * Management or leadership qualification
- * NVQ assessor of internal verifier
- * Pharmacy Technician Clinical Diploma (BTEC / NVQ Level 4)
- * College of Mental Health Pharmacy Psych 1
Knowledge
Essential
- Computer literate with an ability to use a variety of Office packages, e.g. MS Word, Excel, Teams, Powerpoint and Outlook. Ability to use Pharmacy IT systems.
Desirable
- * Awareness of national policies and recent publications surrounding Medicines Optimisation.
- * Knowledge of current national medicines optimisation initiatives and their successes.
- * Awareness of current published reports and their impact and influence on how we work and future planning of workload.
Skills
Essential
- * Ability to handle sensitive and confidential data.
- * Able to provide, receive, convey and present complex information in a clear concise way to professional and a range of non-professional audiences.
- * Able to demonstrate clear thinking, solve problems and defend decisions.
- * Able to analyse and interpret data to consolidate results and draw conclusions to aid decision making.
- * Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including listening, influencing, communicating and dealing with patient and carer's (verbal and written communication).
- * Ability to work effectively as part of the team and quickly build productive and collaborative relationships with colleagues in different demanding and challenging environments.
- * Ability to work with little supervision and maintaining high standards of work from the team, and knows when to refer.
- * Able to meet deadlines.
- * Able to question current practice and look into more efficient ways of working.
- *Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Livewell Southwest
Address
200 Mount Gould Road
Mount Gould
Plymouth
Devon
PL4 7PY
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.livewellsouthwest.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Lead Pharmacy Technician Mental Health in Plymouth employer: LIVEWELL SOUTHWEST
Livewell Southwest is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive work culture that prioritises employee well-being and professional growth. As a Senior Mental Health Lead in Plymouth, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals with complex mental health needs while benefiting from ongoing training and development initiatives. Our commitment to recovery-oriented care ensures that you will be part of a dedicated team focused on delivering high-quality services in community settings.
