Pharmacy Technician

A position has arisen for a part time/full time Pharmacy Technician to complement our existing clinical team. To support the Practice to deliver safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste, prescribing projects and audits. To work closely with the GP Prescribing Lead, Prescribing clerks, Practice and Community pharmacists to develop strong working relationships and high quality service to maximise patient outcomes.

Main Duties of the Job

• Liaising with local pharmacies and hospitals regarding prescribing queries, optimum therapy, to improve prescribing safety, quality, cost effectiveness.
• To support the prescribing clerks to oversee the preparation of repeat prescriptions, synchronisation of repeat medication, medication review and electronic repeat dispensing.
• Process and update patient medication from hospital discharge and clinic letters.
• To facilitate prescribing meetings relating to practice prescribing reports, audits, protocols, targets, budget, education sessions relating to prescribing topics.
• To action and process medication alerts, raising awareness within the practice.
• To help plan, develop and support the introduction of new working processes within the practice to optimise the quality of prescribing.
• To oversee patients on shared care drugs, ensuring recalls and protocols in place to ensure safety and appropriate use of medicines and their management.
• To support the Practice Based Pharmacist to provide medication reviews, patient information leaflets and cost effectiveness of prescribing.
• To ensure maintenance of accurate patient records and ensure all relevant information is documented in the patients medical records in a timely manner.

About Us

We are a well established forward thinking GMS practice comprising 5 GP partners, 3 Emergency Care Practitioners, 2 Practice Nurses, 1 Registered Nurse Associate and 1 HCA supported by an excellent reception/admin team. Zetland Medical Practice is a training practice and we currently train GP registrars and medical students.

Job Responsibilities

• To support the Practice to deliver safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste, prescribing projects and audits.
• To work closely with the GP Prescribing Lead, Prescribing clerks, Practice and Community pharmacists to develop strong working relationships and high quality service to maximise patient outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Liaising with local pharmacies and hospitals regarding prescribing queries, optimum therapy, to improve prescribing safety, quality, cost effectiveness.
• To support the prescribing clerks to oversee the preparation of repeat prescriptions, synchronisation of repeat medication, medication review and electronic repeat dispensing.
• Process and update patient medication from hospital discharge and clinic letters.
• To facilitate prescribing meetings relating to practice prescribing reports, audits, protocols, targets, budget, education sessions relating to prescribing topics.
• To action and process medication alerts, raising awareness within the practice.
• To help plan, develop and support the introduction of new working processes within the practice to optimise the quality of prescribing.
• To oversee patients on shared care drugs, ensuring recalls and protocols in place to ensure safety and appropriate use of medicines and their management.
• To support the Practice Based Pharmacist to provide medication reviews, patient information leaflets and cost effectiveness of prescribing.

Other Duties

• To keep professionally up to date to meet the General Pharmaceutical Council standards for continuing professional development and registration.
• To ensure that all information is recorded accurately using computer systems.
• To ensure maintenance of accurate patient records and ensure all relevant information is documented in the patients medical records in a timely manner.
• Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare professionals.
• To help plan, develop and support the introduction of new working processes within the practice to optimise the quality of prescribing.

Key Relationships

• To provide supervision, training and professional leadership to the practice administrative staff.
• The post holder will be required to maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders and communicate with all practice staff, secondary care, community pharmacists and professionals.

Communication

• The post holder should recognise the importance of effective communication with team members, patients and carers.
• To recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Confidentiality

In the performance of the duties outlined in the job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data. Patients entrust the practice to maintain their information remains confidential and respect their privacy and act appropriately.

Health and Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health and Safety Policy, the practice infection Control Policy and published procedures. This includes:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and keeping them free from hazards.
• Actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Keeping own work areas and general patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role.
• Undertaking periodic infection control training.
• Reporting potential risk identified.
• Correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Responsible for correct hand hygiene of self and others.
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills and processes.

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively manage own time workload and resources.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services

The post holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Essential: Registered with the GPhC as a Pharmacy Technician.
• Medicines reconciliation Certificate or equivalent.

Experience

• Essential: Recent previous experience working as a Pharmacy Technician.
• Desirable: Recent previous experience within comparable role in General Practice.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.