BHR Primary Care Network (PCN) Pharmacy Technician

Job summary

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

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

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.

In addition, the post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principles of medicines optimisation throughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The post holder must be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of the appointing GP Federation and comply with all the requirements of these policies and actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post.

Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candor are observed and upheld in all working practices.

The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organisation, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisations safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager/Infection Prevention and Control

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.

About us

Burmantofts, Harehills and Richmond Hill PCNis a network of practices with a common goal of improving the health of our local population.

Our vision is to collaborate for the benefit of our patients. Informed by data; work to reduce inequalities, enable practices to be sustainable and make a positive difference to our patients lives

Job description

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), supporting medication 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 local community pharmacies

Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) e.g. 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 multi-disciplinary 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

The postholder will:

Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The postholder must be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of the appointing GP Federation and comply with all the requirements of these policies and actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post.

Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candor are observed and upheld in all working practices.

The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organisation, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisations safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager/Infection Prevention and Control

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, with such training to include:

o Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

o Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential
  • Qualifications and Experience
  • Professional registration with GPhC
  • 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
  • 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
Desirable
  • Skills and Competencies
  • Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
  • Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN
  • Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
  • Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
  • Able to effectively manage allocated resources
  • Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines
  • Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems
  • Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals. Whilst recognising peoples needs for alternative methods of communication
  • Influencing and negotiating skills
  • An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
  • Attributes
  • Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
  • Flexible approach to meet service needs and ensure a stakeholder focused response
  • Self-motivated and proactive
  • Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
  • Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
  • Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to meet with stakeholders
  • Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
  • Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment; ability to deal with both urgent and important tasks and to prioritise effectively whilst also supporting others
  • Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills

Experience

Essential
  • 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
Desirable
  • Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
  • Flexible approach to meet service needs and ensure a stakeholder focused response
  • Self-motivated and proactive
  • Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
  • Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
  • Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to meet with stakeholders
  • Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
  • Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment; ability to deal with both urgent and important tasks and to prioritise effectively whilst also supporting others
  • Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills

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.

Employer details

Employer name

South and East Leeds GP Group

Address

Hosted Employer

Asket Drive

Leeds

West Yorkshire

LS14 1HX


Employer's website

https://www.seleedsgpgroup.nhs.uk/

Company
South and East Leeds GP Group
Location
Leeds, United Kingdom LS14 1HX
Employment Type
Permanent
Salary
£28407.00 - £34581.00 a year
Posted
Company
South and East Leeds GP Group
Location
Leeds, United Kingdom LS14 1HX
Employment Type
Permanent
Salary
£28407.00 - £34581.00 a year
Posted