Primary Care Network Pharmacy Technician
Job summary
To work with our team of Clinical Pharmacists to ensure patients are managing their medication safely and support the safe, accurate and timely prescribing of medication in our Primary Care Networks. Provide technical and administrative support to the Clinical Pharmacists and Clinicians. Support the Primary care team with audits, guidance and respond to queries around medication from patients, their carers, and other health professionals. This will include face to face and telephone support to patients, carers and primary care and community staff.
Main duties of the job
Job Responsibilities
The post holder will be involved in many aspects of medicines management and be supported and developed in this role by the PCN Clinical Pharmacy team.
About us
Bury GP Federationwas created to enhance the delivery of health and care services to our local population. We believe that community-based services which are high quality, consistent and joined up must be the solution to many of the pressures on todays NHS and that General Practice is ideally placed to lead this community-based provision.
We also believe that by coming together in our Federation we can better develop skills and consistency not traditionally available in General Practice to deliver wide range of services to our community
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing Clinical Pharmacists, Community Pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. The Pharmacy technician will provide support to the network as a whole and each member practice as needed. The aim is to improve the quality of prescribing and patient outcomes across the network through high quality medicines review and optimisation.
Job Responsibilities
The post holder will be involved in many aspects of medicines management and be supported and developed in this role by the PCN Clinical Pharmacy team.
Improving Patient Safety, Audits, and Supporting Reviews
Work with the pharmacy team and Clinicians to deliver QIPP and other local commissioned enhanced services to improve medicines optimisation
Work alongside the extended Pharmacy team to monitor and action safety and drug alerts in a timely and appropriate manner, including liaising with patients when necessary
Work with Clinicians and pharmacy team to undertake medicine audits and other quality improvement/ project work as required
Work alongside the admin team to promote and develop high quality prescribing processes including identifying quality improvement opportunities
Contribute to the development of the service, e.g., developing service pathways, paperwork and sharing good practice across network practices
To promote cost effective, safe, evidence-based prescribing in accordance with local formulary, medication review services to patients via clinics in PCN practices and care homes and to deliver plans that maximise cost-effective prescribing and improve the quality of patient care
Work with the Clinical Pharmacists and the Practice teams to identify patients suitable for Structured medication review, and help prioritise workload
Carrying 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
Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship
Contribute to the achievement of KPIs and objectives, monitor against overall objectives of the role
Prescription Queries and Medication Reconciliation
To respond to medication queries or requests for medicines information from patients and staff in a professional and timely manner including escalating to clinicians or senior pharmacy colleagues when necessary
Promote best practice for medicines use including supporting training of practice teams on medicines processes and policies
Work closely with the practice teams, pharmacy colleagues and patients to ensure coordinated and efficient processing of prescription requests e.g. synchronising medication, setting up electronic repeat dispensing, monitoring medicines use to prevent waste or over usage
Work with clinicians and the pharmacy team to develop and implement robust systems for shared care prescribing and high-risk drug monitoring and other drug monitoring for optimisation of long-term conditions
Supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings linking with local community pharmacists, and referring to the pharmacist for structured medication reviews, as required
Update and maintain accurate and comprehensive patient medication records
Working in a wider team
Develop positive and professional working relationships with colleagues to ensure excellent patient care
Work with practice teams to support the achievement of prescribing outcomes for Quality Outcomes Framework and other prescribing initiatives
To attend and participate in practice clinical meetings and other multi-disciplinary meetings where necessary
Establish positive working relationships and effective communication with network practices, integrated care health and care teams, and a range of local voluntary sector and community organisations
Developing relationships with other pharmacy technicians, pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health
Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the PCN Clinical Directors, network practices or Bury GP Federation
General
Ensure that all activities are monitored and evaluated
Attend internal meetings as required
Attend any training courses and supervision sessions as required
Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required from time to time
Codes of Conduct
Pharmacy Technicians must comply with the Code of Professional Conduct set by the General Pharmaceutical Council and to Bury GP Federation Code of Conduct
Equal OpportunitiesThe federation is committed to eliminating unlawful discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity. All staff have a personal responsibility to contribute towards an inclusive and supportive environment for patients, carers, visitors and other colleagues from all the equality strands (race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability)
Staff have a personal responsibility to:
Ensure their behaviour is not discriminatory
Does not cause offence
To challenge the inappropriate behaviours of others
Adhere to the Federations values, including Respecting Everyone, as well as the Staff Conduct Policy and the Equal Opportunities policy
Health an SafetyUnder the provisions contained in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, it is the duty of every employee to:
Take reasonable care of themselves and for others at work
To co-operate with the Trust as far as is necessary to enable them to carry out their legal duty
Not to intentionally or recklessly interfere with anything provided including personal protective equipment for Health and Safety or welfare at work
Management is responsible for the implementation of suitable arrangements to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees at work and the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by their activities. Where health and safety matters cannot be resolved the Chief Officer must be notified.
Managers are responsible for the health and safety management of all activities, areas and staff under their control. This includes responsibility for ensuring risk assessments are completed and implementation of suitable and sufficient control measures put in place. Health and safety issues are dealt with at the lowest level of management practicable. Where health and safety matters cannot be resolved at a particular management level the appropriate Senior Manager must be notified.
Everyone has a responsibility for contributing to the reduction of infections.
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable AdultsBury GP Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults, and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Quality and Clinical GovernanceQuality in Health Care delivery has three core dimensions: Patient Safety, Patient Experience and Clinical Effectiveness.
Clinical Governance is about the systems, processes and behaviours to ensure that high quality services are provided to patients. Every member of staff has a role to play in striving for excellence: it is important that everyone is aware of and follows policies and procedures that govern their work; and if something goes wrong, everyone has an obligation to report it so lessons can be learned from mistakes, incidents and complaints.
If any member of staff has concerns on any clinical governance matters, they should raise them with their line manager, professional adviser, or a more senior member of management. Reference should be made to the federations guidance on Raising Concerns about provision of patient care.
Information GovernanceIt is the responsibility of all staff to respect the confidentiality of patients and staff, as specified in the Caldicott Principles, Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act. It is the duty of every employee to:
Only access person identifiable information as required in the execution of their duties
Disclose information appropriately, in line with the Data Protection Act 1998
To ensure good quality data by recording, promptly and accurately, clinical and non-clinical information within agreed timescales to PAS, the health record or the appropriate clinical or non-clinical information system
Maintain the confidentiality of their password / username and if in possession of a Smartcard abiding by the terms and conditions of its use
Person Specification
Qualifications
- BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in Pharmaceutical science
- Professional registration with GPhC
- Evidence of Continuing professional development (CPD)
- Accuracy checking qualification
- Experience of working as a qualified, registered Pharmacy technician in a community pharmacy or a hospital pharmacy setting
- Additional Qualifications to support role. BTEC in therapeutics
- Primary care experience
Experience
- Knowledge of Pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation
- An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets
- Good Clinical Pharmacy knowledge including terminology
- Excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
- Awareness of the nature of key prescribing priorities in primary care
- IT skills including word and excel
- Influencing and negotiating skills
- Planned and organised approach to workload, and ability to meet deadlines.
- Able to think analytically and logically to resolve or escalate as appropriate
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
- Demonstrates diplomacy, professionalism and accountability
- Able to work effectively independently and as part of a team
- Self - motivated and proactive with good time management skills
- Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
- Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to meet stakeholders and clients
- Able to undertake the needs of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
- Demonstrated ability to prioritise workload effectively
- Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting
- Awareness of the PCN agenda
- Demonstrated ability to conduct audit and produce reports
- Working knowledge of GP Practice IT systems
- Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data and analysis tools
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
Bury GP Federation
Address
Bury Business Lodge
Hornby Street
Bury
Lancashire
BL9 5BN
https://www.burygpfederation.com/
- Company
- Bury GP Federation
- Location
- Bury, United Kingdom BL9 5BN
- Employment Type
- Permanent
- Salary
- Negotiable
- Posted
- Company
- Bury GP Federation
- Location
- Bury, United Kingdom BL9 5BN
- Employment Type
- Permanent
- Salary
- Negotiable
- Posted