PCN Pharmacy Technician

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 in order to optimise drug therapy, reduce polypharmacy and minimise unnecessary waste, communicating directly with patients as necessary.
• 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 chronic disease reviews (e.g., annual asthma reviews)
• Support dispensary and pharmacy teams with clinical patient queries, electronic tasks and dispensing medication (when required)
• Deal with appropriate prescription queries 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 make every contact count public health education interventions to patients.
• Provide pharmaceutical support to PCN 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 the 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.
• 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.
• 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 health care professionals within the practice in the absence of national guidance or agreed protocols where needed
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade as allocated by line management.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• 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

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualifications of a relevant nature. e.g. FdSc in Medicines Management/Pharmacy Services; BTEC Therapeutics (desirable)
• Primary care pharmacy education pathway CPPE either completed or working towards (desirable)

Experience

Essential

• Relevant advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of 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 practices
• Awareness of GP budget-management and funding systems to enable GP clinical pharmacist services to assist delivery of Federation 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

Attributes

Essential

• 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 ...