Pharmacy Technician

Job responsibilities

The Pharmacy Technician is to assume the following key responsibilities in delivering health services.

• Undertake patient-facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
• Conduct medicine optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g., checking inhaler technique), support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation.
• When required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively
• As determined by the practice, support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronise medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacists and referring to the practice Pharmacists for structured medication reviews.
• Provide specialist expertise, when competent, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients including lifestyle advice, service information and help in tackling local health inequalities
• Maintain a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaise with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients
• Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing
• Assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation and management incentive schemes and patient safety audits.
• Implement procedural and service changes relating to prescribing to the practice staff, to ensure best practice is adopted in accordance with local guidelines and legislation
• Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within the practice and other primary care settings. This will be achieved through undertaking clinical audits (e.g., use of antibiotics), supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services
• Contribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct care

Technical and administrative responsibilities

• Work with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.
• Supervise practice reception teams in sorting and streaming general prescription requests so as to allow GPs and Clinical Pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests.
• Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare professionals and providers.
• Provide leadership for medicines optimisation systems with a range of services to get the best value from medicines by encouraging and implementing electronic prescriptions, safe repeat prescribing systems and timely monitoring and management of high-risk medicines
• Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)
• Develop relationships with other Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacists, members of the multi-disciplinary team and within the PCN, or wider afield within the locality, to support the integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health
• Support the delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives.
• Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner

Personal and Professional Development

• If not already completed, enrol and undertake an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) or courses approved by the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) as meeting the requirements of the UK-wide APTUK/PCPA National Competency Framework for Primary Care Pharmacy Technicians; working under appropriate clinical supervision to ensure safe and efficient medicines management.
• E-learning, whole Practice training, or other training determined necessary to support personal development and practice HR and H&S requirements.
• In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses, the post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment.
• Develop relationships with other Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team within the PCN, or wider afield within the locality to support the integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health.
• Participate in probationary reviews and an annual individual performance review with your Line Manager and GP Lead for Prescribing.
• Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance, demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
• Take responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner
• Always maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area
• Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility.
• There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician
• Enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH)

Knowledge and Skills

Essential ...