Primary Care Network - Pharmacy Technician
Job Description
Job summary
Gateshead Inner West PCN are seeking two experienced, self-motivated, hard-working, and patient focused pharmacy technicians to join our team on a fixed term basis, with the view of possible extension.
The post holder will work under the supervision of the clinical pharmacists to ensure the safe, accurate and timely supply of prescribed medication to patients.
They will provide technical and administrative support to the clinicians.
The Pharmacy Technician will support the organisations clinical teams with queries regarding medication from patients.
The Pharmacy Technician will complete audits regarding patient safety in the prescribing of medication and present the information for sharing with the clinical team.
This role is offered on a full-time basis, for 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday.
Main duties of the job
The purpose of this full-time role is to provide technical support to the clinical pharmacists and other pharmacy services within general practice and the Primary Care Network (PCN) to ensure professional operational standards and excellence in pharmaceutical care and safety are maintained. To ensure delivery of safe, effective and efficient systems for medicines related clinical correspondence, repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste and maximising patient outcomes.
About us
Based in the Inner West of Gateshead our Primary Care Network serves over 45,000 patients across our five member Practices of: Whickham Medical Cottage, Chainbridge Medical Partnership, Glenpark Medical Practice, Teams Medical Practice & Sunniside Surgery.
We provide integrated services to our local population. Aiming to deliver more personalised, coordinated health and social care for people close to home.
The successful candidate will work alongside our current pharmacy team across all five sites.
Job responsibilities
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
Support, as determined by the PCN, medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings and linking with local community pharmacists
Provide specialist expertise, where 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
Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising 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
Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes 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.
Reconcile the medicines of patients whose care is transferred back to primary care in a timely and effective manner liaising with patients and other providers to ensure patients receive appropriate medication on discharge
Proactively engage with patients whose care has been transferred to reduce potential readmission including identifying and rectifying unexplained variation
Work with pharmacy service team to develop safe, effective and efficient systems for the repeat prescribing of medication at scale across the five GP sites.
Work alongside our current pharmacy service team to develop and implement systems to ensure the effective and continuous supply of medication to high risk patients
Work with pharmacy service team to develop and implement systems to ensure safe and effective management of high risk medication
Work with pharmacy services to develop and implement changes to medicines in line with MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local or national guidance
Provide feedback and seek advice from pharmacist for patients where the post holder has clinical concerns around competence to safely manage their medications
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
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
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
Personal Qualities & Skills
Essential
- Is working under appropriate clinical supervision to ensure safe, effective and efficient use of medicines
- Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
- Knowledge of IT systems, including the ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
- Good personal organisational skills
- Effective time management
- Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
- Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
- Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
- Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
- Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
- Flexible and cooperative
- Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
- Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
- Able to finish work tasks
- Problem solving and analytical skills
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety
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)
Experience
Essential
- Experience working in a primary care setting
- Understanding and knowledge of healthcare provision in GP practices, QOF and enhanced services
- An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners
- Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS
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 (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Gateshead Inner West Primary Care Network
Address
Gateshead Inner West Primary Care Network
Whickham Cottage Medical Centre
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
NE16 4PD
Employer's website
https://www.gatesheadinnerwestpcn.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
