Medicines Optimisation Technician

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust; Truro; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Truro seeks a Pharmacy Technician to join its ward-based team. Responsibilities include taking and recording drug histories, assessing medication quality, and counselling patients on their medicines. The ideal candidate will hold relevant pharmacy accreditations or be willing to undertake necessary courses. This role also includes supervising junior staff, making it vital for candidates to have strong patient interaction skills and the ability to work within a fast-paced healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• Must hold relevant accreditations or be willing to undertake necessary courses.
• Experience in a hospital pharmacy setting preferred.
• Ability to supervise junior staff and trainees.

Responsibilities

• Undertake a ward based medicines optimisation service.
• Document patients' drug histories on admission.
• Assess quality of patients' own drugs.

Skills

Patient counselling

Drug history taking

Quality assessment of medications

Education

Relevant accreditations for Pharmacy Technician

Job description

Overview

The post holder is expected to have the relevant accreditations to meet the criteria for a Pharmacy Technician, band 5 or be willing to undertake both ACT and Medicines Optimisation courses. You will be working as part of the ward-based pharmacy team to optimise safe and effective use of medicines. This includes working on wards and surgical units, taking and recording patients' drug histories, assessing patients' own medications, counselling patients on their medicines and supporting discharge. The post holder will also contribute to audit and review of safe medicines practice in clinical areas. This role includes supervision of junior members of staff and trainees on a planned basis. The post holder will be expected to provide final accuracy checking support to the dispensary on a rotation basis.

Main duties / Responsibilities

• To undertake or train to undertake a ward based medicines optimisation service.
• To work within SOP procedures for this activity to take drug histories and document details of patients\' drugs on admission including documentation of allergies and other adverse reactions.
• To assess patients\' own drugs for quality and as part of the pharmacy team organise where necessary compliance aids for individual patients.
• Where required; manage the effective top up and stock checks of controlled drugs.
• To participate in departmental audits and pilot schemes as required.

About the employer

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) is the main provider of acute and specialist care services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We serve a population of around 500,000 people – a figure that can increase significantly with visitors during the busiest times of the year. We employ approximately 6,700 staff and have a budget of approximately £580 million.

We are a teaching hospital in partnership with the University of Exeter Medical School, University of Plymouth School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Peninsula Dental School. The Knowledge Spa on the Royal Cornwall Hospital site is the base for medical and nursing as well as ongoing education for health professions in clinical and non-clinical roles.

Keeping at the forefront of medical advances, we are continually developing our clinical services as well as our facilities and are committed to maximising the range of specialist care that can be offered locally. Allied to this is a growing reputation for research and innovation.