PCN Pharmacy Technician

NHS; Luton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job description

Hatters Health PCN, a collaborative of 5 friendly, pro-active practices in Luton, has an exciting opportunity for a hardworking, enthusiastic and innovative pharmacy technician to join our expanding Pharmacy team. The successful candidates will be excellent communicators, highly organised professionals who are looking to join a dynamic team working to support a diverse range of people from different cultural and social backgrounds. You will benefit from regular tutorials and clinical supervision, the opportunity to be actively involved in how your role evolves over time and the opportunity to work within a highly motivated, dedicated multi-disciplinary team.

Working to deliver services which improve the health and wellbeing of our population, and improve job satisfaction for our staff. Hatters Health Network aims to support delivery of high quality, cost effective holistic care to the population we serve, through the sharing of best practice, and by ensuring an equitable approach to enable effective team working.

Main duties of the job

The role will involve working independently and within a highly motivated additional roles team to support further development of our prescribing systems and pathways. Working to ensure safe, effective and efficient prescribing within our member practices.

About us

Hatters Health PCN is a Network of 5 friendly GP practices serving a population of around 38,600 patients. We work to our values of Honesty, Ambition, Teamwork, Transformation, Equity, Respect & Stronger together.

Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire 25mins from central London. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club (Hatters FC), London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire.

Job responsibilities

Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of Hatters Health PCN multi-disciplinary team.

The purpose of the Pharmacy Technician Role is to lead improvements which maximise safe, cost-effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care. The post holder will support patients to get the best from their medicines by switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing and drug monitoring processes in General Practice, including promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and aiming to reduce wasted medicines. In addition, the post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principles of medicines optimisation throughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting Hatters Health PCN in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiative.

Key Responsibilities:

This is a guide and duties may vary depending on Hatters Health PCN priorities.

Clinical

1. Undertake patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
2. Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g. checking inhaler technique), supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation.
3. Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.
4. Monitor high-risk medicines according to local systems and processes.
5. Support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies.
6. Support delivery of Structured Medication Reviews.
7. Provide expertise to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.
8. Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists and other MDT members for more complex patients.
9. Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

Technical and administrative

1. Implement policies and effective processes for medicines governance including controlled drugs and repeat prescribing and drug monitoring.
2. Ensure all information, including allergy, is recorded accurately and contemporaneously.
3. Identify missing information, discrepancies and errors on repeat prescription requests and resolve according to local policy and procedures.
4. Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.
5. Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage.
6. Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
7. Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering.
8. Develop relationships with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multidisciplinary team to support integration across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health.
9. Support practice reception teams in streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests.
10. Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.
11. Support the PCN to deliver on QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.
12. Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements.
13. Complete audits and reviews as requested.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Professional registration with GPhC BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences.

Experience

• Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy.
• Experience of working within multi-professional team environments.
• Experience of working with elderly or vulnerable people, complying with best practice and relevant legislation.

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.