Pharmacy Technician

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Leeds is looking for a Pharmacy Technician to join their team and help improve patient care. The successful candidate will engage with patients to ensure effective use of medicines, support medication reviews, and contribute to the multi-disciplinary team. This role requires a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science and current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council. A commitment to professional development and effective communication is essential for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Must be registered as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Evidence of commitment to continued professional development required.
• Must participate in relevant training to develop role skills.

Responsibilities

• Undertake patient-facing roles for effective medicines use.
• Support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation.
• Assist in delivering medicines optimisation and management incentive schemes.

Skills

Patient-facing skills

Medicines optimisation

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science

Current registration as a Pharmacy Technician

Job description

We are pleased to offer a Pharmacy Technician role to join our dynamic team in a busy 2 site practice that is committed to excellent patient care.

Main duties of the job

Pharmacy technicians play an important role to proactively help patients stay safe, well, and out of hospital, as well as helping to reduce the demands on general practice. They complement clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi‑disciplinary team. Unlike clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians do not prescribe or make complex clinical decisions; instead they work under supervision or to an agreed protocol to ensure effective and efficient use of medicines.

Pharmacy technicians’ core responsibilities cover clinical, technical and administrative categories. The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost‑effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care.

About us

The practice covers a diverse, large area of North Leeds from Harehills to Shadwell, with a patient population of around 21,000. It has two purpose‑built buildings, one in Harehills and the other in Moortown.

We have 5 partners, 8 salaried doctors, 1 pharmacist, 5 practice nurses and 4 healthcare assistants. The clinicians are supported by a management and administration team and a reception team led by two reception supervisors. All staff work across both sites.

Job responsibilities

Report to: Head of Clinical Pharmacy
Accountable to: GP Board Director – Lead for Pharmacy
Location: Moortown and Harehills surgeries

Job Summary

Pharmacy technicians play an important role to proactively help patients stay safe, well, and out of hospital while reducing the demands on general practice. They complement clinical pharmacists and community pharmacists, working under supervision to ensure effective and efficient use of medicines.

Key responsibilities

Clinical

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 medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care‑home patients, practice patients and patient transfers between care settings, and link with local community pharmacies for repeat synchronisation of existing patients.

Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR), organising necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR and discussing medicines with patients to ascertain current use.

Provide specialist expertise to address public health and social care needs, including lifestyle advice, service information and help in tackling local health inequalities.

Take a central role in shared care protocols and liaise with appropriate pharmacists for more complex patients.

Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

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 audits, supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services and CQC inspection searches.

Technical and Administrative

Work with the PCN multi‑disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.

Supervise practice reception teams in sorting and streamlining general prescription requests to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review more clinically complex requests.

Provide leadership for medicines optimisation systems across PCNs, supporting practices 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).

Promote Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering.

Develop relationships with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multi‑disciplinary team to support integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care, including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health.

Support the PCN to deliver on GPOP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services.

Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements.

All Pharmacy Technicians must work within their competencies and have professional indemnity for their role.

General

The postholder will:

Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity and will be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of South and East Leeds GP Group and comply with all the requirements of these policies.

Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candor are observed and upheld in all working practices.

The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organisation, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisation’s safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager / Infection Prevention and Control.

Equality and diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will alert other team members to issues of quality and risk, assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, and contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting and making suggestions for improvement.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science or NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Pharmacy Service Skills or equivalent with underpinning knowledge.
• Current registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Evidence of commitment to continued professional development in line with regulatory requirements.
• Must be willing to participate in any relevant training identified to develop skills needed to carry out the role.
• BTEC Level 4 Diploma in Pharmaceutical Services.
• CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education pathway successfully completed or willing to complete if required.
• Post‑registration training in specific areas of pharmacy e.g. general practice, or clinical areas e.g. inhaler check training.
• Membership of APTUK.

Experience

• Experience in dealing with difficult situations.
• Experience of working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Experience of working as a pharmacy technician in primary care (GP practice or a primary care organisation medicines optimisation team).
• Experience of analysing prescribing data.

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.