Lead Pharmacy Technician - Medicines Mechanisms

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; United States; Remote; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced GPhC-registered Pharmacy Technician to support the Medicines Mechanisms Team. You will develop protocols, formularies and governance processes to ensure safe, compliant medicines administration across the UHL Group.

You will lead on education materials, audits, and service improvements, deputise for the lead pharmacist when needed, and collaborate with clinical pharmacists and colleagues to embed medicines governance

Qualifications

• GPhC-registered Pharmacy Technician with underpinning qualifications.
• Post-registration qualifications such as accuracy checking.
• Experience in medicines governance and reporting to governance committees.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team and coaching others.
• Experience maintaining databases/management systems (e.g., NMP registers).
• Experience delivering audits and service improvement initiatives.
• Experience designing and delivering education and training for groups.

Responsibilities

• Support governance standards for administration and supply of medicines.
• Develop and maintain protocols and formularies with oversight groups.
• Provide expert input to education, audit and service improvement activities.
• Deputise for the Medicines Mechanisms Lead Pharmacist when required.
• Create training materials and deliver education to staff.
• Monitor national alerts and ensure documents are updated accordingly.

Skills

GPhC-registered tech

Post-registration quals

Accuracy checking

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Database management

Audit and service improvement

Education/training delivery

Education

Level 4+ Diploma

Pharmacy technician qualification

Job description

The post holder will support the Lead Pharmacist for Medicines Mechanisms to deliver the Medicines Mechanisms agenda across University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG). The role will achieve the coordination, assurance and continuous improvement of systems and processes that underpin safe, effective and legally compliant supply and administration of medicines to individuals, including protocols, formularies, delegation arrangements and associated governance. The post holder will provide specialist technical advice and leadership within their agreed scope, contributing to education, audit and service improvement activity, working collaboratively with pharmacy and multidisciplinary colleagues to embed a strong medicines governance culture across the organisation. Main duties of the job Support the achievement of statutory, regulatory and best-practice standards underpinning the administration and supply of medicines to individuals across UHLG. Maintain robust systems for assurance that the administration and supply of medicines to individuals across UHLG meets statutory, regulatory and best practice standards. Proactively identify and appropriately elevate issues and risks relating to the administration and supply of medicines to individuals across UHLG. Ensure that Trust guidelines, policies, and procedures relating to the supply and administration of medicines to individuals are regularly reviewed, harmonised and updated in line with the latest clinical evidence and national guidance, Communicate effectively with a wide range of colleagues to ensure awareness of relevant medicines governance standards and risk. Represent the Medicines Mechanisms Team and contribute specialist guidance at departmental and organisational forums, to ensure relevant statutory, regulatory and best practice standards are understood, that issues are identified and appropriately resolved. Provide expert input to working groups supporting the delivery of the Medicines Mechanisms agenda across the organisation. Develop relevant education and training material and support delivery of training to increase the capability of UHLG workforce to enable best practice within pharmacy and multidisciplinary teams across the organisation. Ensure insights and escalations (eg complaints) are responded to in line with departmental processes and organisational policy. Design, undertake and support the implementation of actions and tests of change arising from audit and research, and ensure effective monitoring is undertaken to completion/impact assessment. Deputise for the Medicines Mechanisms Lead Pharmacist when appropriate to ensure individual and team objectives are delivered in line with departmental and organisational priorities. Provide advice to, and respond to queries from, individuals seeking to develop protocols and formularies for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals. Check and process applications to develop protocols and formularies for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals. Apply expertise to ensure protocols and formularies for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals meet relevant approval standards. Navigate protocol and formulary development requests to relevant working and oversight groups. Develop and maintain effective systems, processes and databases of protocols and formularies for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals, monitor and provide update reports to relevant working and oversight groups. Work with clinical pharmacists to ensure that protocols and formularies for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals are clinically appropriate and compatible with day to day operational delivery. Attend and represent Medicines Mechanisms at relevant meetings as required by the pharmacy department and Medicines Governance Team. Be an active member of relevant multi-disciplinary working and oversight group(s) for protocols and formularies for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals. Review and where appropriate, write, relevant departmental and organisational guidelines, policies and procedures. Interact with a wide range of colleagues across the organisation to fulfil the responsibilities of the post. Develop communications for a wide range of stakeholders across the organisation and its interfaces. Be a designated lead point of contact and resource for pharmacy/medicines governance/legal mechanisms issues and related performance and assurance. Assist with the design, execution and review of audit plans and audits related to the role. Produce and present audit plans, proposals, and reports. Monitor national medicines-related alerts and changes to national standards and guidelines and recognise when UHLG documents protocols and formularies for the administration of medicines to individuals require update as a result. Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade and in line with the requirements of the job. Seek to continually improve own practice and offer suggestions to improve the service provided by the department and team. Comply with legal and other requirements related to medicines within pharmacy and in all areas of the hospital.

• GPhC-registered Pharmacy Technician with necessary underpinning qualification(s)
• Post-registration qualification(s) e.g accuracy checking, level 4+ diploma in pharmacy technician practice, Demonstrable post-qualification experience working in medicines governance and reporting into medicines governance committee/group(s)
• Experience working effectively within a multi-disciplinary team with the ability to support and coach others as needed
• Experience maintaining effective databases/management systems, for example NMP registers, PGD/protocol repositories
• Experience delivering audit, service improvement and/or change/project management
• Experience of designing and delivering education and training for multi-professional groups

Desirable criteria

• Experience leading on aspects of PGDs, prescribing and/or delegation of medicines administration to non-registered practitioners organisationally, contributing to PGD development groups, prescribing panels and/or delegation pathways, Understanding of the principles of clinical governance in the NHS
• Strong understanding of medicines governance, with expertise on legal mechanisms for the supply and administration of medicines to individuals
• Familiar with statutory, regulatory and best practice requirements including key documents relevant to pharmacy in the NHS
• Aware of the principles of and potential issues around delegation of medicines administration, in particular to non-registered practitioners
• Knowledge of quality improvement (QI) methodologies and implementation of change
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to present information appropriately according to the audience
• Excellent verbal communication skills with the ability to engage and inspire an audience
• Competent in the fundamentals of pharmacy practice and able to identify and address own learning and development needs
• Able to identify and solve problems, including knowing own limitations and securing help
• Excellent planning skills with the ability to prioritise and adapt according to changing demands and objectives. Able to handle frequent interruptions as well as concentrate for long periods
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence others and negotiate desired outcomes
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team, with the ability to self-motivate and motivate others
• Able to work accurately with a critical lens and good attention to detail
• Proficient in the use of IT, including Office and pharmacy software, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) was formed on 1 November 2024, born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our communities.

We are one of the largest employers in region, with over 18,900 colleagues who are dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services that extend to more than two million people in the North West. We operate from five hospital sites: Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside, and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and respiratory medicine, both in the hospital and out in the community. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms and mainly focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria. Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview. We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Candidates applying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months' of their 18^th birthday. The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working. The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.

Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £26.50 (standard disclosure) or £54.50 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment. From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years. Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa. This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures. Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation. All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action. As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.

Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.