Vacancy: Pharmacy Technician

Auckland Surgery

Job Description

The new GP contract and Local Enhanced Services place additional responsibilities and requirements on practices, notably around structured medication review, medicines safety and disease identification and management.

We would like to expand our existing pharmacy team capacity to help us deliver these priorities to our population.

The role will also include a range of other responsibilities centred around ensuring we have safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste and maximising patient outcomes. This role will include administrative aspects as well as direct patient contact, whether by telephone/video consultation, surgery appointments or on home visits, supporting our multi-professional team. There will be regular contact and support to the rest of the clinical team and the prescription clerks and wider administration and reception teams

Main resonsibilities

The Pharmacy Technician will work alongside our prescribing clerks and under the supervision of our clinical pharmacist to:

• Be responsible for the organisation, planning and of own workload to meet set deadlines
• Use and maintain information reporting systems and databases relevant to the position including incident reporting, medicines optimisation, prescribing data, cost savings, and patient outcomes
• Take a proactive approach towards the safe handling of prescriptions, including assessment of risk and making recommendations for improvement
• To respond to medication queries from patients and staff in a professional manner and within practice protocol, referring to the appropriate clinician when required
• Liaise with other pharmacy stakeholders e.g. Medicines Optimisation/Community Pharmacy/Hospital Pharmacy/PCN Pharmacy teams
• Support and eventually deliver training and development to practice based prescribing clerks and administrators to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration
• Undertake medicines reconciliation reviews post-discharge and on other transfers of care, within the remit of practice protocols and growing individual competency
• Run medication safety audits and highlight patients that require clinical review e.g. in response to MHRA / national patient safety alerts, the local incentive scheme, quality and outcomes framework (QOF) or local updates
• Help review and contribute to the practice's repeat prescribing and high-risk drug monitoring protocols
• Undertake medication use reviews and support the pharmacist by identifying patients who need further clinical medication review and assisting where able, e.g. through the provision of patient safety information leaflets, joining on community visits etc.
• Participate in practice MDT meetings, patient participation groups, and other meetings to promote issues relevant to prescribing and medicines optimisation

The postholder will also:

• Be part of a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The postholder must comply with all the requirements of policies regarding this.
• Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld in all working practices.
• 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

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, either directly or under supervision whilst embracing the practice’s ethos of recording of any errors or near misses and learning by mistakes without blame
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients’ needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Confidentiality

The post holder may have access to confidential information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

Personal Specification

Qualitifications

Essential

• Professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacy Technician
• NVQ level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians or similar

Desirable

• Enrolled in, be qualified from or willing to embark on an approved training pathway, for example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) by CPPE

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of ability to work proactively and independently
• Computer literate with an ability to use Microsoft Office Packages

Desirable

• Knowledge of EMIS clinical system
• Experience of working in a general practice setting
• Knowledge of the principles of medicines optimisation
• An appreciation of the NHS agenda and the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing
• Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation

Skills and Qualities

Essential

• Ability to work in a busy and sometimes changing environment with demonstratable time keeping and prioritisation skills
• Able to prioritise own workload, under own initiative within the boundaries of the role
• Awareness of own personal and professional limitations, and willing to seek advice where necessary
• Attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
• Committed to own CPD, with support from employer
• Understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
• Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
• Written and verbal communication skills with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience

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.