Pharmacy TechnicianNHS

Job summary

Working within your clinical and professional boundaries, you will work alongside the Durham Coast PCN Clinical Pharmacists to support clinical teams in all aspects of prescribing and medicines safety.

The purpose of this role is to promote and support improvements to maximise safe and best practice in prescribing and improve the quality of patient care. The Pharmacy Technician will be a point of contact for patients regarding their prescriptions. The post holder will help patients get the best from their medicines through effective medicines reconciliation after discharge and on other transfers of care, identification of patients potentially suitable for repeat dispensing, providing assistance in the monitoring of high-risk and high-cost drugs and handling of prescription queries within the areas of competence.

This will also involve work to deliver key medicines optimisation outcomes against the ICB's Prescribing Outcomes Scheme. Contribute to quality improvement and clinical audit, as well as supporting aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework, medicines safety and antibiotic stewardship. You will also be required to contribute towards practice financial stability through medicines optimisation and related targets in QOF.

The role will include training and development of practice administrative staff that process repeat prescriptions to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration within general practice.

Main duties of the job

• Support practice clinical pharmacists and practice clinical teams to provide a safe and effective repeat prescribing service.
• Comply with legal and professional requirements and with safe systems of work for re-authorising repeat prescriptions.
• Co-ordinate medication review appointments and any changes of medication as advised by the clinical team.
• Liaise with pharmacies on the supply of prescribed drugs, alert clinicians of any supply issues and forward recommendations of alternatives.
• Medicines reconciliation post discharge and on other transfers of care.
• Bring queries to clinical team to include under or over usage.
• Day to day handling of prescription queries within area of own competence.
• Use and maintain information reporting systems and databases relevant to the position including incident reporting, prescribing data and patient outcomes.
• Handle function specific information, which may be sensitive, complex or confidential and appropriately recording, transferring and/or coordinating such information in accordance with the GDPR; Caldecott Guidelines and the Confidentiality Code of Conduct.
• Utilise GP practice clinical systems to conduct prescribing audits.
• Support the clinical pharmacists and practices with the work required under County Durham ICBs Medicines Management Local Incentive Scheme.

Job description

Part-time role for 27-32 hours per week.

Working within your clinical and professional boundaries, you will work alongside the Durham Coast PCN Clinical Pharmacists to support the clinical teams in all aspects of prescribing and medicines safety.

The purpose of this role is to promote and support improvements to maximise safe and best practice in prescribing and improve the quality of patient care. The Pharmacy Technician will be a point of contact for patients enquiries regarding their prescriptions. The post holder will help patients to get the best from their medicines through effective medicines reconciliation after discharge and on other transfers of care, identification of patients potentially suitable for repeat dispensing, providing assistance in the monitoring of high-risk and high-cost drugs, and handling of prescription queries within the areas of competence.

This will also involve work to deliver key medicines optimisation outcomes against the ICB-set Prescribing Outcomes Scheme. Contribute to quality improvement and clinical audit, as well as supporting aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework, medicines safety and antibiotic stewardship. You will also be required to contribute towards practice financial stability through medicines optimisation and related targets in QOF.

The role will include training and development of practice based administrative staff that process repeat prescriptions to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration within general practice, especially with relation to repeat prescribing systems and processes.

Main Duties and Areas of Responsibility: Pharmacy Technician

Support practice clinical pharmacists and practice clinical teams to provide a safe and effective repeat prescribing service.

Comply with legal and professional requirements and with safe systems of work for re-authorising repeat prescriptions.

Co-ordinate medication review appointments and any changes of medication as advised by the clinical team.

Liaise with pharmacies on the supply of prescribed drugs, alert clinicians of any supply issues and forward recommendations of alternatives.

Medicines reconciliation post discharge and on other transfers of care.

Bring queries to clinical team to include under or over usage.

Day to day handling of prescription queries within area of own competence.

Delivery of training and development to practice administrative staff who process repeat prescription requests to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration.

Use and maintain information reporting systems and databases relevant to the position including incident reporting, prescribing data and patient outcomes.

Participate in practice meetings, and other meetings to improve engagement of the role and to promote issues relevant to prescribing.

Liaise with multidisciplinary team, prescribing support team, community pharmacy and hospital pharmacy teams.

Handle function specific information, which may be sensitive, complex or confidential and appropriately recording, transferring and/or coordinating such information in accordance with the GDPR; Caldecott Guidelines and the Confidentiality Code of Conduct.

Be responsible for the organisation and planning of own workload to meet set deadlines.

Utilise GP practice clinical systems to conduct prescribing audits.

Support the clinical pharmacists and practices with the work required under County Durham ICBs Medicines Management Local Incentive Scheme.

Support the clinical pharmacists in shared care monitoring and processes.

In collaboration with practice Clinical Pharmacists and GP Prescribing Leads ensure that all major MHRA drug alerts, where appropriate and within levels of competence, are acted upon within practices over an appropriate time frame and to advise on any medication changes that occur as a result.

Undertake training and development, to ensure the required knowledge and skills for practice-based work.

Escalate problems or issues to line manager that requires additional support or input.

Carry out other duties which are appropriate to the skills and competencies of the post holder and grade of the post as the priorities of the service change.

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with GP practices, staff and other healthcare professionals.

The post holder will develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The post holder must be aware of and committed to the Equality and Diversity policies of the practice and comply with all the requirements of these policies and actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post.

Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld.

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 organisations safeguarding protection policies and procedures.

About us

We are looking to recruit an additional Pharmacy Technician to join our team at Durham Coast Primary Care Network which is formed of four member practices; East Durham Medical Group, Bevan Medical Group, Southdene Medical Centre and Wingate Medical Centre, together representing a population of over 33,000 patients.