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Job description

Job Title: Primary Care Network, Pharmacy Technician

Accountable to: Clinical Pharmacist & PCN Practices

Place of work: Practices across NN4, a PCN in North Norfolk – Acle Medical Partnership, Blofield Surgery, Brundall Medical Centre, Hoveton & Wroxham Medical Centre, Ludham & Stalham Green Surgery, Staithe Surgery

Principle Liaisons: Primary Care Networks Clinical Directors, North Norfolk GP Practices

Salary range: Up to £28,300 (Depending on qualifications and experience)

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join North Norfolk Primary Care, working as a Pharmacy Technician across a Primary Care Network (PCN) in North Norfolk.

As a pharmacy technician you will work alongside our Clinical Pharmacists and team of Pharmacy Technicians, as a key member of the GP practice teams, contributing to prescribing of the highest quality, safety and value, supporting medicines management and prescribing processes.

To be eligible for this post candidates must have completed or be enrolled in, be undertaking or be prepared to start an approved 18-month training pathway (e.g. Primary care pharmacy educational pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH)). Pharmacy technicians must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Entry to the PCPEP programme will include the option for an accreditation of Prior Learning (APEL) process.

Main duties of the job

You will provide support to our GPs, Pharmacists, Dispensers, other clinical staff and reception teams, co-ordinating discharge summaries and medication reviews, playing a central role in repeat prescribing processes, liaising with our patients, carers, hospital and community pharmacies, responding to medication queries and updating medical records. You will also be supporting the achievement of PCN targets and requirements, such as the Investment & Impact Fund, alongside the Clinical Pharmacists.

We are looking for a dynamic person wishing to build on their current pharmacy experience and knowledge who can offer us excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills. You will need to be flexible and enjoy working in a busy environment.

Key Responsibilities

To be part of the North Norfolk NN4 Primary Care Network (PCN), working as a key member within the GP practice teams, contributing to prescribing of the highest quality, safety and value and supporting medicines optimisation.

Reporting to a Clinical Pharmacist the post holder will provide support to the GPs, Pharmacists, Dispensers, other clinical staff and reception teams to co-ordinate discharge summaries, medication reviews and ensure the safe prescribing of medication. The post holder will support the development of a safe, cost effective, efficient practice repeat prescribing system through reviewing, improving and implementing medicines management processes.

Your core role in the GP practices will cover responsibilities in clinical, and technical and administrative areas.

Clinical:

• Undertaking patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
• Carrying 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.
• As determined by the PCN practices, supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacists, and referring to the pharmacist for structured medication reviews.
• Providing specialist expertise, where competent, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.
• Taking a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients.
• Supporting initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

Technical and Administrative:

• Working with the GP practice multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.
• Providing training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
• Developing relationships with other pharmacy technicians, pharmacists 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.
• Supervising practice reception teams in sorting and streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests.

The role will also require pharmacy technicians to support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings. This will be achieved through undertaking clinical audits (e.g. use of antibiotics), supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services. In addition, pharmacy technicians will assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation incentive schemes (e.g. medicines switches) and patient safety audits.

Training requirements
Pharmacy technicians are registered healthcare professionals, who have been undertaking clinical and technical roles in hospitals, community and primary care. Their initial 2-year training is mandated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which specifies criteria to register as a pharmacy technicianand this covers the education, training and experience requirements.

The role will require travel between GP practice sites within the PCN area.

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NNPC Generic Job Description areas:Communication

• Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating
• Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication
• Maintain effective communication within the organisational environment and with external stakeholders
• Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues
• Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (eg PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate

Delivering a quality service

• Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
• Participate in quality assurance and safety processes across the organisation and its activities
• Participate in shared learning across NNPC and the wider organisational environment
• Use a structured framework (e.g. root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
• Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery
• Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance
• Leadership – personal and people development
• Take responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in coaching/supervision and acting as a positive role mode
• Support staff development in order to maximise potential
• Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
• Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency or actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services
• Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work
• Enlist support and influence stakeholders and decision-makers in order to bring about new developments in the provision of services
• Contribute to planning and implementing changes within the area of care and responsibility
• Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards

Team working

• Understand own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time
• Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
• Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence
• Create clear referral mechanisms to meet patient need
• Prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team
• Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery
• Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care
• Manage and lead on the delivery of specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the practice management team
• Agree plans and outcomes by which to measure success

Management of risk

• Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients
• Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines
• Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs.
• Participate in mandatory and statutory training requirements
• Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines
• Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice

Managing information

• Use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information
• Review and process data using accurate Read codes in order to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes
• Manage information searches using the internet and local library databases
• Monitor and confirm that the nursing team are receiving and processing data and information in an agreed format
• Collate, analyse and present clinical data and information to the team
• Learning and development
• Undertake mentorship for team members
• Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (eg courses and conferences)
• Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate
• Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning

Equality and diversity

• Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity
• Enable others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture
• Support people who need assistance in exercising their rights
• Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies
• Act as a role model in the observance of equality and diversity good practice
• Accept the rights of individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care and refuse care
• Assist patients from marginalised groups to access quality care

Pharmacy Technician – Person Specification

Qualifications and training

Essential

• Completion of or be enrolled in, be undertaking or be prepared to start an approved 18-month training pathway (e.g. Primary care pharmacy educational pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH)).
• Self-development through continuous professional development activity

Desirable

• Registration with the Association of Pharmacy Technicians
• NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services or Equivalent

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Experience of working in a patient facing role in clinical pharmacy or pharmacy setting
• Experience of working with I.T systems i.e. Microsoft Office and or Clinical Systems
• Experience of following set procedures and protocols and working to quality standards
• Experience of working in a busy environment and meeting deadlines

Desirable

• Understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and service
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice. An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Experience and an awareness of common acute and long-term condition s that are likely to be seen in general practice

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conductExcellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills organisation skills with the ability to constructively challenge the view and practices of managers and clinicians
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Good IT skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity

Desirable

• Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Full driving license

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent
Part-time hours: 37.5 per week

Salary: Up to £28,300.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexitime

Schedule:

• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 27/07/2023
Reference ID: NN4