Job Description – Bromley Connect PCN Pharmacy Technician
Service Area
Primary Care Network
Job Title
Bromley Connect PCN – Pharmacy Technician
Salary
From £30,000
Hours
Full time or part time
Reporting to
PCN Manager
Accountable to
Clinical Director
Location
Bromley Connect PCN Practices
Organisation Summary:
Bromley Connect PCN comprises of 3 Practices in Bromley. The practices have a combined geographic area made up of around 40,000 patients. There is a wide socio-economic and demographic served within this area which will provide an interesting and varied case mix. You will be joining an enthusiastic team of clinicians and administrators. You will be well supported with ongoing professional development (training support, CPD, and peer support). The role will contribute to the improving quality of care of our patients across the network of practices.
Bromley Connect PCN is a friendly and diverse team who are determined to make work-life balance achievable and enjoyable. They are a supportive group of clinicians and are made up of a dedicated multi-disciplinary team ready to welcome new employees into the network.
Purpose of the role:
Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi- disciplinary team. Pharmacy technicians are different to clinical pharmacists as they are not able to prescribe or make clinical decisions, instead working under supervision to ensure effective and efficient use of medicines.
Pharmacy technicians’ core role responsibilities will cover clinical, and 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. The post holder will help patients to get the best from their medicines by switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, including promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and aiming to reduce wasted medicines.
In addition, the post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principles of medicines optimisation throughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.
Key duties and 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.
- As determined by the PCN, support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies
- Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) i.e. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR
- Provide expertise to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.
- Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients.
- Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.
Technical and Administrative
- Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.
- Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage.
- Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
- Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering
- Develop relationships with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health.
- Support practice reception teams in streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests.
- Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings.
- Support the PCN to deliver on QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services
- Supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services;
- Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements
The postholder will:
- 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
Personal/Professional development: The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with such training to include: Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
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
- 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
- Supervision - The post holder will have access to appropriate clinical supervision and an appropriate named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support on a day to day basis
Qualifications and Experience
- Professional registration with GPhC
- meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician
- meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician; c. enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH);
- Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)
- Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
Skills and Competencies
- Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
- Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN
- Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
- Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily able to effectively manage allocated resources
- Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines
- Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems
- Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust communication style and content to suit the audience
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals. Whilst recognising people’s needs for alternative methods of communication
- Influencing and negotiating skills
- An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
Attributes
- Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
- Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
- Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to meet with stakeholders
- Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
- Demonstrate ability to work in a busy environment
- Ability to deal with both urgent and important tasks and to prioritise effectively whilst also supporting others
- Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: From £30,000.00 per year
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Bromley BR1 1HN: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Pharmacy Technician: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
Work Location: In person
