Job description Job Title: Pharmacy Technician Hours of work:37.5 hours per week Place of work:Berry Lane Medical Centre Salary:Band 5 Job Scope The postholder will work with a diverse range of clinical conditions. The role will include SMRs, working with GPs and all prescribing clinicians, medicines management team and ICS Pharmacists. The ability to work confidently and effectively in a varied, and sometimes challenging environment is essential. The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and be organised, patient and empathetic. They will have experience of working in health, social care or other support roles including direct contact with people, families and carers. Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice is part of an exciting programme of transformation to develop a new model of care which addresses our ambition to deliver person-centred, coordinated care across the district. The Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice model is supported by the direction of national policy including the Five Year Forward View and GP Forward View where there is a need to better utilise the role of pharmacy within primary care to pro-actively help patients stay safe and well and out of hospital as well as helping to reduce the demands on general practice. Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing the clinical ICB 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 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 medicine's 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 team in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) i.e. organise necessary monitoring tests, indications and compliance 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 team for more complex patients. Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally. To take an active role in making sure shared care documentation is up to date and relevant. Promote the importance and follow a robust protocol for all high-risk drug monitoring. Work closley with the medicine co-ordinator and provide valuable advice and training. 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, to allow GPs 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 General The postholder will: Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The postholder 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 in all working practices. 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. Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager/Infection Prevention and Control Equality and diversity: The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non- judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights. 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 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 Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the Teams 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.