Pharmacy Technician Job Description
Please note interviews will be held in the afternoon of Wednesday February 5th.
About Us
About Chilwell Valley and Meadows Practice:
We are run by Chilwell Valley and Meadows Partnership, a partnership of 9 GPs. GMS total nearly 16,000 patients across both sites. We are one practice on two similar sized purpose-built properties. Rated Outstanding by CQC with a strong emphasis on patient safety and caring. High QOF and Enhanced Services achievement. Well established undergraduate and postgraduate GP teaching and research carried out on both sites. Full complement of staff including two part-time practice pharmacists. Excellent relationship with local Primary Care Network Nottingham West, with support from other PCN pharmacists and technicians. We value holistic high-quality care for our patients and support for one another. Being a large team, we are able to nurture and mentor new staff at any stage of their career.
Job Responsibilities
JOB TITLE: CVAMP Pharmacy Technician
PAY BAND: Band 5 Agenda for Change, spine point dependent on experience in Primary Care.
HOURS OF WORK: (WTE)
LINE MANAGER: Prescribing Lead GP and PCN Pharmacy Team and Practice Manager for non-clinical issues
RESPONSIBLE TO: Chilwell Valley and Meadows Partnership
BASE POINT: Chilwell Meadows Surgery but may be required to work at both sites and some home visiting as needed.
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent
PURPOSE OF TEAM: Provides key support for the Clinical staff and for reception.
Job Summary
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 in the Practice. The pharmacy technicians will play an important role, complementing Clinical Pharmacists, Community Pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Pharmacy Technicians are different from 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, technical and administrative categories. The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximize 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, minimizing 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 optimization throughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN pharmacists and GPs in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation and utilization of medicines optimization initiatives.
Specific Duties
Clinical
Undertake patient-facing and patient-supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients. Carry out medicines optimization tasks including effective medicine administration (checking inhaler technique), supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation. Where required, utilize consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.
As determined by the Practice, support medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronizing medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies. Supporting the Clinical Pharmacists in medication reviews organizing 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 Administration
Support the Practice multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimization 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 the Practice, care homes and other primary care settings. Support the Practice to deliver on any local and national initiatives as determined by the practice. Support the Practice in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements and ensuring practice aligns with the policies.
General
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 actively promote Equality and Diversity issues relevant to the post. Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candor are observed and upheld in all working practices. The post holder will have, or acquire through training provided by the organization, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the Practices safeguarding protection policies and procedures. Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the Practice manager.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
* Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
* Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation
Desirable
* Relevant advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks, General Practice and evidence-based medicine
* An appreciation of NHS agenda and government targets
* Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting, delivering pharmaceutical input and support in the context of pathways of care and the business of the organizations
* Awareness of GP budget management and funding systems to enable GP clinical pharmacist services to assist delivery of PCN and NHS priorities and requirements for financial balance and quality
* An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improvement of prescribing
Other Requirements
Essential
* Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
* Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
* Clear understanding of confidentiality
* Ability to work across both locations and to travel to a patient's home
Qualifications
Essential
* Professional registration with GPhC
* Evidence of continued professional development
* Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations new opportunities and challenges
Desirable
* Experience of working as a qualified registered Pharmacy Technician in primary care community or hospital
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