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, coordinatedcare 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 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.
Main duties of the job
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.
Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration ( 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, supportmedication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacies
About us
Penwith PCN has around 67,000 registered practice population, in the far West of the country. We have 7 GP practices, and our geography includes some remote rural locations as well as towns, surrounded on 3 sides by the coast.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Undertake patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration ( 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, supportmedication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmaciesSupport the Clinical Pharmacist in Structure Medication Reviews (SMR) organisenecessary monitoring tests prior to SMRProvide 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 AdministrativeSupport 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 orderingDevelop relationships with other pharmacy professionals and members of the multidisciplinary 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 servicesSupport the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements
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 appointing GP Federation 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 ControlEquality 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:
o Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
o 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 teams performance. Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs. Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
1. Person specification:
2. Qualifications and experience Essential/desirable
3. Is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Essential
4. BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences Essential
5. enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway.
6. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP)
7. or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) or courses approved
8. by the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) as meeting the
9. requirements of the UK-wide APTUK/PCPA National Competency
10. Framework for Primary Care Pharmacy Technicians Essential
11. Evidence of Continued Professional Development (CPD) Essential
12. Exeperience of working in a Primary Care setting or Primary Care Network
13. Essential
14. Excellent communication skills including being able to communicate complex information to patients and/or their circle of support Essential
15. IT skills including microsoft packages Essential
16. Ability to build relationships across the network, including people at all levels Essential
17. Personal attributes
18. Essential
19. Self motivating but able to recognise when to ask for support
20. Adaptability and versatile to organisational changes
21. Ability to work autonomously but also as part of a team
22. Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines when under pressure
23. Willingness to undertake mandatory training online or face-to-face, and to undertake further training as the service/need develops
Desirable
24. Driving licence with access to a car
25. Experienced in using EMIS
26. Experience and ability to work as part of a multi disciplinary team
27. Demonstrates an understanding of QOF, IIF
Personal attributes
Essential
28. Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
29. Flexible approach to meet service needs and ensure a stakeholder focused response
30. Self-motivated and proactive
31. Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
32. Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
33. Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
34. 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
35. Excellent time keeping and prioritisation skills
Desirable
36. Independently mobile to be able to work across several sites and travel to meet with stakeholders
Qualifications
Essential
37. Qualifications and Experience
38. Professional registration with GPhC
39. BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
40. Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)
41. Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
Desirable
42. Minimum of 2 years' experience in primary care
Knowledge and skills
Essential
43. Knowledge and Understanding
44. Relevant advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks, General
45. Practice and evidence based medicine
46. An appreciation of the NHS agenda and Government targets
47. Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting, delivering
48. pharmaceutical input and support in the context of pathways of care and the business of the
49. organisation(s)
50. Good clinical pharmacy knowledge including terminology
51. An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for the improvement of prescribing
52. Knowledge and understanding of pharmacy law and ethics and current legislation
53. Microsoft office packages (essential)
54. Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
55. Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
56. Able to effectively manage allocated resources
57. Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines
58. Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to draw logical solutions to problems
59. Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
60. Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals, recognising peoples needs for alternative methods of
61. communication
62. An excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
Desirable
63. 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
64. and quality