Pharmacy Technician North & West Herefords Primary Care Network inHereford inHereford PUBLISHED FRI 18 OCT 2024

This role is based in the North & West Herefordshire PCN, one of the five forward thinking PCNs and would have one main base surgery, but will be required to work across the other Practices. Car parking is available at all sites.

This role includes the opportunity for remote working; a laptop and mobile telephone will be provided. This role will be working with a PCN with strong clinical leadership, with a PCN Lead Clinical Pharmacist and fantastic support for pharmacy professionals through the Pharmacy Technician Ambassador who will support and arrange monthly peer support meetings.

The practices are very enthusiastic about welcoming Pharmacy Technicians to their teams and supporting individual patients in general practice. We recognise that is a relatively new sector for the pharmacy profession and you may not start with the expertise. We are committed to providing support for you to develop, therefore even if you dont have general practice experience you should still apply, particularly if you are enthusiastic to develop your knowledge and skills. You can join the many pharmacy professionals embarking on this rewarding and fulfilling career pathway.When you start your role as well as a Herefordshire warm and friendly welcome the team will provide a structured induction, ongoing training and support with a mentor/supervisor at each GP practice; one of which may be your clinical supervisor for your CPPE

Pharmacy Technicians play an important role in complementing our existing Clinical Pharmacists, Medicines Optimisation teams and PCN multi-disciplinary team. This is an evolving job role with huge scope for development as we expand our PCN team.

You will have individual supervision from our Lead Clinical Pharmacist and be part of an established team of experienced Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians. In Herefordshire we take a collaborative approach across system partners e.g. other practices, PCNs, care home specialist pharmacists and the Acute/Community Trust.To discuss the role, ask questions or arrange an informal visit please contact Saul Phillips (details on contact page).

Main responsibilities include

Supporting the PCN Clinical Pharmacist in the delivery of clinical pharmacy services such as medicines reconciliation

Liaising with clinicians and administrative staff to resolve medicines-related queries

Monitoring practice prescribing and adherence to local and national prescribing policies

Improving service and quality through mechanisms such as audit.

About us

To support the PCN practices to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste and maximising patient outcomes working with the clinical supervision of a pharmacist.

Main Responsibilities

1. Queries: To respond to patient queries from patients and staff in a professional manner referring to the appropriate healthcare professional in accordance with practice protocols.

1. Processing Repeat Prescriptions: To participate in the daily preparation of repeat prescriptions in order to ensure high quality, safe and timely repeat prescribing.

1. Co-ordinating Repeat Prescribing Systems: To proactively contribute to the review and development of repeat prescribing protocols / Standard Operating Procedures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of repeat prescribing systems.

1. Medicines Reconciliation: To support the practice pharmacist with medicines reconciliation in accordance with practice protocols and to update patients medical records / prescribing accordingly liaising with community pharmacy to ensure the correct medicines are continued following transfer of care.
2. Medication review: To support the practice pharmacist to complete medication reviews prioritising patients with polypharmacy, strong opioids, high risk medicines and patients with unplanned hospital admissions.

6. Patient information: To source suitable patient information leaflets and resources to aid patient education and awareness as recommended by specialist healthcare teams to issue when completing reviews e.g. females on Sodium valproate and ensuring they have recent advice and information on Pregnancy Prevention Programmes and medical review.

1. Care Home Patients: To support the Care Home Pharmacist with medication reviews in Care Homes and updating patients medical records / prescribing accordingly (including weight records).

1. Domiciliary Medication Review: To retrieve medication histories and clinical information and support medication reviews to patients via domiciliary visits and to deliver pharmaceutical care plans that maximise cost-effective prescribing and improve the quality of patient care and ensure adherence.

1. Leading and supporting on cost effective prescribing initiatives: To implement medication changes in line with ICB guidelines in agreement with the practice.

10. To review medicines prescribed as specials or unlicensed medicines and liaise with practice pharmacist/ designated GP to justify use.

11. To reduce the prescribing of medicines available over the counter, low value and low priority treatments and self-care items: To raise awareness of medicines that should be purchased and lead on projects to inform patients and reduce prescribing in line with NHS England guidelines.

1. Medicines Audit & Service Evaluation / Development: To participate in audits to monitor and analyse individual practice / primary care network prescribing performance and trends against ICB and National targets, using data and identifying priority areas for action.

13. To produce written and verbal prescribing reports for practices / primary care networks including recommendations and assistance in the implementation of these recommendations.

14. High Risk Medicines: To support the practice pharmacist by completing medication audits for High Risk medicines, checking that routine monitoring is completed regularly reporting any variances and taking appropriate action as specified by designated GP.

1. Long term clinical conditions / Service Evaluation: To support practice nurses in providing care for long term conditions and QOF framework: e,g, Asthma, COPD by ensuring patients have good inhaler technique, Diabetes demonstrating blood glucose monitoring devices. Completing audits to ensure that blood tests have been completed for long term conditions and medicines prescribed are safe and appropriate e.g., HbA1C / GFR and diabetes reviews / medications.

1. External reviews and CQC Inspections: To support the practice when preparing for external reviews and CQC inspections ensuring SOPs relevant to medicines are current, relevant and up to date. Support the work of practice pharmacist and prescribing lead to ensure practice is compliant with CQC standards relating to medicines.

1. Safe storage of medicines and vaccinations

To ensure fridge monitoring is complete and complies with legislation.

To ensure medicines are stored safely and comply with legislation.

To ensure stock is maintained and out of date stock is identified and disposed of in a timely manner.

To support the ordering of formulary medicines, vaccines and blood glucose monitoring equipment.

1. Liaising with the Integrated Care Board and Primary Care Network: To support the practice pharmacist to liaise with the Primary Care Networks and Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB in response to monitoring and management of prescribing budgets.

1. Telephone and patient facing medicines support: Support patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines signposting patients to appropriate services and other healthcare professionals (e.g. community pharmacy, face to face medicines review with the practice pharmacist).To offer practical advice to patients and carers for minor ailments e.g. head lice.

1. Training: To deliver specialist training to GPs, practice, community and care staff, and patients to promote and ensure current best practice related to prescribing appropriate to your knowledge, competencies and specialist areas under the supervision of the practice pharmacist. To maintain mandatory training competencies as specified by Practice Manager.

1. Medicines Safety and Alerts: To highlight and discuss MHRA alerts and product withdrawals with GPs, HCPs and practice pharmacist agreeing and implementing changes, informing patients and community pharmacies. To ensure prescribing supports current safety recommendations e.g., Insulin - prescribed by brand.

1. QOF: To support the achievement of the practices prescribing Quality and Outcomes Framework targets.

1. Repeat prescribing staff management: To provide supervision, training and professional leadership to the practice administrative staff in the preparation of repeat prescriptions.

1. FP10 Security: To assist in the control of stocks within the practice and to advise on safe and secure handling ensuring compliance with legislation.

1. Medicines Information: To signpost and share with Practice Staff the ICB Medicines Optimisation internet pages, prescribing newsletters and formulary and other useful resources.

26. Supporting Digital Solutions: To promote and adopt digital solutions including Patient Access, NHS App, Electronic Repeat Dispensing, Analyse Rx, Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to patients and practice staff.

27. Health Information Campaigns and Patient Information: To inspire the patient population with seasonal health information campaigns, creating displays throughout the year e.g., Stop Smoking, Antibiotic Awareness, annual Flu campaign.

28. Patient Participation Groups: To present at patient group meetings and give advice and encourage the appropriate use of medicines and resources and to demonstrate and encourage online health applications.

29. Networking, personal and professional development: To liaise with other General Practice Pharmacy Technicians from neighbouring GP Practices and PCNs to share good practice. The post holder will be responsible for facilitating their continual professional development and completing the CPPE Pathway. The post holder will develop their role, identify service needs and prioritise work appropriately. The post holder will participate in annual individual performance review.

30. Other duties: Helping to maintain a positive, supportive culture across the whole practice team including a positive and patient focused approach. Any other duties commensurate with the posts banding, as defined by line management. The postholder will take accountability for their own actions either directly or under supervision.

Pharmacy Technicians may be required to complete vaccination training in the event of a COVID-19 vaccine.