Care Home Pharmacy Technician inDarlington inDarlington PUBLISHED FRI 8 NOV 2024

The interview date for this role will be 26/11/24

We are expanding our care home team and looking for a dynamic pharmacy technician with an interest in expanding their role into elderly care and learning disabilities. The team supports both elderly and LD care homes in the Darlington area with medicines management and patient care. Technicians will be expected to attend MDTs alongside our GP and Care Coordinators to provide advice and guidance on medications, within their own competency and with support from a senior technician and pharmacist.

You must be registered, or in the process of being registered, with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and hold an NVQ3 or BTEC level 3 Pharmacy Technician qualification and be willing to undertake the CPPE Primary Care Training Pathway if not already achieved.

Funding is in place to 31st March 2026 but it is hoped that continuing funding will be made available for this role.

Aims/Goals of the Care Home team

Reduced GP workload

Reduced medication costs by formulary prescribing cost-effective alternatives

Improved medication outcomes for patients in Care homes

Improved patient safety and medication optimisation

Improved efficiency of medication changes

Improved formulary prescribing to enable better value/outcomes from medicines

Improved management of shared care drugs

Improved prescribing for care home residents

Attendance at regular MDTs where Care Home residents' health needs are discussed.

About us

Job Summary:

The Pharmacy Technician will support the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Framework from NHS England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. You will support delivery of effective medicines management and medicines optimisation, safe transfer of care, medicines reconciliation and patient counselling. You will provide advice and guidance to care staff to support them in administering medications. Working within their own competency, the Pharmacy Technician will support discussions about medication within the MDT and ensure changes to usual medications are updated on the GP records and the care home informed and supported to safely make these changes, including putting in place any drug monitoring required.

The Pharmacy Technician will need to be a team player with good communication and organisational skills, including good time management. You will need to demonstrate your own initiative, be motivated and enthusiastic and be able to work under pressure.

Initial key responsibilities:

Effective medication changes from MDT, advice from ANP, Pharmacist or GP and ensuring understanding of care staff.

Blood pressure reviews within own competency.

Attendance at MDT with medication support.

Visits to Care homes to ensure medication compliance.

Discharge review follow up.

Care home medication requests for missing monthly items.

Care home requests for interim items or when required medication.

Care home advice

CPN medication changes- usually letter attached to email, processed in same way as if coming into hub workflow.

Additional responsibilities commensurate with the role

Aims/Goals of the Role

Reduced GP workload

Reduced medication costs by formulary prescribing cost-effective alternatives.

Improved medication outcomes for patients

Improved patient safety and medication optimisation

Improved efficiency of medication changes

Improved formulary prescribing to enable better value/outcomes from medicines.

Improved management of shared care drugs

Key working relationships:

The Enhanced Health in Care Home team

Care Homes

GPs and GP staff

Darlington PCN

Pharmacist and technicians within the practice teams

Community Pharmacies

Secondary care Pharmacy teams

Secondary care discharge teams