PCN Pharmacy Technician inWoodbridge inWoodbridge PUBLISHED 16 DEC 2023

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Clinical

2. Technical and Administrative

1.1. Undertake patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.

1.2. Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g. checking inhaler technique), actioning, clinical letters and discharge summaries, supporting medication reviews, medicines reconciliation and drug monitoring. Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.

1.3. 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

1.4. Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) e.g. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR

1.5. 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

1.6. Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients

1.7. Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

2.1. Work with the clinical pharmacists and support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed.

2.2. Action clinical letter and discharge summaries, daily and within a timely manner

2.3. Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).

2.4. Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering

2.5. 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

2.6. Support practice prescriptions teams in streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests

2.7. Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings

2.8. Support the PCN to deliver on QIPP agenda, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services

2.9. Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements

Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice is part of an exciting program of transformation to develop a new model of care which addresses our ambition to deliver person-centred, coordinated care across the PCN. The Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice model is supported by the direction of national policy, 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 and working alongside the PCN 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.

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 actioning clinical letters and discharge summaries, assist with drug monitoring including high risk drug monitoring, switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, 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.

Mentorship and supervision will be provided by PCN pharmacists working at each practice. The level and type of supervision will be dependent on the post holders acquisition of skills and knowledge and determined by the organisations clinical governance arrangements.