Full-Time Pharmacy Technician
We are offering an exciting opportunity for a Pharmacy Technician to join our friendly and professional practice team.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES
As part of the dispensary team the post holder is responsible in supporting our GPs, Nursing team, Pharmacists, other clinical staff and reception teams, coordinating discharge summaries and medication reviews, playing a central role in repeat prescribing processes, liaising with our patients, carers, hospital and community pharmacies, responding to medication queries and updating medical records.
The Dispensary is an integral part of the practice, and it is essential that they present a professional and caring image of the practice and always maintain strict confidentiality. To ensure that enquiries from patients are efficiently and courteously handled to the mutual satisfaction of the partners and patients.
All staff must follow the professional codes of practice. This means that they must make every effort to protect confidentiality. It also means that no identifiable information about a patient is passed to anyone or any agency without the express permission of that patient. A breach of confidentiality will result in dismissal.
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN CODE OF CONDUCT
As a Pharmacy Technician at Sheringham Medical Practice you must
Be accountable by making sure you can answer for your actions or omissions.
Support the equality, diversity, and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues, to include:
o Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people's 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
o Behaving in a manner, which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities, and rights.
Work in collaboration with your colleagues to ensure the delivery of high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare, care and support.
Communicate in an open and effective way to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of people who use health and care services and their carers.
Respect a person's right to confidentiality.
Strive to improve the quality of healthcare, care, and support through continuing professional development.
Uphold and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.
KEY ROLE - PLANNING AND ORGANISATION OF WORK
The post-holder's work is determined by the requirements of the Practice, GP Partners, the Managers, and the patients.
The Dispensary Manager provides immediate line-management for the post-holder. The post holder will take instruction on a day-to-day basis from the Dispensary Manager and GP Prescribing Lead. However, the post-holder is expected to be self-directed and self-motivated using their own initiative and requiring minimum input from the Manager. The Post-holder's work is formally reviewed by annual appraisal.
The post-holder must be proactive in forward planning, identifying, and implementing improvements within and beyond their key result areas, anticipating and communicating future internal and external requirements.
KEY ROLE – GENERAL
To work within the guidelines and policies of the Practice
To ensure that statutory requirements are always met and to implement practice policy as directed by the management team.
To ensure that safe systems of work are practiced and that the agreed health and safety policies are carried out.
To be aware of the responsibility of every employee to have regard for safety for him or herself and others at work within the health and safety at work act
To be conversant to with the practice fire regulations
Training requirements will be monitored by yearly appraisal.
Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the Practice. It is the individuals' responsibility to remain up to date with recent developments within the practice and the NHS.
KEY ROLE – QUALITY PRACTICE
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 team's performance.
Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients' needs
Effectively manage own time, workload, and resource
KEY ROLE – PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
Working as a key member within the GP practice teams, contributing to prescribing of the highest quality, safety and value and supporting medicines optimisation.
Reporting to Dispensary Manager & GP Prescribing Lead the post holder will provide support to the GPs, Nurses, HCA's Pharmacists, Dispensers, Prescription Clerks and other clinical staff and reception teams to co-ordinate discharge summaries, medication reviews liaising with our patients, carers, hospital and community pharmacies, responding to medication queries and updating medical records and ensuring the safe prescribing of medication. The post holder will support the development of a safe, cost effective, efficient practice repeat prescribing system through reviewing, improving, and implementing medicines management processes.
Your core role will cover responsibilities in clinical, technical, and administrative areas.
Clinical:
Undertaking patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
Carrying out medicine's optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g., 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.
Supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacists, and referring to the pharmacist for structured medication reviews.
Providing specialist expertise, where competent, to address both the public health and
social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.
Taking a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients.
Supporting initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
Support the Clinical Team in SMRs i.e., organise necessary monitoring test prior To SMR
Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients
Reauthorising and reviewing patients repeat medication from our Medicines Management Protocol
Reconciling patients repeat medication following a discharge from hospital or an outpatient appointment from the hospital
Receive monthly batch reports for patients having correct bloods and BP and update recall and medication accordingly
Receive monthly batch reports for patients on certain medication and follow protocol
Technical and Administrative:
Working with the GP practice multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.
Providing training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) and electronic Repeat Dispensing (ERD)Supervising dispensary and reception teams in sorting and streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests
Dispensing
Ensure the involvement of a GP when not supported by Medicine Management.
Deal with customer queries at dispensary hatch and on the phone
Deal with queries from pharmacy and other professionals/organisations
Respond to queries via tasks as required
Dispense (label & assemble) prescriptions to eligible patients
Adhere to current practice Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols regarding the dispensing of prescriptions
Endorsing prescriptions where able
Ordering of stock from agreed suppliers within set time limits
Receive and unpack drug orders
Enter received stock onto Systmone
Rotate stock
Deal with any stock anomalies
Process prescriptions according to whiteboard
Bagging prescriptions and store appropriately
The role will also require pharmacy technicians to support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes, and other primary care settings. This will be achieved through undertaking clinical audits (e.g. use of antibiotics), supporting quality improvement measures, and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services. In addition, pharmacy technicians will assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation incentive schemes (e.g. medicines switches) and patient safety audits. Support the dispensary manager in completing the DSQS requirements.
Training requirements
Pharmacy technicians are registered healthcare professionals, who have been undertaking clinical and technical roles in hospitals, community and primary care. Their initial 2-year training is mandated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which specifies criteria to register as a pharmacy technician and this covers the education, training and experience requirements
KEY ROLE – FLEXIBLE WORKING
Working flexible hours will be necessary to ensure the smooth running of the practice in the event of a team member being absent or on annual leave.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data
Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
COMMUNICATION
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating
Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication
Maintain effective communication within the organisational environment and with external stakeholders
Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues
Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (eg PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate promotes quality
Participate in quality assurance and safety processes across the organisation and its activities
Participate in shared learning across NNPC and the wider organisational environment
Use a structured framework (e.g. root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery
Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance
Delivering a quality service
Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
Participate in quality assurance and safety processes across the organisation and its activities
Participate in shared learning across NNPC and the wider organisational environment
Use a structured framework (e.g. root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery
Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance
Leadership – personal and people development
Take responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in coaching/supervision and acting as a positive role mode
Support staff development in order to maximise potential
Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency or actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services
Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work
Enlist support and influence stakeholders and decision-makers in order to bring about new developments in the provision of services
Contribute to planning and implementing changes within the area of care and responsibility
Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards
Team working
Understand own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time
Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence
Create clear referral mechanisms to meet patient need
Prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team
Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery
Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care
Manage and lead on the delivery of specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the practice management team
Agree plans and outcomes by which to measure success
Management of risk
Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients
Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines
Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs.
Participate in mandatory and statutory training requirements
Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines
Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice
Managing information
Use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information
Review and process data using accurate Read codes in order to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes
Manage information searches using the internet and local library databases
Monitor and confirm that the nursing team are receiving and processing data and information in an agreed format
Collate, analyse and present clinical data and information to the team
Learning and development
Undertake mentorship for team members
Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (eg courses and conferences)
Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate
Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning
Equality and diversity
Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity.
Enable others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture Support people who need assistance in exercising their rights
Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies
Act as a role model in the observance of equality and diversity good practice
Accept the rights of individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care and refuse care
Assist patients from marginalised groups to access quality care
Working Conditions
Occasional exposure to body fluids, blood, wounds, fleas and lice.
Occasional exposure to aggressive behaviour
Frequent use of VDU equipment.
DATA PROTECTION ACT
All members of staff are bound by requirements of the Data protection Act 1998 and any breaches of the Act or of the confidential nature of the work of this post could lead to dismissal.
KEY ROLE – SAFEGUARDING
All adults working in, or on behalf of the Practice have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes:
Responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn.
To identify children who may be in need of extra help or who are suffering, or are likely to suffer significant harm. All staff than have a responsibility to take appropriate action, working with services as needed.
At the induction staff will receive information about systems within the Practice which support safeguarding. This includes the child protection/safeguarding policy, staff behaviour policy (code of conduct), the role of the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) this can all be found on IQ.
All staff will:
Receive a paper/electronic copy of, read and sign to say that they have read and understood Safeguarding Policy
Receive safeguarding training which is regularly updated as well as online safety training so they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to keep children safe.
Receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates at least annually via email, e-bulletins and staff meetings to help provide them with an awareness of safeguarding issues (including FGM, 'honour based' violence, forced marriage and radicalisation/extremism), relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively.
Be aware of;
The process for making referral to MASH and for statutory assessments that may follow this and the role they may play in such assessments.
Know what to do if a child tells them he/she is being abused or neglected and how to share information appropriately.
Be aware that safeguarding issues can manifest themselves via peer on peer abuse and be clear about the school policy on peer on peer abuse.
Rate of Pay will be dependent on experience
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent
Expected hours: 37 per week
Benefits:
* Company pension
* Free flu jabs
* Health & wellbeing programme
* On-site parking
Work Location: In person