Congleton & Holmes Chapel Primary Care Network
Pharmacy Technician Job Description
Job Title: Pharmacy Technician
Reports to: Advanced Practitioner - Clinical Pharmacist
Accountable to: PCN Operational Manager
Salary: Starting from £29,970 + NHS Pension
Hours: 37.5 flexible working pattern
Annual Leave & Bank Holidays: Starting from 5 weeks AL & BH
Location: CHOC PCN Practices – Lawton House Surgery, Readesmoor Medical Centre, Meadowside Medical Centre, Holmes Chapel Health Centre
Contract: Permanent
Employing organisation: Vernova Healthcare CIC
About us
We are made up of four GP Practices which are based in Congleton and Holmes Chapel; Holmes Chapel Health Centre, Lawton House Surgery, Meadowside Medical Centre and Readesmoor Medical Centre. We together as a PCN have a patient list size of approximately 49,000, for whom we provide General Practice services. By working together with our local providers of care we are improving the patient experiences of primary care. We are in the Cheshire East Council geographic area.
Our vision at Congleton and Holmes Chapel (CHOC) Primary Care Network (PCN), is to support the NHS long term and plan protecting the long term- sustainability of the general practice model. We aim to bring together collaborative working for health, social care and the voluntary sector improving systems and processes enabling increased time to deliver improved patient care. We will achieve more by harnessing the strengths of our stakeholders. Our mission is to place the patient at the heart of everything we do within the community delivered by a multi-disciplinary team improving our patient's health.
Vernova Healthcare CIC is the employing body for CHOC PCN Additional Role staff. Vernova is owned and supported by all of the GP practices in Eastern Cheshire.
The successful candidate will join a growing PCN Team, (including Clinical Pharmacists, FCPs, PA, SPLWs, ANP, Paramedic Practitioners and MHPs) and will be supported by the PCN Advanced Practitioner Clinical Pharmacist, PCN Operational Manager and Clinical Pharmacy Team. Regular development sessions, clinical supervision, teaching, training and opportunities to upskill will be provided, linking in with the PCN Clinical Educational Lead.
The Role
CHOC PCN are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Pharmacy Technician who shares our values and is committed to providing excellent care, to join our growing team.
As a Pharmacy Technician you will support our GP practices and work closely with our team of Clinical Pharmacists. The successful candidate will share our values and have the energy, skills and enthusiasm to contribute to shaping how we support our patients. You will be required to act within your professional boundaries, supporting and working alongside a multi-disciplinary team within general practice and a Primary Care Network.
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, promoting digitalisation, minimising clinical risk, and aiming to reduce wasted medicines. In addition, you 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, implementation of NICE guidelines, and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.
This role is part of the PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme
Personal development and Professional responsibilities
Applicants must:
· Have experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
· Be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC);
· meet the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician;
· Undertake the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP), as per the requirements of the PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme
· Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance and keep up to date with their own requirements for continuing professional development (CPD)
Clinical responsibilities
· undertake patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients
· carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration (e.g., checking inhaler technique), medicines reconciliation, and actioning hospital-initiated medication changes. Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively;
· support, as determined by the PCN, medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings and linking with local community pharmacists.
· 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;
· take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients;
· support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing;
· assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation and management incentive schemes and patient safety audits;
· support the Clinical Pharmacist team with Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs), e.g. by ordering necessary monitoring tests, and prioritising patients
Technical and Administrative responsibilities
· work with the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes, and reducing wastage;
· provide leadership for medicines optimisation systems across the PCN, supporting practices with a range of services to get the best value from medicines by encouraging and implementing Electronic Prescriptions, safe repeat prescribing systems, and timely monitoring and management of high-risk medicines;
· provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines
· develop relationships with other pharmacy technicians, pharmacists and members of the multidisciplinary team to support integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care, and mental health teams.
Supervision
· The postholder will have access to appropriate clinical supervision and an appropriate named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: From £29,970.00 per year
Work Location: In person