Job Summary
The 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 switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, including promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk, and aiming to reduce wasted medicines.
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, working towards PCN projects and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.
The post holder will take part in the pharmacy projects, which will include the administration of medication by injection (training will be given).
Scope of the Role
Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice is part of an exciting programme of transformation to develop a new model of care which addresses our ambition to deliver person-centred, coordinated care. Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice 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 clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi- disciplinary team. They 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.
Clinical Duties and 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), supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation from discharges and clinic letters. Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively
· Support the Clinical 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
· Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients
· Work with the Clinical Pharmacists using ECLIPSE data (specialist software)
· Take part in the pharmacy projects which will include the administration of medication via injection (training will be given).
Technical and Administrative Duties
· Support the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation processes are being followed
· Implement efficient ordering and return processes and reducing medication wastage
· Promotion of Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) and online ordering
· 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
· Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings
· Support the PCN to deliver on IIF, QOF and locally commissioned enhanced services
· Supporting quality improvement measures
· Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirement (if required)
Objectives
Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity.
Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld in all working practices.
Acquire through training provided by the organisation, the appropriate level of safeguarding and knowledge, skills and practice required for the post and be aware of and comply with the organisation's safeguarding protection policies and procedures.
Demonstrates understanding of
The implications of national priorities for the team and/or service
The process for effective resource utilisation and conforms to, relevant standards of practice
The ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol
Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management
Assist the Pharmacy Team Lead in the efficient day to day management of medications.
Work with the Operations Manager and Pharmacy Team Lead in identifying and developing relationships with practice staff, private providers, the local primary care team, neighbouring PCNs and other key partners to enable good working relationships and promote and share best practice
Deliver technical information in a non-technical and engaging way to a range of stakeholders
Undertake required tasks to meet agreed aims and be wholly responsible for them
Communicate effectively with all stakeholders, team members, patients, and carers – recognising the needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy technicians' role in governance and can implement this appropriately within the workplace
Demonstrates understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision
Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service
Demonstrates ability to motivate self to achieve goals.
Collaborative Working
Operate as a full member of the primary care team, including contributing to leadership, service evaluation/improvement and research activity
Manage and co-ordinate the care that individual patients receive, including through liaising with other members of the MDT and with patients' carers
Support primary care activity, with a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention, including through the delivery of public health advice (e.g. relating to physical activity, weight management and smoking cessation)
Contribute to the use of healthcare technologies to optimise the integration of service delivery (across teams, sectors, and settings) and patients' access and continuity of care
Contribute to the development of primary care teams, including through contributing to others' learning.
Equality and Diversity
The pharmacy technician will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues by:
Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people's rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with PCN procedures, policies, and current legislation
Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues
Behaving in a manner which is welcoming
Behaving in manner that is non-judgmental and respects circumstances, feelings, priorities, and rights.
Confidentiality
While 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, you may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, PCN staff and other healthcare workers. You may also have access to information relating to the PCN 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 Practices/PCN may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the PCN policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety
The pharmacy technician will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others' health, safety and security as defined in the PCN Health & Safety Policy, to include:
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to PCN guidelines
Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards. Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported to the line manager.
Reporting potential risks identified.
Personal/Professional Development:
The pharmacy technician will participate in any training programme implemented by the PCN as part of this employment, such training to include:
Participation in an annual individual performance review, monthly 121 meetings; including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
All training deemed mandatory by the PCN
Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
Understands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service
Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice.
Quality
The pharmacy technician will strive to maintain quality within the PCN, and will:
Alert the Operations Manager / Pharmacy Team Lead to issues of quality and risk
Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
Support the Operations Manager and Pharmacy Team Lead in 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 resources
Any other duties deemed necessary or delegated by the Operations Manager or Pharmacy Team Lead.
This job description may change as needs are identified, and objectives change.
Expectations for the first 6 months:
· Work closely with the PCN leadership and management team to implement the pharmacy technician role
· Build good relationships with member practices – to include all staff areas
· Become a resource to clinicians within the member practices
· See increased capacity within practices as patients' medications are managed efficiently
· Decrease in the number of medication queries to the practices eg through timely discharge reconciliations/repeat dispensing
· Feedback to the LLHC Board
Person Specification
Element / Criteria - Essential
* Professional registration with GPhC
* Meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician
* BTEC/NVQ level 3 or equivalent in pharmaceutical sciences
* Meets the specific qualification and training requirements as specified by the GPhC criteria to register as a Pharmacy Technician;
* Evidence of continued professional development (CPD)
* Experience of working as a qualified, registered pharmacy technician in primary care, community or hospital pharmacy
Element / Criteria - Desirable
* Enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH);
* Demonstrate ability to influence and persuade partners and stakeholders of the respective merits of different options, innovations, new opportunities and challenges
Skills and Competencies - Essential
* Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems (desirable) and Microsoft office packages (essential)
* Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
* Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
* Able to effectively manage own time and workload
Skills and Competencies - Desirable
* Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within the PCN
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Expected hours: 22.5 per week
Benefits:
* Employee discount
* Free parking
* On-site parking
* Store discount
Experience:
* Pharmacy technician: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
* GPhC registration (required)
Work authorisation:
* United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 17/10/2025