Medicines Optimisation Technician

at  Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

The postholder will be part of the Community Healthcare Division clinical pharmacy service available to patients across the Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust (CHFT) footprint in their own homes in the Calderdale area. This may be as part of the CHFT Virtual Ward (VW)
/Urgent Community Response Team (UCR) or the wider Community Healthcare Division.
A virtual ward is a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care that is enabled by technology.
They support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive the acute care, monitoring and treatment they need in their own home. This includes either preventing avoidable admissions into hospital, or supporting early discharge out of hospital.
For the purpose of this post all adult patients who are accepted to the VW/UCR caseload who are registered with a GP in Calderdale and Huddersfield may be reviewed, they may also be referred
directly from 111 Triage, CHFT staff or Gateway to Care when concerns about medication that might increase chances of admission or readmission are identified. Patients may be on high risk medication or complex regimes.
The post holder will work with other health and social care organisations across Calderdale and Huddersfield to implement and co-ordinate medicines optimisation principles to support patients in the safe and effective use of medicines in their own homes.

To work independently and without direct supervision across the CHFT footprint ensuring adherence to Medicines Optimisation protocols and guidance this will include domiciliary visits.

• To provide and receive information relating to medicines and medicines optimisation including: clinical information regarding patient care, medicines reconciliation skills, technical medicines optimisation/therapeutics information and prescribing activity data

derived from audit data, and similar sources;

• Communicate complex and sometimes sensitive medicines-related information to patients, carers and other healthcare professionals
• Completion of Medication Administration Records for the Community Teams.
• To analyse, interpret and compare medicines-related information to provide highly specialised advice concerning care of individual patients on the virtual ward or other Community Healthcare Division services.
• In conjunction with other team members, plan, organise and implement prescribing support services to the VW to promote cost efficiencies and medicines safety in prescribing. This may include reacting promptly to changes in medicines use, availability or guidance to support member practices

We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients’ homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT.
We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children’s and young people’s services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services.
We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza.
We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS – yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members – patients, staff and the local community.
Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.

information to the patients registered GP. All practices are on EMIS or SystmOne and the Acute Trust uses Cerner.

• Uses the Phamoutcomes electronic referral system to transfer discharge information to the patients usual pharmacy on discharge from the VW service.This job description is an outline only and is not definitive or restrictive in any way

To carry out clinical and cost savings audits in practice against agreed protocols, policies or guidance or specifically agreed work plans and record the subsequent activity and outcomes. This will include obtaining the authorisation to complete such work from clinical leads

• To work in a collaborative manner across all health and social care interfaces to support patient-centred care;
• To propose and implement policy or service changes that impact within and beyond the post holder’s own role, including work within GP practices, community pharmacies and by community nurses. This includes the development of prescribing / medicines optimisation

guidelines and protocols;

• To be able to prioritise work effectively for the benefit of patients
• To plan and organise the post holder’s own workload, including audit and project work and training sessions for members of the Community Healthcare Division team, MDT team, VW/UCR team, patients, carers, etc;
• To supervise, and train less experienced Medicines Optimisation Technicians. This may include formal and informal training of Medicines Optimisation Technician(s) and support of

other staff including Trainees/Student/Apprentices;

• Handle function specific information, which may be sensitive, complex or confidential and

appropriately record, transfer and/or co-ordinate such information in accordance with the Data Protection Act and the subsequent legislation including that of the General Data Protection Regulations;

• Use and maintain information systems and databases relevant to specific functions or projects;
• To maintain professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the GPhC and comply with appropriate professional codes of conduct. Complete CPD in line with registration requirements and to participate in the CHFT appraisal process;
• To undertake any other duties commensurate with the post holder’s grade as agreed with the post holder’s line manager.
• Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues.
• This role may involve the transport of medication in line with legislation and Trust Policy.
• Participates in weekend, public holiday, out of hours and extended hours provision of pharmacy services
• Updates and maintains contemporaneous and accurate patient medication records on the clinical computer systems, including advice given and action taken, including medication reconciliation, reviews and medicines optimisation advice as well as discharge medication

information to the patients registered GP. All practices are on EMIS or SystmOne and the Acute Trust uses Cerner.

• Uses the Phamoutcomes electronic referral system to transfer discharge information to the patients usual pharmacy on discharge from the VW service.This job description is an outline only and is not definitive or restrictive in any way.