JOB SUMMARY

Wakefield North Primary Care Network is looking to recruit an additional Pharmacy Technician to join our existing team. The current team have built excellent working relationships between themselves and colleagues across the PCN, practices and colleagues from other PCNs. This is an exciting time to join Primary Care and shape the future of patient care at the first points of contact.
As a pharmacy technician you will be an integral part of the general practice team, working within your professional boundaries in each practice within the PCN. You will be working under the supervision of the PCN Clinical pharmacist(s) to ensure that patients receive safe, accurate and timely supply of their prescribed medication.

ABOUT US

We consist of six GP practices on the Eastern side of Wakefield District. Our practices are Henry Moore Clinic, Riverside Medical Centre, Tieve Tara Medical Centre, Station Lane Medical Centre, St Thomas Road Surgery and Newland Surgery.
You will be part of our growing multi-disciplinary additional roles team, who all work together to support our GP practices and their patients. The roles currently include care coordinators, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, Health and wellbeing coaches, First Contact Physiotherapist, Social Prescribing Link Worker and nursing staff.
Our PCN is committed to improving the care provided to our patients, reducing health inequalities and raising the standards and quality of our general practices.

MAIN DUTIES OF THE JOB

Providing technical support to the clinical pharmacists, practice GPs, nurses, HCAs and reception/administrative staff, and support the PCN and practices clinical teams with queries around medication from patients and medicine reconciliation following discharge from other care providers. Completing audits around patient safety in the prescribing of medication and present the information for sharing with the clinical team.
The base for this role will be at Henry Moore Clinic, but working with all six practices within the PCN.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The following are the core responsibilities of the PCN North’s pharmacy technician. There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

• To act as a Technical Pharmacy Advisor to Practice Clinicians
• To advise Practice Management and other non-clinical staff concerning administrative aspects of medicines management as appropriate
• To manage repeat prescription requests, resolving queries where possible and producing prescriptions for clinical review and signature
• To address the following areas without the need to consult a GP/Clinical Pharmacist in each case (although clinical support and advice will always be available if required):

o Review dates following medication reviews, setting up electronic repeat dispensing where-ever possible to streamline the process for the patient and practice.
o Facilitate and document correct addition & removal of medications following receipt of a discharge summaries, secondary care and community clinic letters.
o Tidying repeat medication lists – including synchronising durations and removing medications not ordered within a defined period
o Changing acute medications to repeat where appropriate- e.g. A new medication that a GP/Pharmacist Prescriber has commenced and there is subsequent evidence for the need of the item on a repeat basis and necessary tests/checks have confirmed this
o Addition/Removal of medication for, Nursing/Care Home patients under GP/Pharmacist Prescriber guidance, and working with clinicians supporting nursing/care home patients in the PCN area

o Co-ordinate medical device prescription requests, including requests for catheters, nutritional supplements/feeds and stoma care products.

• Support, as determined by the PCN, medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new nursing/care home patients. Synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings and linking with local community pharmacists.
• Carry out medicine 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
• Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, as well as supporting opioid de-prescribing.
• Assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation and management incentive schemes, along with patient safety audits.
• Provide independent information to patients regarding to medicines and prescribing changes, initiating further support from other healthcare professionals where appropriate
• To review practice stock management and develop systems to improve processes.
• Analyse Practice prescription data to produce reports as requested
• Participate in review and setting of policies relating to medicines management and prescribing
• Implement initiatives to reduce waste of prescribed medicines
• 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
• Contribute to the annual DSQS (Dispensing Services Quality Scheme) audit
• 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
• Supervise practice reception teams in sorting and streaming general prescription requests, so as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests
• Identify blood tests, recalls and reviews using established protocols and forward these to the appropriate clinician
• Promote safe use of medication, reporting of medicines related incidents and pro-actively preventing safeguarding incidents
• Support practice prescribing budgets by on-going monitoring, audit and analysis of drug use, and support practices in reviewing, developing and enhancing cost-effective prescribing. This includes staying aware of latest QIPP and other cost targets.
• To support those with chronic diseases to develop good lifestyle changes to assist in the management of their conditions and, where possible, refer to the PCN Health and Wellbeing Coaches and Social Prescriber.