JOB SUMMARY

The Practice Pharmacy Technician will play an important role, working alongside the Practice Clinical Pharmacist, community pharmacists, other members of the practice and the PCN multi-disciplinary team. The Pharmacy Technician will work under the supervision of the Practice Clinical Pharmacist to ensure effective and efficient use of medicines and by complementing the wider pharmacy team. The Pharmacy Technician’s core role responsibilities will cover clinical, technical and administrative categories.
The purpose of this role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost-effective evidence-based best practice in prescribing, to improve the quality of patient care.
The Practice Pharmacy Technician will be based within the GP practice and support the delivery of safe, effective and efficient systems for medicines optimisation, repeat prescribing, reducing medicine waste and maximising patient outcomes.

MAIN DUTIES

The post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principals of medicines optimisation throughout the practice and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the practice in achieving national requirements, NICE implementation, and utilisation of medicine optimisation initiatives.
The post holder will need to liaise with hospital pharmacy teams, GP practices, local community pharmacists, social services, and care agencies to ensure any continuing medicine management issues are addressed and managed throughout the patients care pathway e.g., from hospital stay through to discharge home. The post holder will provide relevant information to patients/carers and staff on matters relating to medication. The post holder will counsel patients on how to take their medicines and identify any barriers to them taking their medication, referring to a pharmacist as needed. The post holder may undertake face to face, person-centred consultations with the emphasis on shared decision making.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• To undertake medicines reconciliation in accordance with practice protocols and to update patients’ medical records / prescribing accordingly.
• To improve reconciliation of medicines following hospital discharge to provide seamless care for patients.
• To undertake patient face to face or telephone activities to ensure effective medicines use through shared decision making consultations with patients (and their carers).
• To contribute to the review and development of repeat prescribing protocols /Standard Operating Procedures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of repeat prescribing systems, including ‘monitored patients’ and patients receiving medication trays/compliance aids.
• To provide advice to GPs, staff and patients in changes to prescribing in order to support the improvement of prescribing safety, quality and cost effectiveness.
• To take a lead on monitoring, actioning and recording of MHRA, CAS and other safety alerts in accordance with practice protocol.
• To participate in medication audits.
• To undertake appropriate monitoring and management of prescribing budgets as directed by the ICB and local financial stewardship schemes (e.g. CCLIP) and to liaise with the Medicine Management Team at Dorset ICB and the PCN Lead pharmacist as needed.
• To prepare evidence-based resources and information to support the implementation of rational cost-effective prescribing.
• To support the Practice Based Clinical Pharmacist and wider pharmacy team to provide medication reviews, patient information leaflets and medicine awareness.
• To respond to medication queries from patients and staff in a professional manner referring to the appropriate GP/ clinical pharmacist or seeking specialist information e.g via the Specialist Pharmacy service, ICB or Advice and Guidance in accordance with practice protocols.
• To help plan, develop and support the introduction of new working processes within the practice to optimise the quality of prescribing and to contribute to improving current processes and procedures.
• Devise and implement practice searches to identify cohorts of patients as needed e.g. patients using high-risk medications.
• Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to patients, for example if medication is out of stock, and liaise with community pharmacist as needed, arranging supply of alternative medication as required.
• To support the Practice Pharmacist with general medication searches and monitoring (e.g. CQC searches), working to ensure that patients have the required monitoring, such as blood tests, within the required time frames.
• To support the practice with Quality and Outcomes framework indicators in accordance with practice policies, for example performing system searches and conducting patient reviews.