Pharmacy Technician

The post holder will work autonomously within

their professional scope, using professional judgement and accessing clinical

supervision when required.

They will provide pharmaceutical technical support to the medicines

optimisation team and programme, undertaking medicines reconciliation, supporting

medication reviews, checking medicine administration and promoting effective

use of medicines, including inhaler technique. They will support clinical

pharmacists with Structured Medication Reviews and help patients get the best

from their medicines.

The post holder will improve prescribing quality, safety and

cost-effectiveness by supporting agreed medication switches in line with

approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing, promoting repeat dispensing

and online ordering, reducing clinical risk and minimising medicines waste.

They will undertake clinical audits across the PCN, analyse findings and

provide reports to GP practices to highlight progress, identify improvements

and support appropriate actions.

The role includes patient-facing work to promote safe and effective

medicines use, with referral to clinical colleagues when required. The post

holder will support public health and social care needs through lifestyle

advice, signposting and addressing local health inequalities.

Overall, the role contributes to safer, effective and cost-effective

medicines use, improved prescribing and better patient outcomes across the PCN.

part of an exciting programme of transformation to develop a new model of care

which addresses our ambition to deliver person-centred, coordinated care across

the district. The Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice model is supported by

the direction of national policy including the Five Year Forward View and GP

Forward View 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. The post holder is a Pharmacy Technician who acts

autonomously within their professional boundaries, with appropriate clinical

supervision and support where required. The post holder will provide expert

pharmaceutical technical support to support medicines optimisation work

programme. They will carry out medicines optimisation tasks, including

effective medicine administration (e.g. checking inhaler technique), supporting

medication reviews and medicines reconciliation, using their professional

judgement and working autonomously within their scope of practice, with access

to clinical supervision as required.

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 undertake clinical audits across the Primary Care Network (PCN),

analyse and evaluate the findings, and share reports with GP practices to

highlight progress, identify areas for improvement, and support the

implementation of appropriate actions. 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.

In addition, 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 and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.

Key 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, acting autonomously

within professional boundaries with appropriate clinical supervision and

support where required.

Utilise consultation skills to work in

partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.

Undertake clinical audits across the Primary

Care Network (PCN), analyse and evaluate the findings, and share reports with

GP practices

As determined by the PCN, support medication

reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and

synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking

with local community pharmacies

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.

Support initiatives for antimicrobial

stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

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.

Provide training and support on the legal,

safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the

Electronic Prescription Service

(EPS).

(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 practice reception teams in streaming

general prescription requests, so

as to allow GPs and clinical pharmacists to review the more clinically complex requests.

Support the implementation of national

prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other

primary care settings.

Hartlepool Network PCN is a collaborative partnership of five established practices: West Quay Medical Practice, West View Millennium Surgery, Seaton Surgery, Gladstone House Surgery and Hart Medical Practice. Together, we serve a diverse population of approximately 35,000 patients across the Hartlepool locality.

We are a friendly, supportive and forward-thinking organisation, committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred care.

Our Clinical Director and wider teams of Nurse

Practitioners, Practice Nurses and administrators, along with our Additional

Reimbursable Role (ARRS) staff of Social Prescribers, Care Co-ordinators, First

Contact Physio, Mental Health team and our Pharmacist and Pharmacy technicians

team work in harmony to deliver outstanding medical services to our patient

population.

Qualifications