PCN Pharmacy Technician

Clinical Pharmacy in General practice is part of an exciting programme of change to address the requirements of the long term plans for the NHS of the future and part of that development is the introduction of Primary Care Networks (PCN's) and the diversification of the clinical workforce.

The role available is for a Pharmacy Technician, to work alongside our PCN Clinical Pharmacists, with a range of service delivery objectives.

See full job description attached, but in summary:

• structured medication reviews
• use of EPS
• eRD and on line ordering
• handling prescription requests and queries
• support the Practice (and PCN) in delivery of National targets, QIPP, QoF, IIF medicines optimisation and enhanced services.

Garden City PCN looks after C57,000 patients across 3 practices in Rural Gravesend, Dartford and Bexley. The practices are responsible for their own additional roles staff. This role is with Downs Way Medical Practice, a 3 site, 8 partner training practice. Downs Way has always been a high performing, high quality practice and anyone joining the extensive/diverse team of clinicians and non clinician support will need to put patients at the very centre of all they do.

Clinical Pharmacy in General Practice is part of an exciting programmeof 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 topro-actively help patients stay safe and well and out of hospital as well ashelping to reduce the demands on general practice.

Pharmacy technicians play an important role, complementing clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCNmulti-disciplinary team. Pharmacy technicians 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.

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 byswitching 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 optimisationthroughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line withtherapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN in achievingnational requirements, NICE implementation and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.

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 medicineadministration (e.g. checking inhaler technique), supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation. Where required, utilise consultation skills towork in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicineseffectively.

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

Support the Clinical Pharmacist in Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) i.e. organise necessary monitoring tests prior to SMR

Provide expertise to address both the public health and social careneeds of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help intackling local health inequalities.

Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical…