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Band 6 Specialist Senior Pharmacy Technician | Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Job details
Posting date: 01 May 2024
Salary: Not specified
Additional salary information: £40,701 - £48,054 per annum inclusive of HCAS
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 31 May 2024
Location: Barnet, EN5 3DJ
Company: Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 6256464/391-RFL-6256464

Summary


Band 6 Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Critical Care (Barnet Hospital)

A fantastic opportunity to become part of an established Critical Care Pharmacy Team at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust – Barnet Hospital site in a newly developed role. We are seeking an enthusiastic, innovative, and highly motivated Pharmacy Technician to support in the delivery of a world class pharmaceutical service to Critical Care and Theatres. The post holder will drive the development of the pharmacy technical service to Critical Care and Theatres with the support of the Senior Specialist Pharmacist.

The post holder must display characteristics in keeping with our world class care values: positively welcoming, actively respectful, clearly communicating and visibly reassuring. Patient centred care is at the heart of our service. In return we offer support to develop your career within a friendly and supportive team of professionals with several national training initiatives accessible.

You will work primarily with the Senior Specialist Pharmacist and Senior Rotational Pharmacists, in a patient-facing role, for Critical Care and Theatres to support the delivery of a specialist medicines management service. You will provide effective communication to the wider members of the multidisciplinary team within Critical Care and Theatres. You will be expected to compile drug histories and complete medicines reconciliation.
• Deliver an efficient ward-based technical pharmacy service to Critical Care and Theatres, ensuring the accurate and timely supply of medicines
• Medicines Reconciliation and Patient counselling
• Transfer pharmaceutical information from Critical Care and Theatres to wards
• Provide comprehensive pharmaceutical advice and information to other health care professionals – signposting queries beyond their competency
• Manage and review stockholding within Critical Care and Theatres and implement strategies to reduce wastage
• Ensure stock is stored appropriately and contribute to the education of other health care professionals on the correct storage of medication
• Oversee and ensure timely supply of controlled drugs (CDs) to Critical Care and Theatres, while managing and reviewing CD stockholding within Critical Care and Theatres
• Identify and evaluate medication wastage within Critical Care and Theatres, implementing workable cost-saving solutions
• Ensure that medications for destruction are dealt with according to Health & Safety and departmental procedures
• Oversee and manage drug recalls and shortages within Critical Care and Theatres
• Act as an Accredited Checking Technician (ACT) to expedite the supply of urgent medication to Critical Care and Theatres
• Assist in the production of drug expenditure reports
• Assist in the training of pharmacy technicians and pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians
• Participate in late duty, weekend and Bank Holiday duties

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest Trusts based across three sites. The size, scale and influence provides unrivalled career opportunities with a focus on professional development. The Pharmacy department of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is a friendly and progressive, dedicated to the provision of a world class pharmaceutical service. The Critical Care Pharmacy Team form a fundamental part of the multidisciplinary Critical Care Team. Recently they played an integral role in the transition to a new electronic prescribing system.



1. CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

· To ensure maximum efficiency, safety, and economic drug use through adherence to Trust policies and to demonstrate professional accountability to enhance patient care.

· To deliver an efficient ward-based technical pharmacy service to the intensive care units and theatres to ensure the accurate and timely supply of medicines. This service will include:

- assessment of patient’s own drugs

- accurate medicines reconciliation

- ensuring prescription charts are complete including allergy information

- liaising with the ward pharmacist to ensure all prescriptions are clinically optimised, raising awareness of prescription changes and reconciliation concerns

· timely ordering and supply of medicines for patients in intensive care and theatres.

· To counsel patients (where appropriate) on any new medication initiated.

· To manage difficult and ambiguous situations involving patients/family who may be highly distressed or anxious.

· To ensure the accurate transfer of pharmaceutical information from the intensive care units and theatres to standard wards

· Provision of comprehensive pharmaceutical advice and information to other health care professionals. To refer any queries beyond their competence to the pharmacist.

· To communicate effectively with the multidisciplinary healthcare team on a range of medicine-related issues.

· To ensure the hospital formulary is adhered to and to provide advice and offer solutions when non-formulary/unlicensed drugs are prescribed.

· Ensuring adherence to hospital antimicrobial policy as well as other clinical protocols for intensive care and theatres.

· To oversee the provision of a pharmacy top-up service to the intensive care units and theatres.

· To continually review stockholding, ensuring the most appropriate medicines are kept in stock to meet the needs of the service.

· To implement strategies to reduce the wastage of medicines.

· To ensure that stock is stored appropriately and educate nursing staff on the correct storage of medicines.

· To oversee the ordering and timely supply of an adequate range of controlled drugs (CDs) for intensive care and theatres.

· To conduct controlled drugs (CDs) audits and continually review stockholding, removing unused CDs and updating CD stock lists where necessary.

· To ensure that all drugs for destruction are dealt with according to Health and Safety and departmental procedures.

· To lead on drug recalls and drug shortages within intensive care and theatres sourcing and advising on alternatives where necessary.





2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS

· To analyse and interpret prescriptions within intensive care and either resolve problems with the prescriber or refer problems beyond their competence to the pharmacist.

· To identify and prioritise services to individual patients as necessary.

· To support nursing staff in reducing the number of missed doses of medication.

· To liaise with other members of the Pharmacy team to ensure the continuity of care for patients transferred to and from intensive care.

· To accurately input data into the pharmacy computer system to produce labels and dispense medication.

· To act as an Accredited Checking Technician (ACT) to expedite the supply of urgent items to the intensive care units and theatres.

· To counsel patients (where appropriate) on any newly initiated medicines with the aim of promoting their understanding of and compliance with.





3. RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

· In conjunction with the Senior Specialist Pharmacist – Critical Care & Theatres, to be responsible for the technical pharmacy service development to the intensive care units and theatres. This will include auditing the current service provided and producing / implementing strategies to improve / develop the service.

· In conjunction with the Senior Specialist Pharmacist – Critical Care & Theatres, to develop, implement and maintain Standard Operating Procedures relating to technical elements of the service to the intensive care and theatres, and to contribute to other policies for intensive care and theatres.

· To contribute to other intensive care and theatre policies and guidelines. To assist in implementing UK-wide medicines management and prescribing recommendations e.g. NICE.

· To ensure that all activities, procedures, and documentation meet the requirements of current legislation, including CQC requirements.

· To develop KPIs and collect and report on data relating to the workload and activities of the intensive care pharmacy team.

· To work with other healthcare professionals to identify the risks of medicines within intensive care and theatres and to devise and implement strategies to reduce the risk.

· To support the implementation of Trust pharmacy strategy by participating in Trust and divisional initiatives to develop clinical pharmacy practice.







4. RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES

· To assist in the production of monthly drug expenditure reports for evaluation by financial and operational leads for intensive care and theatres.
• To accurately input information onto the JAC computer system to ensure drugs are costed to the correct consultant / speciality.
• To identify and evaluate drug wastage on intensive care and theatres and implement workable cost-saving solutions, overseeing any unused drug returns.
• To participate in any pharmacy, intensive care and theatres cost efficiency programmes.





5. RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING

· To be responsible for the day-to-day management of the pharmacy workload on the intensive care units and theatres, including planning of own work to meet deadlines and demands of the service.

· To be responsible for ensuring written and computerised records relating to the supply of medicines are accurately completed and well-maintained.

· To participate in the recruitment and selection of pharmacy technicians.

· Undertake appraisals and personal development plans for pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants.

· To provide technical support to critical care and theatres.

· To act as an effective role model and to provide advice and support to members of the multidisciplinary team.

· To support an innovative approach to practice, whilst being aware of boundaries and limitations.

· To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forums, and bodies.





6. RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION RESOURCES

· To accurately input data onto the pharmacy computer system (JAC) to produce labels and dispense medication.

· To be familiar with the Trust’s electronic prescribing system (Cerner)

· To participate in the development and optimisation of the use of the Trust’s electronic prescribing system (Cerner)





7. RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
• To support relevant medical, nursing and pharmacy staff to ensure that clinical trials in intensive care are run efficiently and effectively.
• To initiate and contribute to practice research, audit, or clinical investigations relevant and to publish the results of such work, as appropriate.
• To assist in the implementation of findings of research into clinical practice.



8. EDUCATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

· To act as a resource for intensive care and theatres pharmacy issues across the trust and community where appropriate.

· To develop appropriate skills in accordance with requirements of the role; to attend courses and conferences as necessary.

· To assist in the training of pharmacy technicians, pre-registration pharmacy technicians and pre-registration pharmacists on issues relating to pharmacy services to intensive care and theatres.

· To provide on-going nurse training within intensive care and theatres.

· To provide on-going training to ensure that departmental procedures and legal and professional guidelines are always adhered to.

· To participate in training schemes/tutorials arranged for technicians.

· To act as a D32/D33 assessor (or equivalent) for candidates of the NVQ levels 2 and 3 in pharmacy.

· To contribute to the education and training of pharmacy, medical, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals.



9. PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

· To be registered with the GPhC.

· To undertake mandatory training requirements.

· To always behave in a manner that is professional, positive, and polite.

· To be accountable for own professional actions.

· To be responsible for ensuring that you remain aware of current developments in pharmacy and relevant specialist clinical practices.

· To be responsible for your own professional development and participate in own ‘Performance and Development planning’ and departmental appraisal system.

· To ensure compliance with revalidation requirements of the GPhC and submit the required evidence in a timely manner.



10. ADDITIONAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
• To participate in the dispensing and checking of medications within the dispensary as required.

· To participate in late duty, weekend and Bank Holiday duties as required.

· Other relevant duties as assigned by the Senior Specialist Pharmacist – Critical Care & Theatres.



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This advert closes on Wednesday 15 May 2024