PCN Pharmacy Technician

Posting date:	25 July 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	Negotiable
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	01 August 2025
Location:	Broadland Business Park, NR7 0WF
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	E0179-1048

Summary

Job overview An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Norfolk Primary Care, working as a Pharmacy Technician across a Primary Care Network in Norwich. As a pharmacy technician you will work alongside our Clinical Pharmacists as a key member of the GP practice teams, contributing to prescribing of the highest quality, safety and value, supporting medicines optimisation and prescribing processes. To be eligible for this post candidates must have completed or be enrolled in, be undertaking or be prepared to start an approved 18-month training pathway (e.g. Primary care pharmacy educational pathway (PCPEP)) Pharmacy technicians must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Entry to the PCPEP programme will include the option for an accreditation of Prior Learning (APEL) process. Main duties of the job You will provide support to our GPs, Pharmacists, other clinical staff and reception teams, co-ordinating discharge summaries and medication reviews, playing a central role in repeat prescribing processes, liaising with our patients, carers, hospital and community pharmacies, responding to medication queries and updating medical records. Key Responsibilities To be part of the West Norwich Primary Care Network (PCN), working as a key member within the GP practice teams, contributing to prescribing of the highest quality, safety and value and supporting medicines optimisation. Reporting to a Clinical Pharmacist, the post holder will provide support to the GPs, Pharmacists, Dispensers, other clinical staff and reception teams to co-ordinate discharge summaries, medication reviews and ensure the safe prescribing of medication. The post holder will support the development of a safe, cost effective, efficient practice repeat prescribing system through reviewing, improving and implementing medicines management processes. Your core role in the GP practices will cover responsibilities in clinical, and technical and administrative areas. Clinical: Undertaking patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients. Carrying out medicines 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. As determined by the PCN practices, supporting medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings, linking with local community pharmacists, and referring to the pharmacist for structured medication reviews. Providing specialist expertise, where competent, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients, including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities. Taking a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients. Supporting initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Support the Clinical Pharmacist in SMRs i.e. organise necessary monitoring test prior to SMR Manage shared care protocols and liaise with Clinical Pharmacists for more complex patients Technical and Administrative: Working with the GP practice multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage. Providing training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) and electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) Developing relationships with other pharmacy technicians, pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team to support integration of the pharmacy team across health and social care including primary care, community pharmacy, secondary care and mental health. Supervising 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. The role will also require pharmacy technicians to 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. In addition, pharmacy technicians will assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation incentive schemes (e.g. medicines switches) and patient safety audits. Training requirements Pharmacy technicians are registered healthcare professionals, who have been undertaking clinical and technical roles in hospitals, community and primary care. Their initial 2-year training is mandated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which specifies criteria to register as a pharmacy technician and this covers the education, training and experience requirements. The role may require travel between GP practice sites within the PCN area. NPC Generic Job Description areas: Communication Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication Maintain effective communication within the organisational environment and with external stakeholders Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (eg PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate Delivering a quality service Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality Participate in quality assurance and safety processes across the organisation and its activities Participate in shared learning across NPC and the wider organisational environment Use a structured framework (e.g. root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance Leadership personal and people development Take responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in coaching/supervision and acting as a positive role mode Support staff development in order to maximise potential Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency or actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work Enlist support and influence stakeholders and decision-makers in order to bring about new developments in the provision of services Contribute to planning and implementing changes within the area of care and responsibility Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards Team working Understand own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence Create clear referral mechanisms to meet patient need Prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care Manage and lead on the delivery of specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the practice management team Agree plans and outcomes by which to measure success Management of risk Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Participate in mandatory and statutory training requirements Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice