About this role
Job summary
Salary Available on Application
37.5 hours a week
Job Summary/Job Purpose
The Cluster Pharmacy Technician plays a key role within the City Health Cluster multidisciplinary team, supporting the safe, effective, and cost-efficient use of medicines across GP practices and community healthcare services. Working under the direction of Clinical Pharmacists and in collaboration with GPs, nurses, community pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals, the post holder will help optimise medicines management, improve patient outcomes, and support the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care.
The role focuses on medicines reconciliation, medication reviews, repeat prescribing processes, medicines optimisation initiatives, and supporting patients to maximise the benefits of their prescribed treatments. The Pharmacy Technician will contribute to reducing medicines waste, improving prescribing safety, and ensuring compliance with national and local prescribing guidance.
The Cluster Pharmacy Technician will provide technical pharmaceutical support to practices within the City Health Cluster and assist in the delivery of medicines management services to patients across Swansea. The post holder will work proactively with healthcare teams to ensure that prescribing systems are accurate, efficient, and safe, while supporting patients with long-term conditions and complex medication regimens.
Main duties of the job
Working with the City Health cluster surgeries (8 in total) and their patients both in the surgeries and at home to provide safe prescribing and monitoring.
About us
The Cluster Pharmacy Technician plays a key role within the City Health Cluster multidisciplinary team, supporting the safe, effective, and cost-efficient use of medicines across GP practices and community healthcare services. Working under the direction of Clinical Pharmacists and in collaboration with GPs, nurses, community pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals, the post holder will help optimise medicines management, improve patient outcomes, and support the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care.
Please visit Practice website
Job description Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Medicines reconciliation post discharge and on other transfers of care, ensuring recommendations are within local guidelines/formularies and not conflicting with existing medication
Undertake individual assessments of patients and identify their medicines management needs. Ensure effective liaison with colleagues across health and social care to establish a suitable level of assistance
Undertake medication use reviews, identifying and finding solutions for non-compliance
Demonstrate a sound understanding of the needs of frail, older and vulnerable people, including those with disabilities and promote their independence with regards to medicines management, advising on aids to independence as appropriate.
Review and reauthorize repeat prescriptions within own competence and as per practice protocols, arranging any necessary monitoring
Day to day handling of prescription queries within area of own competence, from patients, carers, care homes, pharmacies, hospital teams etc.
Asses the suitably of requests for acute prescriptions within own competence and per practice protocols
Targeted medication reviews in line with practice protocols
To carry out dose reduction regimes of medications such as opiates and gabapentinoids after a GP has had initially Consultation with patient and decided on a plan and time frame for dose reduction.
Counselling patients on new medicines, such as DOAC initiations
Manage complicated medication regimes, such as dose titrations and cross tapering regimes, ensuring patients manage these safely through counselling
Identify suitable alternatives for medicines that are unavailable
Manage serious out of stock notices proactively to avoid any delays or breaks in therapy for patients
Running INR clinic under supervision from a pharmacist or GP.
Provide education to patients and their carers with regard to medicines management, including their storage, ordering, administration and identification of potential problems such as side effects
Work closely with palliative and community nurses to ensure requests for medication are dealt with in a timely manner.
Assist GPs in prescribing syringe driver and just in case medication
Delivery of training and development to practice based prescribing clerks and administrators to support improved co-ordination and effective pharmacy administration within General Practice
Provide direct support and advice to GPs, ANP and other health professionals to promote and implement high quality prescribing to the benefit of patients
Promote cost effective, safe, evidence based prescribing in accordance with national and local guidance
Work closely with Health Board and Cluster Pharmacists/Pharmacy Technicians
Participate in practice meetings and contribute to any prescribing issues
Present to clinical staff updated guidelines and feedback on external meetings (e.g. prescribing leads meetings)
Contribute to the review and development of repeat prescribing protocols / Standard Operating Procedures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of repeat prescribing systems.
Liaise with other pharmacy stakeholders e.g. Medicines Management team, community pharmacy, and hospital pharmacy teams.
Liaise with community pharmacies regarding the provision of medicines administration charts, compliance aids, medication reviews etc.
Review prescribing in line with National Prescribing Indicators and local Prescribing Management Scheme
To actively participate in achieving the targets of the prescribing dashboard, which will be co-ordinated by a GP.
To participate in prescribing audits as needed.
Handle information which may be sensitive, complex or confidential appropriately, in accordance with the Data Protection Act and local information governance policies
Be responsible for managing own workload and prioritising as necessary
Utilise GP practice clinical systems to conduct prescribing audits
Undertake, participate and share the outcomes of clinical audits to facilitate improvement and changes in practice
Ensure that all major MHRA drug alerts, where appropriate and within levels of competence, are acted upon within an appropriate time frame and to advise on any medication changes that occur as a result
Undertake training and development, to ensure the required knowledge and skills for practice based work
Undertaking medication reviews in patients homes as home visits it needed
Carry out other duties which are appropriate to the skills and competencies of a Pharmacy Technician as the priorities of the service change
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
BTEC Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent (i.e. NVQ Level 4 Pharmaceutical Services) Registered with professional body - GPhC (RegPharmTech) Evidence of recent and relevant CPD
Desirable
NVQ Level 4 or Advanced Practice Framework qualification
Experience Essential
3 years post qualification experience Experience of working in a patient facing role Experience of facilitating change to improve clinical practice
Desirable
Experience in Health Board/primary care role Experience of working in a GP practice Experience of utilising medication review skills Experience of multidisciplinary and multiagency work Experience and good working knowledge of clinical audit Experience of delivering training to relevant large group
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA Essential
Capacity to analyse and solve complex problems and plan effectively Ability to plan and organise complex activities requiring specialist knowledge of prescribing data Ability to motivate people and facilitate change Ability to provide complex and sensitive information to a range of health professionals, managers, patients and other health care staff, overcoming potential barriers to understanding Ability to analyse and interpret complex clinical and prescribing data to aid in improvements of medicines management Ability to provide medicines related information to clinicians, patients and relatives, requiring well-developed empathic and re-assurance skills Ability to deal with occasional emotionally distressing situations such as counselling patients regarding their medicines/ complaints The ability to deal with difficult situations and potential conflicts
Desirable
n/a
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name GP Practice in Wales
Address 35 The Kingsway
SWANSEA
West Glamorgan
SA1 5LF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://gpwales.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)