Senior Clinical Pharmacy Technician, Renal Services

Job overview

The Trust’s mission is ‘to put the patient first and deliver great care to every patient, every day’.  Our priorities are to create a “one team, one trust” culture and focus on the delivery of the following five objectives to ensure we provide high quality, compassionate care to all of our patients:

• Delivering safe and effective care across our sites
• Creating a positive experience that meets the expectations of our patients, their families  and carers
• Providing responsive care that delivers the right treatment, in the right place at the right time
• Being financially sustainable
• Working in partnership with our patients, commissioners, other health and care providers, local authorities, the voluntary sector, the NHS TDA, NHS England and Monitor in the interests of our patients and a sustainable local health and social care economy.

Main duties of the job

• To resolve and/or appropriately refer interventions back to the clinical pharmacist or liaise with other members of the MDT within scope and experience.

• To document interventions and discrepancies related to prescribing of medicines on the electronic patient records.

• To assist in the provision of ward-based pharmacy services to the renal unit
• To optimise drug management by taking drug histories, assessing patients’ own drugs at admission for use during their hospital stay and promoting one stop dispensing, as well as reducing unnecessary dispensing of medication during their stay and on discharge.
• To record details of medication history, patient’s own supply and any other relevant information on the electronic in-patient prescription chart in accordance with pharmacy procedures.
• To encourage and support compliance with the local formulary and prescribing policies and guidelines.
• To effectively communicate with patients regarding medicines supply and to identify administration or adherence problems.
• To help ensure smooth transfer of medicines between wards, minimising opportunities for missed doses
• To ensure the maintenance of a high standard of stock control and stock rotation for medicines in areas under his/her control, working closely with the top-up assistant and to regularly review stock lists twice a year in liaison with the ward pharmacist and ward sister/manager.
• To communicate appropriately with pharmacists, pharmacy stores staff and/or ward staff regarding issues with medication.
• To be able to identify, prioritise and fulfill urgent medicine supply requests in order to reduce the time for patients to receive their medication and minimise the risk of missed doses/delays to discharge.
• To identify anticipated discharges and to assist in providing a timely supply of appropriate discharge medication, including for those patients requiring monitored dosage systems.
• To assist in providing a patient counseling service for medicines at discharge.
• To promote and develop effective discharge planning with respect to medicines, working in close liaison with primary care colleagues.
• To liaise with GP practices, local community pharmacists and nursing / residential homes to ensure any medicine management issues are addressed and managed throughout the patients hospital stay.
• To liaise with the nurses, doctors, primary care and other healthcare professionals to ensure a seamless ward pharmacy service is delivered to patients.
• To contribute to financial savings by maximising use of patients’ own drugs and ensuring effective stock control, participating in audits as required and ensuring ward returns are dealt with in a timely manner.

Further Responsibilities are listed in the JD attached

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder is required to:

• Work within agreed Trust and departmental policies and procedures and to accepted standards of practice.
• Work in other areas and on other sites in the Trust to cover for service needs.
• Undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time, as are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade.
• Ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity.
• Treat patients and customers with dignity and courtesy.
• Ensure that medicines do not fall into unauthorised hands.
• Have responsibility for the health, safety and welfare for self and others and to comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety regulations, including COSHH.
• Promote Equal Opportunities and to comply with the requirements of the legislation and the Trust’s policies.
• Attend such training courses and meetings as are necessary for the efficient performance of the post holder’s duties.
• Participate in Continuing Professional Development (CPD), maintaining own CPD portfolio.
• Participate in the Trust’s appraisal system.
• Comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
• Comply with the Trust’s No Smoking Policy.
• Comply with Duty of Candour principles

This job description is a reflection of the current position and may change in emphasis or detail in the light of subsequent service development.