Job Description

PCN Pharmacy Technician - Stevenage North PCN

An exciting opportunity has arisen at Stevenage North PCN to join a friendly, successful, and dynamic pharmacy team.

We are looking to recruit a skilled, experienced, and enthusiastic Pharmacy Technician to work across the PCN to provide excellent care for all our patients.

The successful candidate will be an important member of the practice team and an integral part of the pharmacy team working across the PCN. You will work alongside three Pharmacy Technicians and three other Clinical Pharmacists and be supported by the Pharmacy Team Leader.

The post holder will work within their clinical competencies to provide expertise in clinical medicines management across a range of aspects such as responding to medication queries, playing a central role in the repeat prescribing process, updating medical records as requested on discharge summaries and outpatient letters, supporting medication safety work (e.g. high-risk drug monitoring), and actioning national patient safety alerts (such as NPSA & MHRA). You will also be expected to help in streamlining processes and developing protocols to allow for safer prescribing and to meet CQC expectations.

Developing good working relations outside the PCN is also essential for this role, e.g. engaging with the Medicines Management Team within the hospital sector to ensure patient safety is maintained after discharge, and working closely with community pharmacy colleagues to help manage ongoing medication shortages.

The successful candidate will be welcomed into an expanding team with the opportunity to develop both clinical and leadership skills. If not already completed, you will need to enrol on the 15-month Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP) which supports the new ARRS roles.

All applicants will be required to hold current GPhC registration as Pharmacy Technicians qualified to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent. Previous experience of working in a GP practice is desirable but not essential. Applicants will need to be computer literate, confident in working independently, able to prioritise workload and want to work in a multi-disciplinary environment. Due to the nature of this role, a full driving licence and access to your own vehicle is essential.

This role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and operational efficiencies so requires motivation and passion to deliver excellent service within general practice.

Early applications are encouraged as the vacancy may close early if sufficient applications are received.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Job Type

: Permanent, Full-time

Salary

: Band 5 equivalent

Schedule

: Monday to Friday

Licence/Certification

: GPhC registration (required)

Application deadline: 30/09/2025

Salary and working hours will be discussed at the interview

STEVENAGE NORTH PRIMARY CARE NETWORK - JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title

Primary Care Network (PCN) Pharmacy Technician

PAY BAND

Band 5 equivalent

Responsible to

PCN Lead Clinical Pharmacist

Accountable to

The PCN Clinical Director (Clinically), The Practice & Business Development Manager (Administratively)

Hours of Work

37.5 hours per week - full time

Location

Across PCN Network

JOB SUMMARY

Pharmacy Technicians play an important role, complimenting clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. While Pharmacy Technicians do not prescribe nor make clinical decisions, they do work under supervision to ensure the effective and efficient use of medicines. In the PCN, their core responsibilities cover clinical, technical, and administrative roles.

The purpose of the role is to maximise safe, cost-effective, prescribing to improve the quality of patient care. The post-holder will help patients get the best from their medicines, use existing protocols to maximise cost-effective preparations, improve repeat prescribing processes (including use of electronic repeat dispensing and online ordering), minimising clinical risk and reducing avoidable wasted medicines. As well, the post-holder will develop and encourage a positive culture of medicines optimisation principles to assist the PCN in achieving local and national medicines-related objectives.

MAIN DUTIES

To help achieve efficiencies and effectiveness within the prescribing activities of the PCN

To promote high quality cost-effective and evidence-based use of medicines within the PCN

To work within the Pharmacy Team, with clinical pharmacists to respond to medication-related queries generated by patients, GPs, other health care professionals and staff

To work within the Pharmacy Team, with clinical pharmacists to develop and ensure a safe efficient medicines optimisation programme including repeat prescribing, medication review and medicines reconciliation services

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities - Clinical

Undertake patient facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients

Carry out medicine 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.

Support, as determined by the PCN, medication reviews and medicines reconciliation for new care home patients and synchronising medicines for patient transfers between care settings and linking with local community pharmacists

Provide 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

Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with clinical pharmacists for more complex patients

Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing

Assist in the delivery of medicines optimisation and management incentive schemes and patient safety audits

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

To respond to medication queries from patients and staff in a professional manner referring to the clinical pharmacist when appropriate

Support the role of PCN Clinical Pharmacists in the delivery of clinical pharmacy services

Core Responsibilities - Administrative

Work with the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes, and reducing wastage

Provide leadership for medicines optimisation systems across PCNs, supporting practices with a range of services to get the best value from medicines by encouraging and implementing Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD), safe repeat prescribing systems, and timely monitoring and management of high-risk medicines

Provide training and support on the legal, safe and secure handling of medicines, including the implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)

Develop 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

Support the PCN in reviewing and developing practice policies for CQC requirements

GENERAL

Confidentiality:

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

In the performance of the duties outlined in this , the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the PCN as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the PCN may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice's policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Respect for Patient Confidentiality:

The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others' health, safety and security as defined in the organisation's Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to the practice's guidelines

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards

Reporting potential risks identified to the Operations Manager

The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990)

Equality and Diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people's rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues behaving in a manner, which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights

Special Working Conditions

The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies.

The post holder may have to sit for long periods in front of a desktop computer for periods of time.

The post-holder may have contact with body fluids i.e. wound exudates; urine etc. while in clinical practice

Personal/Professional Development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with such training to include:

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Enrolled in, undertaking, or qualified from, an approved training pathway. For example, the Primary Care Pharmacy Educational Pathway (PCPEP)

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team's performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients' needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognize people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Communicate with other NHS Bodies

Safeguarding:

The PCN is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, adults and young people. All staff will receive training on Child & Adult Protection; Safeguarding Children & Adult Policies and Procedures as part of their Induction and annual updates. This training will equip the post holder with the knowledge of what to do if they have concerns about the welfare of a child or adult.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

Apply Service policies, standards and guidance

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit where appropriate

Do all of the necessary training to keep up to date with Information Governance, IT, & Resuscitation

Have a flexible approach, be a team player and possess a good sense of humour.

Agreement -

This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only. There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within the PCN. All members of staff should be prepared to take on additional duties or relinquish existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the PCN.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Education:

Diploma of Higher Education (required)
Licence/Certification:

PCPEP (preferred) GPhC registration (required)
Work Location: In person