Job Description

Job summary:

The Pharmacy Assistant provides support to our Clinicians in the receipt and preparation of repeat prescriptions for our patients and works closely with Pharmacy, nursing and Administrative teams. You will be one of the main points of contact for enquiries about prescriptions from patients and community pharmacies. Therefore, a good telephone manner and excellent communication skills are essential.

The Pharmacy Assistant is a member of the Pharmacy team, assisting in the whole prescription process. The Pharmacy Assistant will report to Lead Pharmacy Assistant and be located at all three sites.

To thrive in this role you will enjoy utilizing your exceptional organisational and prioritising skills, combined with excellent attention to detail. Problem-solving on a day to day basis around issues relating to your work, you will also enjoy working closely as a team to achieve objectives and ensure that your workload is managed in a timely manner. This role will also involve managing the practice ordering (currently Linton/Loose branches only) for medical consumables, immunisations/vaccinations and personally administered drugs.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities

Duties will include managing telephone enquiries and dealing with patients promptly, managing repeat prescription requests, ensuring medication reviews are completed by clinicians and generating computerized prescriptions using our clinical IT system, data entry onto patient records, and liaising with patients and community pharmacies. The tasks and responsibilities to be undertaken may include any or all of the items in the following lists, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:

Deliver the technical aspects of prescription processes and preparation to ensure the safe prescribing of medicines. Deliver an efficient prescription service and ensuring service targets are met and errors are minimized. Comply with legal and professional requirements, accepted guidance on professional practice, and with safe systems of work for re-authorising repeat prescriptions. Where appropriate to do so ensure the administrative process of relevant drug safety monitoring is undertaken to enable the smooth process of repeat prescribing, such as: ordering and notifying patients of any relevant blood tests, height/weight, up to date B.P that may be needed Minimise the over-ordering of prescription items so as to reduce waste and improve sustainability Support where appropriate the medication safety alerts process highlighted on Team net Liaise with pharmacies on the supply of prescribed drugs, alert clinicians of any supply issues and forward information on the recommended alternatives. Expedite any urgent prescriptions to help ensure a safe and responsive service for our patients. Respond to enquiries from patients and pharmacies in a courteous, timely and efficient manner and ensure precise records of the communications are recorded. Provide an efficient administration service as part of a team to ensure the smooth running of the prescription support to our clinicians. Ensure you are keeping patient information updated and that patient information is secure and kept confidential at all times. Bring any queries to the attention of the relevant clinician, to include under and over usage of medicines. Build good working relationships with local pharmacies to help enable our prescription service. Create 'tasks' and assist clinicians in managing document workflow relating to prescriptions. Escalate any problems to your line manager or practice manager. Undertake training as requested to support safe and effective services for the practice. To support the Lead Pharmacy Assistant in administrative processes of improving efficient flow of repeat prescription generation e.g. ensure medication review process is updated by relevant clinicians To support the proactive triage of relevant patients such as those needing review by clinical pharmacy staff and management of subsequent appointment booking systems Carry out any other duties as may reasonably be requested by the clinicians/practice manager/line manager.

Overview

Answer telephone enquiries from patients and pharmacies promptly and politely.

Deal with enquiries from patients in a calm, prompt, and sensitive manner.

Gather sensitive information from patients and record information in their clinical notes.

Treat patients with sensitivity and respect.

Work in a manner that supports the Pharmacy Team.

Provide support in managing all repeat prescriptions within 48 hours.

Operate within all Greensand HC policies & procedures.

Complete all mandatory training, participate in education programs and actively engage with learning and development opportunities.

Contribute to an effective team by reflecting on own and team activities, contributing to team meetings and other avenues to improve the team's performance.

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.

Communicate effectively with others.

Attend team and staff meetings and attend practice updates to ensure competency.

IT

Use the clinical IT system to generate medication requests.

Update the medical notes in a timely manner.

Use the clinical IT systems to check prescription review dates/Clinical Management Plans and alert the clinical Pharmacy team to out of date or due dates.

Use e-mail and telephone to carry out tasks, communicate and obtain information in the prescription process.

Deliver tasks and workflow requests by GPs and the pharmacy team effectively, adhering to organisation policies and within individual competency.

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 job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice 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 practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data Operate and ensure compliance of a whole team clear desk policy.

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 recognises 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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

The above list of duties is not exhaustive and may be subject to change as deemed necessary.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From 12.21 per hour

Expected hours: 30 - 37.5 per week

Benefits:

Free parking On-site parking
Work Location: In person