Specialist Pharmacy Technician - Homecare Services

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Job Overview
We are seeking a motivated and ambitious Pharmacy Technician to join the Pharmacy Homecare Services Team as a Specialist Pharmacy Technician for a 12-month secondment for maternity cover. You will work with the Homecare Services Manager (Lead Pharmacy Technician) to continue to grow and optimise our current service, conduct service reviews to ensure external homecare provider compliance with regional contracts.

You will play an active role in identifying areas for improvement, supporting implementation of service developments and expansion as well as promoting good homecare practice not only directly within the homecare team but across the clinical teams.

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible for the management of homecare staff and day to day workload management.
• To ensure all homecare services within NBT have in date service level agreements with regular review meetings across multiple therapy areas including rheumatology, oncology, multiple sclerosis, HIV, dermatology and renal.
• To lead on service level review meetings and ensure these are held for all therapy areas currently using homecare.
• Manage areas of poor performance and escalate to the Homecare Services Manager and the regional homecare group any ongoing issues or areas of risk.
• Collate the required data to ensure third party providers for homecare services meet the agreed KPI’s.
• To investigate patient or staff led complaints involving or relating to homecare services developing and implementing necessary changes in practice to ensure improvement.
• To provide the monthly pharmacy QMM group with a report on relevant aspects of homecare services.
• To lead in the implementation of new homecare services.
• To co-ordinate the homecare work process in accordance with Standard Operating procedures, safe working systems and the legal framework for the supply of medicines.
• To manage the building of relevant CMM Templates.
• To assist in identifying and managing risks within the homecare area.
• Represent NBT at Regional Homecare Meetings and support the development of collaborative contracting for all homecare services.

Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• Responsible for the management Homecare team and the operational day to day purchasing of Pharmaceutical Homecare products, including authorisation of computer, and manually generated orders in keeping with Procurement and Homecare contracts in line with Local, Regional and Nationally agreed standards.
• Responsible for and works closely with all staff within the Pharmacy Homecare teams to Ensure:
  • Any supply problems or queries with stocks purchased are in an accurate and timely manner to minimise shortages while ensuring that quality and value for money are paramount.
  • Continuing supply problems are effectively communicated to relevant Trust and departmental staff and liaises with Pharmacy Invoicing staff in connection with invoicing issues and problems and pricing queries.
  • Urgent medication requests are dealt with in a prompt and timely manner to ensure that patient treatment and care is not compromised.
  • All National and Regional contracts are adhered to.
• Effectively manage own time and workload unsupervised.
• Able to manage unpredictable workload dictated by service needs.
• Responsible for managing service provision issues such as prioritisation of work according to patient urgency which is driven by clinical need and service requirements to ensure patients treatment is not delayed.
• Requires high level of concentration and accuracy identifying problems and when agreeing prices and quantities for invoicing purposes.
• Responsible for producing monthly expenditure/savings reports using the pharmacy computer system for Homecare investigates and resolves any discrepancies.
• Works with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to review existing and develop new patient centred services.
• Responsible for producing monthly KPI reports on quality and financial indicators on all Homecare services.
• To investigate and report on patient or staff led complaints involving or relating to any aspect of or Homecare services by the Trust or external service providers.
• Works with multidisciplinary teams to identify, plan, and develop new opportunities for homecare services, produce timetables for new service/system implementation, ensuring deadlines are met that have been agreed with all key decision makers.
• Responsible for co-ordinating service review meetings for homecare medicines services working closely with homecare companies, pharmacists, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare staff.
• Participation in MDT meetings regarding patient care when required.
• Ensures that NBT NHS Trust Homecare services are of a consistently high standard for patients by regular liaison with key individuals involved within the service areas including pharmaceutical industry and Homecare companies.
• Responsible for providing an essential audit trail for all Homecare services for the trust, and provides detailed monthly KPI data for Pharmacy and Trust finance Department.
• Responsible for the induction of all new staff to ensure that they are properly trained and inducted for their Procurement and Homecare duties.
• Maintains high professional standards at all times and ensures compliance with statutory regulations concerning pharmaceuticals and the provisions of the Health and Safety at work act are complied with.
• Participate in clinical screening of homecare prescriptions in line with agreed Trust policies and SOPs.
• Responsible for ensuring all staff are trained in, understands, and implements, safe practices, ensuring there are no barriers to understanding all aspects of the training as dealing with a wide variety of staff with different abilities - trains pre-registration Pharmacists and student Technicians in all aspects of Homecare services enabling completion of training and registration with professional body (GPhC).
• Responsible for implementing new policies for Homecare services in line with Regional and National requirements, Carter metrics and National Homecare Medicines committee (NHMC) approved standards and processes.
• Responsible for ensuring accurate documentation and records are maintained within the service area for financial and audit purposes.
• To develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity.
• Carry out procurement activities as part of the Supply Services weekend rota.
• Any other duties, which may be required by the Director of Pharmacy for the benefit of the service.

Person Specification
Essential

• Registration with the GPhC and practicing as a Pharmacy Technician.
• Final Accuracy Checking Accreditation.
• Leadership and management accreditation.
• Evidence of CPD.
• 2 years post qualification experience working as a Pharmacy Technician and 1 year band 5+.
• Experience of managing a team (3+).
• Experience of internal and external audit.
• Ability to react to and manage the changing situation within the homecare departments on a daily basis and liaise with staff accordingly.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills.
• Experience of managing major operational change.
• Training skills.
• Self motivated.
• Able to deal with and communicate professionally with all levels of staff within own organisation, other NHS organisations, industry, pharma partners and patients.

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.

North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.

At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.

Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.