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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

1. Work in partnership with a range of muti-disciplinary and organisational personnel within both the hospital and setting and community, this will require a collaborative approach, together with the patient and their family and social network, as well as colleagues in health and social care including the Interface Pharmacist.
2. Act as liaison between the community and acute sector in relation to the pharmacy pathway for the patient when required.
3. Liaise and collaborate with Luton Integrated Care Board (ICB) medicines management team. This includes attending relevant meetings where improvements to local service delivery and patient outcomes will be discussed.
4. Facilitate clear and effective communication channels between patients, relatives, carers and professional community colleagues to ensure seamless patient care.
5. Communicate/ provide/ receive sensitive patient medical information, taking into account peoples backgrounds, cultures and personal preferences.
6. Enable patients and carers to participate in their mediation regime, thus encouraging independence and self-reliance.
7. Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust: delivering excellence in children and adults’ community health services across Luton.
8. Support aversion of admission in the community and hospital admissions by contributing to rapid assessment and appropriated medication support for patients to remain in the community including rehabilitation/ respite beds/units when required.
9. Devise and provide individualised, structured medication counselling programmes taking a holistic view of the patients and /or informal carers, social situation and health and social support networks. Particularly those identified as being at risk of medication related problems. This will include the purpose of medication, potential side effects and their management and when seek help. It will also include counselling / demonstration of inhaler and other medical device techniques.
10. Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust:  delivering excellent in children and adults community health services across Luton.
11. Complete complex assessment, contribute to care plans in the community ensuring adequate liaison for safe discharge /transfer and seamless service.
12. Provide domiciliary visits to review medication-taking activities in patients identified as being at high risk of medicine related problems that have been recently discharged from acute care.
13.  Accept referrals from other healthcare professionals for patients deemed to be at risk from their medicines.
14. Working with patients and residential homes to contribute to safe medicines management.
15. Contribute to overall patient health and social care though identification of non-medication related issues. Refer to the appropriated agencies as required.
16. Contribute to discharge from hospital, care home or on other transfer of care avoid problems associated with medicines.
17. Be aware of Health &Safety issues relevant to the Trust’s working environment and report as appropriated to the designated Health & Safety Officer in accordance with Trust policy.
18. Be aware and follow all the Trusts Policies relevant to own role.
19. The pharmacy technician is responsible for maintaining accurate documentation and records as per Trust record keeping policy, inclusive of computer and patient held records.
20. Contribute to the development of Standard Operating Procedures and processes for Trust staff as necessary and relevant.
21. Maintain safe systems of working accordance with relevant Medicines Act and Health and Safety legislation, and to ensure that defects, which may affect Safety at Work, are brought to attention of appropriated manager.  
22. To actively identify areas of that would benefit form changes/ service development and liaise with patient’s GP and/ or hospital Consultant/ health care professional/community pharmacy/community teams to propose change to practices that will improve patient experience/ safety.

Communication  

1. To communicate effectively with CCS staff, hospital colleagues, patients, their family/carers, as well as colleagues in primary care, integrated care board, community pharmacy and social care.
2. The pharmacy technician will be expected to effectively and respectfully communicate information regarding prescribed medicines to patients and carers. They will need to explain the reasoning for and purpose of each medicine to the patient, and the risks of not taking them as prescribed. There may be communication difficulties, which may require the application of different strategies.
3. They will provide information to patients and carers regarding common drug dosage and use, as relevant to the patient in question
4. The important relationships job holder must maintain: 
   o    Patients and families
   o    Range of hospital personnel 
   o    Full range of Community health services teams, including safeguarding  
   o    Team and administrators
   o    General Practitioners 
   o    Primary Care Network personnel, including clinical pharmacists
   o    Community pharmacists
   o    Local Authority personnel, including social services 
   o    Domiciliary care agencies  
   o    Integrated Care Board  
5. They must make an accurate record of their activities, plans and strategies in the clinical record.

Budgetary Responsibility  

1. The post-holder will be expected to support the cost-effective use of medicines and avoid waste wherever possible.  
2. Support the services to ensure the security and appropriate use of stocks of drugs and other devices used for pharmaceutical purposes  
3. To improve patient care, reduce medication related problems, avoidable hospital admissions and reduce drug costs and waste  
4. They should be alert to hoarding of unused medicines and work with the patient and the prescriber to reduce the wastage associated with this.

People Management 

1. Maintaining own professional development and requirement to take part in appraisal and KSF process
2. They must provide guidance and advice to colleagues within and outside the Trust in regard to the safe management of medicines. This may involve liaising with care agencies, or healthcare support workers. Training of healthcare support workers may be required.
3. They will be involved in the checking of transcribing of medication and records of medicines administered by others in a diplomatic and non-judgmental way, in order to ensure safe patient care. This may include those administered by care agency staff.

Research & Development Activity  

1. The post holder will participate in research and audit to identify education, training needs and areas for service development relevant to the organisation.
2. Work collaboratively with other members of the Pharmacy Team to develop and share best practice and integrate research evidence into practice to enhance the quality of service provision

Clinical and Practice Governance 

1. Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient/family/staff/records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
2. Any data that is taken/shared as part of a phone call or transported, faxed, or transferred electronically must be undertaken with regard to the Trust Information Governance and Information Security policies. 
3. The post holder must adhere to the Trust risk assessment and risk management processes
4. The post holder must adhere to infection control policies and procedures
5. It is a condition of your employment that you are currently registered with your professional body, and it is your responsibility to maintain your professional registration.
6. Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.  
7. The post holder must participate in clinical and safeguarding audits as required
8. Provide patients and their families /carers with information on standards they should expect from the team  
9. The post holder is required to participate in relevant emergency preparedness process for their team.