Job summary
Employer heading
Advanced Medicines Optimisation Technician - Acute Medicine
Band 6
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.
Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.
We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.
The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.
Job overview
We are excited to advertise the role of Advanced Medicines Optimisation Technician for acute medicine in our clinical pharmacy team, a role which truly recongnises Pharmacy technicians for their extensive clinical expertise and contribution to the ward-based pharmacy service.
This role will work closely with the pharmacists at ward level to manage the clinical needs of patients on our acute medicine wards and admissions wards to provide the very best patient centred care.
The Pharmacy Department at the Great Western Hospital is at the heart of the Trust's programme to move forward and transform itself. By embracing technology, diversity, new ways of working and an improvement mindset built into all of us, Medicines Optimisation and Pharmacy services are at the heart of patient care.
This role will be pivotal in supporting with the changes and improvements made to our ward clinical pharmacy services and will work closely with the senior clinical team to ensure the successful delivery and embedding of any changes in practice.
We welcome applications from pharmacy technicians working in all healthcare settings who hold the transferable knowledge and skills required for the role. We will provide the training and guidance for those professionals transitioning into a career in acute healthcare.
Main duties of the job
In partnership with the clinical services senior leadership team, utilise highly specialised knowledge of clinical pharmacy services to lead in developing, implementing and monitoring a comprehensive, safe and high-quality patient centred clinical Pharmacy service to patients and staff of Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Contributing innovatively and proactively to the changing demands on the service and ensuring that it is provided in a professional, timely and efficient manner.
You will work as an advanced medicines optimisation pharmacy technician by applying expert clinical knowledge to prioritise the clinical pharmacy needs of patients and ward to appropriately to support the clinical ward/team pharmacist.
With the opening of our new integrated front door this summer, its an exciting time for this role to work collaboratively with both pharmacy and Trust wide colleagues to embed our clinical pharmacy services into these new patient pathways.
Working for our organisation
“Our STAR values – Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect – are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.”
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Advanced Medicines Optimisation & Clinical
- To be an advocate for and champion Pharmacy clinical services ward-based services in your nominated division.
- To lead in developing the role of the advanced medicines optimisation technician with in the division but also in the wider Trust.
- Work with minimal supervision to provide an admission, supply and discharge service to nominated wards. Liaising directly with pharmacists, medical and nursing staff over potentially complex or sensitive clinical issues and appropriately escalating when necessary.
- On admission, checking that the medicines prescribed for each patient conform with information from the patient, SCR, GP letter and/or Nursing Home and taking detailed medication histories
- Assessing whether any medicines brought in by the patient are fit for use and removing (with patient’s permission) any medicines not needed
- Apply clinical prioritisation principles and processes in accordance with the departmental Clinical prioritisation guidance document and within the limits of your own capabilities, knowledge, and professional practice.
- Ordering medication that the patient has not brought into hospital in line with department SOPs
- Counselling patients to use their medication and providing written information as required
Please see the attached job description for full details
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- NVQ / QCF Level 3 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent plus accredited underpinning knowledge (BTEC in Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent)
- Accredited Checking Technician qualification or be eligible and willing to work towards accreditation which will be completed within 12 months
- Accredited Medicines Management qualification or be eligible and willing to work towards accreditation which will be completed within 12 months.
- Accredited to clinical prioritisation module or equivalent clinical qualification or be eligible or willing to work towards
Desirable criteria
- Project management qualification
- Staff/team Management qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant broad experience in a hospital pharmacy with experience of leading and managing teams
- Managing own workload to meet the needs of a service
- Working within a role involving multi-disciplinary communication
- Developing and training staff
Desirable criteria
- Audit and/or research experience and implementation
- Knowledge of national reports on development of pharmacy services
- Policy and procedure development
- Managing change
Knowledge & skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent and effective communication and interpersonal skills, both verbal and written, to pass on complex information. Confident and assertive, but non-aggressive manner
- Able to function in stressful situations and cope under pressure
- Able to meet deadlines with good time management
- Excellent clinical pharmaceutical knowledge
- Excellent decision making and problem solving skills
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Hannah Mills
- Job title
- Lead Medicines Optimisation Technician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01793 607781
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