Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity to join North London NHS Foundation Trust as a Band 5 Medicines Management Pharmacy Technician (MMPT), working at the heart of our inpatient pharmacy service.

This is a varied, patient-facing role where you will work directly with patients and multidisciplinary teams to improve medicines safety and optimise treatment. You will have the opportunity to use and develop your skills in medicines reconciliation, patient consultation and counselling, discharge planning and medicines optimisation.

The post is a cross-site role working across St Ann's Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital, with an initial indicative allocation of 60% St Ann's Hospital and 40% Chase Farm Hospital. You will be expected to work flexibly across NLFT sites according to service need, and the balance between sites may change in response to operational requirements and future service developments. The role may also develop into a rotational post across medicines management services and/or Trust sites as the service evolves.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive pharmacy technician who enjoys working with patients, takes ownership of their role and wants to contribute to the continued development of pharmacy technician-led services.

Main duties of the job
No two days are quite the same. As an MMPT, you will:

• Work directly with patients to understand their medicines and identify medicines-related issues.
• Undertake medicines reconciliation and detailed medication histories.
• Assess patients' own drugs (PODs) and help ensure medicines are available when patients need them.
• Provide high-quality medicines counselling and support patients to understand and manage their treatment.
• Play an active role in discharge planning, including DMS referrals and improving continuity of medicines care after discharge.
• Work alongside pharmacists and multidisciplinary teams to identify and resolve medicines-related problems.
• Provide ward-based medicines management and promote the safe and secure use of medicines.
• Use your accredited checking skills to support safe and efficient pharmacy services.
• Work flexibly across Trust sites and provide cross-site support according to service need.
• Support and develop pharmacy trainees and colleagues.
• Get involved in audits, quality improvement, medicines safety and the development of new ways of working.

About us
Why choose to join the North London NHS Foundation Trust?
We believe that by working together, our Trust can achieve more for the residents of North Central London and our patients than we can by working apart.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all.
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

Why NLFT?

• Transforming and creating a positive environment for our service users, staff and visitors.
• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave allowance and NHS pension scheme.
• We have excellent internal staff network support groups.

Job responsibilities
As an MMPT, you will provide a comprehensive, patient-centred medicines management and medicines optimisation service across inpatient and community mental health services. You will work autonomously within your scope of practice, taking responsibility for medicines reconciliation and medicines supply, proactively identifying discrepancies, resolving medicines-related problems and helping to reduce delays to treatment and discharge.

Patient interaction is central to this role. You will speak directly with patients and carers about their medicines, undertake person-centred medicines consultations, provide tailored medicines counselling and support patients to understand and manage their treatment. You will also play an active role in discharge planning, medicines optimisation and DMS referrals, supporting safer transitions of care between hospital, community pharmacy and other healthcare services.

Working closely with pharmacists and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will be an active and visible member of the clinical team, documenting interventions and escalating medicines-related concerns appropriately. You will contribute to medicines governance, accuracy checking, audit, quality improvement and medicines safety initiatives, while also supporting the education and development of trainees, pharmacy colleagues and other healthcare professionals.

You will work flexibly to meet the needs of the pharmacy service, including providing reciprocal medicines management cover and supporting services across Trust sites as required.

Above all, we are looking for someone who is proactive, patient-focused and enthusiastic about the evolving role of pharmacy technicians, and who wants to help us continue developing an ambitious, high-quality medicines management service.

Person Specification
Qualifications/ Registrations
Essential

• Current registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Accredited Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) qualification
• Accredited Medicines Management/Medicines Optimisation qualification or equivalent recognised competency

Desirable

• Practice Supervisor, Train the Trainer or equivalent educational qualification.
• Leadership or management development course/training.
• Attendance at or completion of specialist mental health pharmacy training, e.g. CMHP Psych pharmacy technicians or Psych 1 or equivalent.

Skills/Abilities
Essential

• Evidence of effective patient consultation and communication skills.
• Evidence of effective autonomous working, prioritisation and problem-solving.
• Evidence of IT/digital skills and accurate clinical documentation.

Desirable

• Evidence of teaching or presentation skills
• Evidence of audit, quality improvement or service development.

Experience/Knowledge
Essential

• Evidence of ward-based medicines management experience.
• Evidence of dispensing and final accuracy checking experience.
• Evidence of knowledge of medicines governance, medicines safety and relevant pharmacy legislation/policies.

Desirable

• Experience of mental health pharmacy, including knowledge of commonly used and high-risk medicines.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).