NHSL 233934 (LF) Lead Pharmacy Technician – Primary Care

NHS LOTHIAN

West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership

LEAD PHARMACY TECHNICIAN- PRIMARY CARE

(Prescribing Efficiency Lead)

1.0 WTE (Job share would be considered)

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Please note: we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at an early stage.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.

NHS Lothian serves a population of approximately 1 million people, employs 35,000 people and is fundamentally focused on improving the health and wellbeing of the population.

The NHS Lothian Primary Care Pharmacy and Medicines Service has undergone an ambitious programme of transformation and integration. Pharmaceutical care is provided by a team of around 50 pharmacy staff across the West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy support workers and administrators, working across General Practices and Pharmacotherapy Hubs covering the whole of West Lothian.

Partnership working is at the core of our values, and we work closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team, including our Community Pharmacy colleagues, to deliver the highest quality care for everyone in Lothian.

Do you want to be at the forefront of transforming the delivery of pharmaceutical care? Do you want to work in an environment that values staff and supports their learning, growth and wellbeing? Do you want to work with a dynamic team who have the ambition to be "the best Pharmacy service in Scotland"?

West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) have increased their clinical capacity across Primary Care in support of the Scottish Government's Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care strategy and in fulfilment of the plans for a General Practice Clinical Pharmacy Service and offer opportunities to work closely with GPs, other practice staff, community pharmacy staff, care home staff, other members of the multi-disciplinary team and finance colleagues to support the development and application of high quality, safe, cost effective and evidence-based prescribing in the HSCP.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a suitably experienced pharmacy technician to provide professional leadership and management as part of the Primary Care Pharmacy Team in West Lothian HSCP. This post will provide pharmacy technician leadership of the primary care prescribing efficiency programme. The post holder will lead on developing a programme of work each financial year with an Advanced Clinical Pharmacist. They will support and train the efficiency pharmacy technician team and technicians working in GP practices to deliver the programme throughout the year using data to monitor delivery against any targets set. Another key piece of work for this post will be leading on analysis of prescribing data to identify variance at HSCP and practice level. As such, experience of using systems such as PRISMS to analyse prescribing data would be an advantage.

Supported by a team of lead pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, the post holder will also jointly oversee delivery of pharmacotherapy services and the prescribing action plan across 20 general practice sites, care homes and community hospitals. This requires strong team management and leadership skills to provide support to the multidisciplinary GP practice-based workforce.

The post requires the ability to work predominantly autonomously, being responsible for your own outcomes, and contributing to the prescribing support team objectives. This will require self-direction, confidence and problem-solving skills. The post also requires good knowledge of medicines management and recent developments in prescribing work in GP practices. A flexible, adaptable approach is necessary with evidence of project and teamwork being advantageous. Good communication, organisational and IT skills along with the ability to work with patients and other healthcare professionals will also be necessary.

You will have substantial experience as a qualified pharmacy technician, registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, with a commitment to Continuous Professional Development. The post requires S(N)VQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services, and HNC Pharmacy Services or relevant equivalent qualifications or experience to the same level. Management experience is essential as the postholder will line manage several staff.

For further information on what is included in the role and what skills/experience are being looked for, click on the links at the bottom of the screen to the job description and person specification. If after reading this information you have any questions, please contact James Sweeney – Lead Pharmacy Technician or Hazel Brown – Lead Pharmacist