Pharmacy AdministratorNHS

Job summary

The successful applicant will support a wide range of pharmacy workflows including prescription administration, patient recall programmes and long-term condition clinics. You will act as a key point of contact for patients, community pharmacies and external organisations enquiring about prescriptions. This role brings the opportunity to assist in co-ordinating medication reviews, support audit programmes and manage patient recall systems.

To thrive in this role, you will enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with multiple competing priorities. You will possess excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to communicate effectively with patients and healthcare professionals. You will be committed to delivering excellent patient care and able to work both independently and as part of a team.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a professional, flexible, and friendly manner. As well as being organised, applicants should have strong IT skills with experience of working with confidential information. Experience of EMIS web and a good understanding of medical terminology is advantageous. As a training practice, we offer a supportive environment with opportunities for learning and development within a growing multidisciplinary pharmacy team.

Main duties of the job

Responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Pharmacy team administrator. There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels.

Prescription administration and medicines management

Patient recall and service coordination

Administration for medicines optimisation and clinical pharmacy support

Audit, quality improvement and safety

Training and team support

Job description

Prescription administration and medicines management

Process repeat prescription requests received by phone, email, post, slips and the online access system, in accordance with practice protocol and standard operating procedures.

Generate requests for non-repeat medications on behalf of patients, obtaining additional information where required.

Manage and coordinate weekly prescription workflows to ensure timely processing of prescriptions.

Ensure prescription requests are processed within agreed timescales.

Escalate urgent prescription requests to the Clinical Pharmacy Team or duty GP as appropriate.

Support electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) initiatives and encourage suitable patients to use eRD and synchronised medication collections

Actively encourage patients to reconcile medications to facilitate monthly collections and electronic repeat dispensing.

Act upon prescription compliance issues, liaising with the appropriate clinician.

Have oversight of community pharmacy emergency supplies, escalating to the clinical pharmacy team when necessary.

Build good working relationships with local Pharmacies to help enable our prescription service.

Check emails regularly and deal with them appropriately.

Patient recall and service coordination:

Maintain medication review recall systems and invite patients for reviews in line with practice procedures.

Manage medication review recall lists, including sending invitations, booking appointments and following up non-responders.

Liaise with the Pharmacy Technician team regarding any monitoring requirements prior to medication reviews and arrange appointments or investigations as directed.

Coordinate recalls for annual medication reviews, long-term condition reviews and pharmacist-led clinics.

Book, rearrange and manage appointments for pharmacy-led services.

Coordinate spirometry appointments and six-monthly heart failure recall programmes.

Support the administration and management of the practice blood pressure monitor loan scheme.

Maintain accurate records of recalls, appointments and patient communications.

Medicines optimisation and clinical pharmacy support:

Process administrative correspondence relating to weight management services, contraception services, Pharmacy First referrals and provision of cannabis therapy letters.

Add medication information and relevant coding to patient records in accordance with practice protocols and escalate any clinical concerns or treatment decisions to the Pharmacy Technician or Clinical Pharmacist team.

Liaise with Pharmacy Technicians regarding monitoring requirements before medication reviews.

Assist with the preparation and booking of Structured Medication Reviews.

Process non-complex medication-related correspondence in accordance with practice protocols.

Liaise with pharmacies on the supply of prescribed drugs, alert our clinicians of any supply issues and forward information on the recommended alternative.

Respond to enquiries from patients, carers, secretaries, NHS administrators, Consultants or the Medicines Management Team in a courteous, timely and efficient manner, by telephone, letter and email, occasionally face-to-face and maintain precise records of the communications.

Support administration of long-term condition clinics and medicines optimisation programmes.

Audit, quality improvement and safety

Support delivery of medicines optimisation audits and quality improvement projects.

Coordinate and support CQC, PQS, internal practice audits and high-risk drug monitoring.

Undertake monthly medication ordering audits and reception medication request audits.

Assist with data collection, reporting and maintenance of audit trackers.

Support the administrative management of MHRA alerts, medication recalls and prescribing safety initiatives.

Run searches and reports as requested and maintain accurate records of completed actions.

Support the Clinical Pharmacy Team in reviewing and updating the practice prescribing related policies.

Training and team support

Support the training of reception and administrative staff in prescription processes, prescribing workflows and pharmacy-related procedures.

Contribute to improving pharmacy administrative processes and service delivery.

Work collaboratively with Clinical Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and the wider practice team to support effective patient care.

This Job Description is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and will be reviewed periodically in conjunction with the post holder. The post holder is required to carry out any duties that may reasonably be requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.

About us

Reading Holybrook Primary Care Network (PCN) is a forward-thinking collaboration of 3 GP practices serving communities across Reading and the surrounding area. Together, we work to deliver high quality, accessible primary care and improved health outcomes for a diverse and growing population. Serving more than 35,000 patients, we bring together a multidisciplinary workforce including GPs, allied health professionals, treatment room clinicians, Social Prescribers and Care Co-ordinators to provide joined-up, person-centred care.

As a PCN, we are committed to innovation, continuous improvement and collaborative working. We work closely with our member practices, community services, local authorities and voluntary sector partners to reduce health inequalities, improve patient experience and support the long-term health and wellbeing of our population.

Based in Reading, our network offers a supportive and inclusive working environment where staff are encouraged to develop their skills, contribute new ideas and make a meaningful difference to the communities we serve. Whether delivering frontline services or supporting operational excellence, every role within Reading Holybrook PCN plays an important part in improving patient care and shaping the future of primary care.