Lead Pharmacy Technician ICU & Theatres London

Lead Pharmacy Technician – ICU & Theatres

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage provision of pharmacy technical service to intensive care units and theatres.
• Responsible for all technical aspects of medicines management in these areas.
• Develop and deliver pharmacy technical service to these areas.
• Work accurately, effectively, and efficiently to support high-quality service to patients, staff, and departments.
• Adhere to Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust values.
• Ensure maximum efficiency, safety, and economic drug use through Trust policies.
• Deliver efficient ward-based service for accurate and timely medicine supply.
• Accurate medicines reconciliation through GP communication.
• Medical notes interpretation and patient drug assessment.
• Resolve prescription discrepancies or refer to pharmacist.
• Supply medicines promptly for ICU patients.
• Analyse and interpret prescriptions, resolving issues or referring to pharmacist.
• Adhere to hospital formulary and provide advice on non-formulary drugs.
• Adhere to hospital antimicrobial policy and clinical protocols.
• Promote high-quality cost-effective prescribing.
• Provide comprehensive pharmaceutical advice to healthcare professionals.
• Participate in clinical audit of prescribing, administration, and supply.
• Identify risk issues related to medicines usage and suggest minimisation strategies.
• Maintain proficiency as an accredited checking pharmacy technician (ACPT) and ensure minimum 8 hours monthly checking.
• Work across Trust sites or other dispensary areas.
• Prepare and check prescriptions in a timely manner for inpatient and discharge requests.
• Liaise with primary care professionals for patient discharge continuity.
• Support patient-focused activities by providing timely and accurate medicine information.
• Remain professional and effective in challenging circumstances.
• Assess patient medication ability and provide compliance aids.
• Deliver high-quality medicines counselling service, including specialist/unlicensed drugs.
• Overcome communication barriers using interpreters.
• Strategic planning and organisation of technical pharmacy service to ICU, theatres, and resuscitation.
• Audit current service (e.g., drug wastage, waiting times), produce/implement improvement strategies.
• Develop and implement systems for effective stock control and ordering.
• Implement pharmacy-led ward top-up services, staff training on medicine storage, expiry date checks, stock list reviews.
• Develop, implement, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Manage and coordinate responses to drug alerts, shortages, and recalls.
• Assist senior pharmacists in preparing and analysing monthly drug expenditure reports.
• Assist in developing ICU discharge procedures for medicine transfer.
• Audit medicines management, monitor ordering, supply, use, and discard to reduce wastage and improve control.
• Plan and develop the role of the MMT team in patient-focused care.
• Facilitate and support medicines management initiatives complying with CQC standards.
• Work with managers and colleagues to identify and manage risks.
• Investigate medication incidents, respond, provide feedback, and implement actions.
• Be responsible for regular controlled drug checks and stock audit checks.
• Promote maximum efficiency, safety, and economic medicines use.
• Assist in preparing and analysing monthly drug expenditure reports and resolving ambiguities.
• Establish and maintain a robust system for tracking patients prescribed tariff-excluded drugs.
• Extract, analyse, and interpret data from pharmacy system for KPIs, CQUINs, and expenditure reports.
• Manage, supervise, coordinate, and develop MMTs and MMPAs within ICU & Theatres team.
• Independently manage the day-to-day operations of the critical care pharmacy technical team.
• Act as an effective role model and provide pharmaceutical advice to multidisciplinary team members.
• Lead and coordinate MMT and dispensing team to ensure timely discharge medication preparation.
• Support innovative approach to practice within boundaries and limitations.
• Identify, undertake, and coordinate audit projects, publish/present findings, and assist other team members.
• Assist pharmacists covering allocated wards during rotations.
• Maintain high standard of medicines management, including regular audits, ensuring consistent compliance with national standards.
• Participate in staff appraisals, objective setting, personal/career development, and ongoing review of objectives.
• Participate in recruitment and selection of pharmacy staff.

Skills and Expertise

• Pharmacy technician expertise.
• Leadership and management skills.
• Technical skills in medicines management.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Clinical skills and knowledge in critical care areas.
• Experience with stock control, ordering, and supply of medicines.
• Proficiency with pharmacy software and systems (e.g., Crystal Reports)
• Ability to interpret medical notes and prescriptions
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Initiative and adaptable to unpredictable work patterns
• Teamwork and collaboration