skip to main content

Pharmacy Technician Day

17 October 2023

 

On Pharmacy Technician day this year we want to highlight the important role Pharmacy technicians play at the beginning of a patient’s hospital journey.

Some of our Pharmacy Technicians - men and women in pale green uniforms and blue scrubs stand in a group in one of our courtyards. The group of 26 people stand in three lines, with the back row standing on a low wall, so you can see everyone's faces. They are al facing the camera and smiling. Behind them, and to the sides, you can see various trees and flowers and the pales cream hospital building on three sides.

Coming into hospital can be daunting especially if you have a complex medication regime. To help with the transition of care, when you come into hospital you will be seen by a Pharmacy Technician who is trained to carry out a process called medicines reconciliation.

What is medicines reconciliation?

The National National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) defines medicines reconciliation as;

“The process of identifying an accurate list of a person’s current medication and comparing it with the current list in use”1

As part of the process, pharmacy technicians will discuss all of your existing medicines with you; both prescribed and not prescribed and compile a list, comparing this to what is prescribed on your inpatient drug chart.

Any issues or discrepancies will be rectified in liaison with a pharmacist/doctor.

Why do you do it?

By speaking to patients about your medicines when you first come into hospital we aim to reduce medication errors in a timely manner. Completing a medicines reconciliation helps us work with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure all of the correct medicines are continued as intended during your admission.

So how else can Pharmacy technicians help with your medicines?

Pharmacy technicians are registered with the General pharmaceutical council and submit yearly validation to ensure their skills and knowledge are up to date. They uphold the standards for pharmacy professionals in their everyday work by improving the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.

A graphic highlgihting elements od safe and effective care. Safe and effective care appears as purple wiriting on a white circle. Around this are nine portions within a larger circle around it. Each is a different colour, with red at the top highlighting person-centred care, yellow next to it highlighting Partnership working, blue next highlighting Effective communication, light green highlighting Professional knowledge and skills, orange next highlighting Professional judgement, purple near the bottom highlighting professional behaviour, dark green showing Confidentiality and privacy, dark pink Speaking up about concerns and mid blue highlighting Leadership.

They have a multitude of skills and can help in lots of ways including:

* Counselling you on the safe use of medicines - they can discuss any new or existing medications with you, explaining how to take them and any side effects you may encounter. This helps you feel fully informed and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions that may be troubling you about your medicines.

* Removing barriers - If you have a barrier which you think is preventing you from taking your medicines they can work with you to try and find a solution such as providing medication prompts like medicine information charts, redidose boxes or large print labels.

* Communication of medicine changes - Hospital Pharmacy technicians also work closely with community pharmacies and can communicate any changes to medicines with them and can ask them to support you if you are having any medication issues after discharge.

If you would like to know more about how Pharmacy technicians can support you or you are interested in pursuing a career in this area then please contact Kelly Pryke, our Clinical Lead Pharmacy Technician on Kelly.Pryke@jpaget.nhs.uk

For more information on Careers in Pharmacy please visit; https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/pharmacy-careers