Prescription Clerk

We are looking for a Prescription Clerk/s to join our friendly and supportive prescription team.

As a prescription clerk you will work alongside a team of prescription clerks, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians as well as more broadly with other professions within the surgery.

We are looking for individuals with strong communication skills and the ability to communicate with our patients and other colleagues in a professional manner. Previous customer service experience is desirable. You will be working in a busy and sometimes stressful environment, and you will become an important member of a friendly and supportive team. The role requires excellent literacy and numeracy skills and ability to problem solve on a day-to-day basis relating to your work.

You will be the main point of contact for patient enquiries about their prescriptions, so resilience is important, as is a caring and empathetic communication style as you will be liaising on sensitive medical information.

Previous pharmacy experience would be desirable, but this is not an essential requirement as training will be provided.

Key attributes required are:

• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Good communication skills.

Hours range from 25 – 30 hours per week. Essential - minimum of 4 shifts per week (open to more). Due to our staffing requirements at least one shift would be on a Friday afternoon. Please note that shifts are usually a mixture of 8:00-13:30, 13:30-18:30 and 8:00-18:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break.

We offer the opportunity of a shadow session following interview to give you an insight into the role (confidentiality statement must be signed at this point).

Aspen Medical Practice is an equal opportunities employer.

To apply for this position please email your CV and a covering letter by clicking on Apply Now.

Job Description

Responsible to: Practice Partners & Lead Pharmacist
Accountable to: Prescription’s Manager
Base: Aspen Medical Centre
Salary: Dependent on experience

Job summary

The post-holder is a Prescription Clerk.

To be responsible for the accurate and timely processing of prescription requests
for the entitled population, liaising effectively with all relevant personnel.

Duties can include, but are not limited to, the processing of repeat prescriptions in
electronic and hard copy format, including online requests. In addition, the post
holder will be required to support the multi-disciplinary team, ensuring the strategic
objectives of the organisation are met, and providing administrative support as
required, in line with the needs of the organisation. Providing non-clinical
prescription advice via the telephone or front desk, patient facing time at on the
front desk is mandated for all prescription clerks and fairly allocated.

Duties can include, but are not limited to, supporting the administration team with
patient registration, booking appointments, and processing of information
(electronic and hard copy) in a timely manner and in accordance with current
policies.

Also to support staff with the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for
the clinical team, liaising with multi-disciplinary team members and external
agencies such as secondary care and community service providers.

The post-holder will be an integral part of the general practice team.

Generic responsibilities

All staff at this organisation have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

A good attitude and positive action towards Equality Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I)
creates an environment where all individuals can achieve their full potential.

Creating such an environment is important for three reasons – it improves
operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely
involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated
with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds
including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership,
pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients
have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff
can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued, and equality of
opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds
including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership,
pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff
have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with
dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

This organisation is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff
to maintain their health, wellbeing and safety.

The post-holder is to manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility,
ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients and monitor
work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and
conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and
guidelines.

All personnel have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for
themselves, their team and others and to cooperate with employers to ensure
compliance with health and safety requirements.

All personnel are to comply with the:

 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
 Environmental Protection Act 1990
 Environment Act 1995
 Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999
 Other statutory legislation which may be brought to the post holder’s attention

Confidentiality

The organisation is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service.

Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to
their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence
and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain
confidentiality at all times. It is essential that, if the legal requirements are to be met
and the trust of our patients is to be retained, all staff must protect patient
information and provide a confidential service.

Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of the organisations’ outputs, all personnel are
required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually re-
examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall
effectiveness of the way we work.

The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for
opportunities to improve quality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight
and collaborate with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver
healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We
promote a culture of continuous improvement where everyone counts, and staff are
permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery
and enhance patient care.

Staff should interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation
strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice. All staff are
to contribute to investigations and root cause analyses whilst participating in
serious incident investigations and multidisciplinary case reviews.

Induction

We will provide a full induction programme, and management will support you
throughout the process.

Learning and development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all
staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences
to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake in, and complete
mandatory training as directed. It is an expectation for this post-holder to assess
their own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

The post-holder will undertake mentorship for team members and disseminate
learning and information gained to other team members to share good practice and
inform others about current and future developments (e.g., courses and
conferences). The post-holder will provide an educational role to patients, carers,
families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Collaborative working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working and understand
their own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time. Staff are to
prioritise their own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are
embedded within the culture of the team.

Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments, and the post-holder is to
work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and
exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working and to work effectively
with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care
delivery.

Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure they communicate
in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.

All staff should delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe
practice and assessment of competence. Plans and outcomes by which to
measure success should be agreed.

Managing information

All staff should use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management
in the planning, implementation and monitoring of care and presenting and
communicating information.

Data should be reviewed and processed using accurate SNOMED codes to ensure
easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes.

Service delivery

Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding
policy and procedure.

The post-holder must adhere to the information contained within the organisation’s
policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times.

Security

The security of the organisation is the responsibility of all personnel. The post-
holder must ensure they always remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity
immediately to their line manager.

Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks with anyone
and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured. Likewise,
password controls are to be maintained and are not to be shared.

Professional conduct, uniforms and appearance

All staff are required to dress appropriately for their role and in accordance with the
organisation’s Staff Handbook. All staff members are to ensure that their conduct is
commensurate with line management expectations and practice protocol.

Leave

All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all their staff
are afforded the opportunity to take leave each year and should be encouraged to
take all their leave entitlement.

Public holidays will be calculated on a pro-rated basis dependent on the number of
hours contracted hours worked per week.

Primary key responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of a Prescription Clerk in delivering
health services. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks.

This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Support in the management of repeat prescriptions, ensuring they are
processed accurately and efficiently
b. Accurately detail information on patients records within the clinical system
c. Process repeat prescription requests received by any means of
communication (email, electronic, NHS App or paper) in accordance with
practice protocol
d. Produce prescriptions for the GP to sign in an acceptable timeframe
e. Ensure all prescription requests are processed and are ready for collection
within the required and expected timeframe
f. Generate requests for medication on behalf of the patient for non-repeat
items, in line with practice policies and advice on non-repeat items.
g. Actively encourage patients to reconcile medications to facilitate monthly or
bi-monthly collections
h. Discuss with patients their requirements, encouraging patients to order only
what they require
i. Provide non-clinical prescriptions advice to patients/ carers/ professionals
via the telephone or front desk.
j. Act upon compliance issues, liaising with the appropriate clinician
k. Ensure medication reviews are arranged by maintaining an accurate recall
system
l. Effectively liaise with external services, i.e., district nurses, to ensure
medicaments are arranged for housebound patients
m. Initiate contact with and respond to, requests from patients, team members
and external agencies
n. Scan and photocopy documentation as required
o. Manage all queries as necessary in an efficient manner
p. Conduct system searches as requested
p. Undertake a broad spectrum of administrative duties commensurate with the
role

q. Be an integral part of the general practice team
r. Be aware of your duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation
and adhere to practice policies and procedures on Safeguarding Adults and
Safeguarding Children
s. Support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements

t. Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes
u. Contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance
v. Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times
w. Wear the mandated uniform when performing patient facing roles
x. Attend a formal appraisal with their manager at least every 12 months. Once
a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on
a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed.

Wider responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Prescription Clerk has the following
wider responsibilities:

a. Support administrative staff, providing cover during staff absences

b. Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

c. Support the Lead Pharmacists in reviewing and updating the Prescribing Policy
and SOPs

d. Support and participate in shared learning

Person specification – Prescription Clerk

Qualifications Essential= E Desirable = D
A good standard of education, with an expectation of having both GCSE Maths and English at Grade C (Level 4) or above, or Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths and English - E
NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care  D
Experience 
Experience of working with the general public E
Experience of working in a healthcare setting  D
Experience of administrative duties and/or as prescription clerk  D
Knowledge and skills 
Excellent communication skills and effective in communicating and understanding patient needs E
Competent in the use of MS Office and Outlook  E
Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required   D
Ability to use own initiative, discretion, and sensitivity E
Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity  E
Ability to work as a team member and autonomously E
Excellent communication skills and effective in communicating and understanding patient needs E
Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations E
Good organisational skills  d
Clinical IT system user skills and the ability to record accurate notes  D
Effectively utilise resources E
Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort E

High levels of integrity and loyalty E

Clear, polite telephone manner E
Flexible and cooperative E
Motivated E
Understanding of safeguarding adults and children E
Chaperone procedure   D
Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and ability to work well under pressure  D
Knowledge of and ability to work to key policies and procedures E

Other requirements/wider responsibilities 

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check E
Occupational Health clearance E

This document has been created to support the organisation’s needs for recruiting. It
should be noted that the detail within this person specification may be too lengthy and
therefore, the organisation might wish to reduce the content to support its actual
requirements.

Furthermore, this person specification may be amended following consultation with the
post-holder to facilitate the development of the role, the organisation and the
individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing
duties, to enable the efficient running of the organisation.