PCN Care Homes Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

PCN Clinical Pharmacist - Care Home Team

Job Description

Responsible to - PCN Clinical Pharmacist - Care Home Team

Accountable to - Care Home Lead

Base - Keyworth Health Centre, covering Rushcliffe PCN Care Homes

Job Summary

The post holder is a pharmacist, who acts within their professional boundaries, supporting and working alongside a multi-disciplined team supporting care home residents in Rushcliffe PCN. In this role they will be supported by the care home lead, and a senior clinical pharmacist who will support the ongoing development, management, and mentorship.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

To ensure that all care home residents receive an annual Structured Medication Review as part of a Comprehensive Geriatric assessment

To be the first point of contact for medicines related queries for care homes across Rushcliffe Primary Care Network

To improve medicines management and optimisation in Nursing and Residential care homes, working in partnership with all appropriate agencies and staff

To support prescribing of covert medications and ensure the legal requirements are in place for safe administration

To ensure there are efficient processes in place to ensure people living in residential care receive medications as prescribed.

To support the implementation of medicines related elements of national policy declarations relating to care homes

The post holder will provide clinical leadership on medicines optimisation and quality improvement and manage some aspects of the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services.

To work with colleagues to establish and develop good medicines management systems across the care homes sector

Main Duties and Responsibilities

To assist the PCN care homes team and wider MDT with care home-related medication queries

Ensure there are robust systems for the delivery of repeat, interim and acute medication needs to care homes including appropriate use of repeat dispensing services.

Provide support for the COVID and flu vaccination campaigns to care home residents.

Provide contemporaneous records of reviews and issues arising to identify trends. Feedback identified prescribing issues to support the care homes team in developing quality initiatives and action plans.

Support the repeat prescriptions system, deal with acute prescription requests, and medicines reconciliation and provide expertise in clinical medicines advice while addressing both public and social care needs of patient in the care home.

To support the development of quality initiatives that address identified prescribing and medicines management issues, including those that cross interfaces between organisations.

To participate in the weekly care home rounds and the MDT as appropriate, working collaboratively with care home team colleagues, GPs, care home staff and community geriatricians.

To provide support and training to care home staff to ensure safe storage and administration of medication and development of medicines policy, protocols, and procedures.

Liaise as required with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to keep up to date with current guidance concerning medicines use in care homes. Identify any issues that may ensue and work to address them.

Liaise with care home staff as necessary to ensure accurate exchange of information and clarification of queries regarding medicines to facilitate safe handling, storage, administration and destruction of medicines

Make recommendations regarding patient management in accordance with Local and National guidelines relating to the management of the older population

Respond efficiently to the unpredictable demands of the care home sector environment with regard to requests for assistance from staff and patients

Work effectively with the PCN pharmacy team across all practices within the PCN.

Work with the Care Home Lead and GP leads in developing the strategic and operational management of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Service

To participate in the development and delivery of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes service across Rushcliffe

The post holder will be required to evidence the impacts of the post and provide data monitoring to further shape the role and delivery of the Care Home DES within Rushcliffe.

Liaise and communicate sensitively and effectively with patients and/or carers, who on occasions may be resistant to change, on subjects which are often of a very sensitive nature, on all aspects of good medicines management with the objective of optimising patient outcomes

To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through Continuing Professional Development activities and to participate in the review and appraisal process.

To adhere to the individual Professional code of conduct and practice at all times.

To reflect on own practice individually and/or through regular clinical supervision.

Collaborative Working Relationships

Develop and foster good working relationships with care home staff, GP clinical leads, residents and relatives to promote the best outcomes for residents.

Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care

Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations e.g. CCGs)

Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team, in particular the care home team and wider PCN Pharmacy team.

Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary

Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality

Foster and maintain strong links with all services across locality

Explore the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships

Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams for the best outcomes of residents in care homes.

Liaises with CCG colleagues including CCG Pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit

Liaises with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/ Optimisation to benefit from peer support

Liaises with other GP Practices and staff as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to

Patients

GP, nurses and other practice staff

Other healthcare professionals including CCG pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, optometrists, dentists, health and social care teams and dieticians etc

Locality / GP prescribing lead

Locality managers

Community nurses and other allied health professionals

Community and hospital pharmacy teams

Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

Completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Minimum of 2 years experience as a pharmacist, demonstrated within a practice portfolio.

Has experience and an awareness of frailty, common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in care home residents and general practice.

Hold an independent prescribing qualification.

Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identify deviations from normal pattern and refer to seniors, GPs, or community geriatricians when appropriate

Able to follow legal, ethical, professional, and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct

Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidelines.

Has knowledge and understanding of capacity, best interest decisions and guidance to ensure compliance to regulations.

Leadership

Will provide teaching, advice and support around medication management to colleagues, and care home staff.

Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.

Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision

Engages with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and involves patients and carers in development of the role and practices where appropriate

Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service

Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.

Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals

Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example.

Management

Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service

Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation

Demonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice

Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol

Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management

Demonstrate ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team

Education, Training and Development

Understands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service

Demonstrates understanding of the mentorship process

Demonstrates ability to conduct teaching and assessment effectively according to a learning plan with supervision from more experience colleague

Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity; working alongside senior clinical pharmacist to identifying areas to develop

Participates in the delivery of formal education programmes

Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice.

Ensures appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support development

Enrolled into review and appraisal systems within the practice

Other Job Requirements

Essential

• Enthusiasm for working with elderly people in community settings
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload without supervision working to tight and often changing timescales
• Willingness to travel within locality
• Use of own vehicle to travel between GP practices, care homes and CCG offices
• Good attendance record
• Ability to be flexible and adjust to a changing health care environment

Knowledge/Skills

Essential

• Experience working with SystmOne Clinical system
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Clear communicator with excellent writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts
• Good computer and data processing skills with a knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel and Word
• A good understanding of the legal framework for prescribing and the national NHS medicines Quality agenda including QIPP, NICE, Medicines Act and Misuse of Drugs legislation
• Excellent written and spoken English

Desirable

• Understanding of evaluating and measuring prescribing performance.

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• Pharmacy degree (Masters level or equivalent)
• Currently registered member of the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Clinical Pharmacy qualification
• Independent Prescriber qualification

Desirable

• Completed CPPE

Experience

Essential

• At least 2 years post registration relevant experience
• Knowledge of medicines management issues relating to primary care
• Experience in medicines in elderly care

Desirable

• Knowledge of current NHS policies/processes and structures relating to prescribing and medicines
• Experience of undertaking of medicine reviews, prescribing and deprescribing
• Knowledge and experience of completing covert medication plans

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).