Clinical Pharmacist in General Practice

Job responsibilities

Primary key responsibilities

The Clinical Pharmacist in a general practice organisation has the following key responsibilities in relation to delivering health services.

To standardise the role within primary care, the key responsibilities are based on those outlined in Annex B1 of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service 2024-25 specification.

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. Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas

b. Be a prescriber, or completing training to become a prescriber, and work with and alongside the general practice team

c. Be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism (through STOMP Stop Over Medication Programme)

d. Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the organisation and to help in tackling inequalities

e. Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation (including ensuring prescribers in the practice conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, whilst contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services

f. Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care

g. Support further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to help improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage general practice workload

h. Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across the wider health and social care system

i. Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists (including mental health and reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic use in people with learning difficulties), liaison with community pharmacists, and anticoagulation

j. Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision. Each clinical pharmacist will have access to an assigned GP clinical supervisor for support and development

k. To act as the point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positive working relationships

l. To consult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medication

m. To receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians

n. To receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff

o. To provide medication review services for patients in the practice and during domiciliary visits to the local nursing home

p. To manage a caseload of complex patients

q. To manage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high risk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs, etc.

r. To deliver long term condition clinics and home visits, particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes, and prescribe accordingly

s. To provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team

t. To review medications for newly registered patients

u. To improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medication

v. To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation

w. To encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the organisation

x. To implement and embed a robust repeat prescribing system

y. To provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff

z. To organise and oversee the organisations medicines optimisation systems, including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems

aa. To improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education, to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance.

bb. To develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities

cc. To ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. To apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines

dd. To provide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a system

ee. To support clinicians with the management of patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependencies

ff. To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional

gg. To manage a caseload of complex patients and potential care institutions and to provide advice for the GP management of more complex patients or areas such as addictive behaviours, severe mental illness or end of life care

hh. To review the latest guidance, ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc.

ii. To provide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care

jj. To handle prescription queries and requests directly

kk. To provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the organisation, patients and their carers

ll. To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the organisation

mm. To participate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so, and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss events

nn. To undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes

oo. To contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance

pp. To attend a formal appraisal with your 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

qq. To contribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct care

rr. To maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.

Secondary responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Clinical Pharmacist may be requested to:

Support delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives

Agree and review prescribing formularies and protocols, and monitor compliance levels

c. Improve the data quality of medicines records and linking to conditions

d. Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues

e. Working in partnership with pharmacists and clinicians at local hospitals, improve the safety and quality of prescribing after discharge from hospital admissions and attendance

f. Provide leadership and support to prescription administrative and dispensary staff

g. Produce pharmacy/prescribing newsletters or bulletins on a quarterly basis

h. Develop a specialist area of interest

i. Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents

j. Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support, including e-consultations, remote medication review, and telehealth and telemedicine

k. Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner

l. Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility

Person skills

Essential

• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and organisational skills with the ability to constructively challenge the views and practices of managers and clinicians
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Demonstrate personal accountability and emotional resilience, and work well under pressure

Desirable

• Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS/Accurx
• Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Flexible and cooperative
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety

Experience

Essential

• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice.
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Experience and an awareness of common acute and chronic conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape, including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners

Desirable

• Minimum of two years working as a pharmacist demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• Experience in managing pharmacy services in primary care
• In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
• Understanding of the mentorship process
• Broad knowledge of general practice

Qualifications

Essential

• GPhC registered pharmacist
• Hold or be working towards an GPhC independent prescribing qualification
• The Clinical Pharmacist is enrolled in, or has qualified from, an approved 18-month training pathway or equivalent that equips them to:
• a.Be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a primary care setting (for example, the CPPE clinical pharmacist training pathways)
• b.Be able to deliver the key responsibilities outlined in section B1 of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service 2024-25 specification.

Desirable

• Minor ailments certification
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Working towards faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Medicines management qualification
• MUR and repeat dispensing certification

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).