PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

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 and people with learning disabilities or autism.

Review the on-going need for each medication, ensuring monitoring needs are performed and use the opportunity to support patients achieve better health outcomes through shared decision-making conversations

Support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care

Make appropriate recommendations to prescribers

Promote safe disposal of medicines and recycling of inhaler

Patient facing / video consultation Long-term Condition clinics

Help to set up pharmacist-run long term condition clinics particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes

Optimisation of blood pressure control utilising BP@Home.

Patient facing / video consultation Care Home Medication Reviews

Undertake clinical medication reviews, formulate a medicines optimisation plan jointly with the patient/ carer and facilitate its implementation by working with other professionals, services and agencies as necessary

Support patients to wean from medications including opioids, gabapentinoids and antidepressants in line with national guidance.

Work with care home staff to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration.

Medicines information

Take part in the pharmacy team central rota to answers relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients.

Suggest and recommend solutions using clinical knowledge and trusted pharmaceutical sources

Medicine Reconciliation

Carry out medication reviews and reconciliation for all new patients and for patients whose care is transferred back into primary care.

Medicines Management

Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing locally.

Support the Pharmacy team in to manage blood monitoring of High-Risk Drugs and DOACs across the PCN.

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

Undertake and lead on any specific medicines optimisation-based projects/portfolio areas of work as may be required by the Pharmacy Team, e.g., diabetes medication, blood pressure optimisation, lipid lowering therapy

Collaborating Working Relationships

Having a leadership role in supporting 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

Work collaboratively with ICB medicines management teams

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

Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists, liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation

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

Education and Training

Enrol in the NHS England CPPE Primary care pharmacy education program (if not already undertaken) and complete the 18-month course. This will be fully supported by the PCN, and time allocated for study days.

Complete the Independent Prescribing course (if not already undertaken)

Medicines optimisation

Demonstrate self-development through continuous professional development

Develop a good working knowledge of the clinical systems used by the practices

Attend internal and external meetings and training courses, and supervision sessions with designated GP supervisor on a regular basis

Complete regular mandatory training

Provide clinical supervision for clinical pharmacist and pharmacy technicians in the PCN pharmacy team

Practice

Support the implementation of national prescribing policies and guidance within GP practices, care homes and other primary care settings. This will be achieved through undertaking clinical audits, supporting quality improvement measures and contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services.

Support the delivery of the pharmacy and medicines optimisation elements of the network service specifications within the Network Contract DES (Pharmacy Quality Scheme)

Help the GPs with reauthorising medication and repeat prescribing process and medication reviews.

On the day medication queries from patients

Understand the role of CQC in General practice and adhere to practice policies.

Take part in significant event meetings and practice protected learning meetings.

Service development

Work with GPs and Pharmacy Technicians to create processes and Standard Operating Procedures for use within the practice and pharmacy teams, which offer improvement in consistency and delivery of our services to patients.

Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services

Identify areas of good practice and help to disseminate across the PCN

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

To discuss development needs with line manager and establish an agreed development plan in order to consistently achieve best practice and continuously improve personal performance.

To identify own training needs and attend relevant study days/courses as agreed by the line manager and in accordance with the Personal Development Plan.

To demonstrate appropriate behaviour in stressful and difficult situations, recognising personal limitations.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The role requires flexibility, as there are often changes to the planned programme of work, according to matters arising for independent contractors requiring urgent attention.

COMMUNICATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will:

Work actively to develop good and effective working relationships with colleagues in the PCN and with individuals and organisations external to the Trust in order to develop the service, facilitate collaborative working and mutually beneficial solutions to problems.

Act as an ambassador for the Team and the PCN in terms of telephone and in personal contacts and as a friendly and competent point of access to the PCN for outside organisations.

Work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that resources are used flexibly to meet the demand, including providing assistance in times of particular pressure in any area.

Assimilate, manage, and communicate a wide range of information, some of which will be sensitive and complex and may involve matters relating to individual staff or patient matters or to matters of commercial confidence.

ENVIRONMENTAL

The post holder may be required to concentrate for sustained periods.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with individuals from all agencies and at all levels including service users, carers, and professionals.
• Demonstrated ability in having excellent communication and organisational skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work with limited direction.
• Ability and commitment to engage with and empower service users and carers.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work methodically and accurately.
• Demonstrated ability to support colleagues and check own or colleagues work as appropriate.
• Ability to work independently without direct supervision.
• Subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act, able to travel using own vehicle.
• Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable the post holder to carry out the role effectively.

Desirable

• Demonstrated ability in training.

Experience

Essential

• Can plan, manage, monitor, advise and review medication for patients in core areas, including long term conditions.
• An appreciation of NHS agenda, national policies and government targets.
• Basic IT skills, normally obtained through practice or practical training.

Desirable

• Primary Care experience.
• Recent experience of developing and implementing pharmaceutical care initiatives.
• Relevant theoretical and practical knowledge of Primary Care Networks and General Practice.
• An understanding of the current PCN DES specifications.
• Awareness of GP budget management and funding systems to enable GP clinical pharmacist services to assist delivery of PCN and NHS priorities and requirements for financial balance and quality.
• Awareness of systems to support management of patients in a primary care setting, delivering pharmaceutical input and support in the context of pathways of care and the business of the organisations.
• Evidence of involvement in education and training of other professionals.
• A wide range of IT skills especially Microsoft 365 software and specifically Excel.
• Experience of working with clinical management systems, especially SystmOne.

Qualifications

Essential

• Pharmacy Degree
• Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education primary care Pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration
• Education Pathway (PCPEP) qualification or working towards/ willing to enrol

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Postgraduate diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experience
• Registered non-medical prescriber

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).