Job responsibilities
The post holder is a
skilled pharmacist who operates within their professional scope, collaborating
with a team of pharmacists, technicians, and other members of the medicines
management team (MMT).
In this role, the post
holder will work as an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team, contributing
both administratively and in direct patient-facing interactions.
A key responsibility of
the post holder will be conducting clinical medication reviews to proactively
manage patients with complex polypharmacy, ensuring their treatment regimens
are both safe and effective.
The post holder will
serve as a primary point of contact for general practice staff, providing
expert advice on prescription and medication queries. They will play a crucial
role in supporting the repeat prescription system, handling acute prescription
requests, conducting medicines reconciliation during transfers of care, and
implementing systems for safer prescribing. Additionally, they will offer
expert clinical guidance on medicines, addressing the public and social care
needs of patients.
The post holder will
take a leading role in medicines optimisation and quality improvement,
overseeing aspects of the quality and outcomes framework as well as enhanced
services.
Ensuring seamless
integration between community and hospital pharmacies, the post holder will
contribute to the efficient use of skill mix, enhancing patient outcomes,
improving healthcare access, and helping to manage workload. This role is vital
in driving improvements in both the quality of care and operational
efficiencies, requiring a high level of motivation and a passion for delivering
exceptional service within general practice.
Primary
duties and areas of responsibility
Clinics/Clinical
assessment (Tasks/AccuRx)
Conduct both face-to-face and telephone
consultations with patients diagnosed with one or more medical conditions,
where medicinal intervention is necessary (e.g., COPD, asthma).
For post holders who are independent
prescribers, prescribe safe, effective, and appropriate medications in
accordance with current clinical guidelines and relevant legislation.
Clinical medication
review
Conduct clinical medication reviews with
patients, providing recommendations to senior clinical pharmacists, nurses,
and/or GPs regarding prescribing and monitoring decisions.
Assess the ongoing necessity of each
medication, review monitoring requirements, and use each consultation as an
opportunity to support patients in managing their medication effectively,
ensuring optimal use of their medicines through medicines optimisation and
structured medication reviews.
Care home medication reviews
Conduct
clinical medication reviews for patients, collaborating with care home staff
and community pharmacists to enhance the safety of medication ordering and
administration processes.
Domiciliary clinical medication review
Undertake clinical medication reviews with
patients, providing recommendations to senior clinical pharmacists, nurses, and
GPs regarding prescribing and monitoring.
Attend multidisciplinary case conferences and
refer patients as needed.
Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments
Manage a caseload of patients with common,
minor, or self-limiting conditions, working within the scope of practice and
limits of competence.
Signpost patients to community pharmacies and
refer to GPs or other healthcare professionals when necessary.
Medicines support
Offer patient-facing or telephone clinics to
address questions, concerns, and queries regarding medicines.
Respond to medicine-related inquiries from
GPs, practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g., community pharmacists), and
patients.
Suggest appropriate solutions and follow up
with patients to assess the impact of any medication changes.
Unplanned hospital admissions
Review the
use of medicines frequently associated with unplanned hospital admissions and
readmissions through audits and individual patient reviews.
Implement
strategies to reduce the prescribing of high-risk medications in vulnerable
patient groups.
Management of medicines at discharge from hospital
Work with the Medicines Management Team (MMT)
to reconcile medications following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care,
and care homes.
Identify and rectify unexplained medication
changes, collaborating with patients and community pharmacists to ensure
continuity of care post-discharge.
Establish systems to maintain a consistent
supply of medications for high-risk patients (e.g., those using compliance aids
or in care homes).
Signposting
Ensure that
patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for timely
care, including pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, and
long-term condition reviews.
Repeat prescribing
Oversee the
practice's repeat prescribing policy and reauthorization process.
Ensure that
patients undergo necessary monitoring tests when required.
Risk stratification
Identify
patient cohorts at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared
practice computer searches, considering both patient- and medication-related
risks.
Service development
Contribute
pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services
that have medicinal components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient
information leaflets).
Information management
Analyse,
interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support
decision making.
Medicines quality improvement
Conduct
clinical audits of prescribing practices, providing feedback and implementing
improvements in collaboration with the practice team.
Medicines safety
Implement
changes in response to MHRA alerts, product withdrawals, and other local or national
guidance to enhance medicines safety.
Implementation of local and national guidelines and
formulary recommendations
Monitor
practice prescribing against the local health economys RAG list and make
recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital
clinicians (red drugs) or subject to shared care (amber drugs).
Assist the
practices in maintaining the practice formulary that is hosted on the
practices computer system.
Audit the Practices
compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance.
Provide
newsletters or bulletins on important prescribing messages.
Education and training
Provide
education and training to the primary healthcare team on therapeutics and
medicines optimisation.
Care Quality Commission
Collaborate
with the general practice team to ensure compliance with CQC standards related
to medicines management.
Public health
Support
public health campaigns and provide expert knowledge on available public health
programmes.
Collaborative working relationships
Acknowledge
the roles of colleagues in patient care, fostering effective communication to
engage relevant stakeholders, including patients, senior and peer colleagues,
and external professionals.
Actively
develop and maintain strong relationships within and outside the practice,
exploring opportunities for collaborative working and initiating partnerships.
Demonstrate
integration between General Practice and Community/Hospital Pharmacy teams and
liaise with ICB colleagues to ensure consistent patient care and enhance
patient outcomes.
Knowledge, skills and experience required
Hold an
undergraduate degree in pharmacy and be registered with the General
Pharmaceutical Council.
Possess
experience and awareness of common acute and long-term conditions typically
encountered in general practice
Recognise
priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from the norm,
referring to senior professionals when necessary.
Adhere to
legal, ethical, professional, and organizational policies, involving patients
in decisions about their medications and supporting adherence in line with NICE
guidelines.
NB:
it is anticipated that the level of qualification held may vary according to
the level of position and the components of the role being carried out, see
person specification for details.
Leadership:
Demonstrate
an understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and implement it
effectively within the workplace.
Engage with
Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) to shape the role and practice development.
Contribute to
quality improvement initiatives, setting clear plans to achieve goals.
Motivate
oneself and others to meet service objectives and deliver high standards of
care.
Management:
Understand
the impact of national priorities on the team and service, ensuring effective
resource utilization.
Conform to
relevant standards of practice and address risk management issues according to
policy and protocol.
Research and Evaluation:
Critically
evaluate literature and identify gaps in the evidence base to inform practice.
Generate evidence suitable for
local presentations and apply research findings to improve workplace practices.
