Job responsibilities
PCN Clinical Pharmacist Job Description and Person Specification
Job title
PCN Clinical Pharmacist
Line manager
PCN Lead Pharmacist
Hours per week
Full time Or Part Time
Job summary
To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team whilst supporting clinical pharmacists and other clinicians.
For Clinical Pharmacist employees recruited under Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) - see below pages 6 & 7 for responsibilities, job role specifications, and minimum role requirements as per Network Contract DES, contract specifications; Annex B ARRS Minimum Role Requirements.
Primary responsibilities
- To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in practice whilst supporting Pharmacy Technicians, Junior Pharmacists, Pharmacist Trainees and other clinicians.
- To issue prescriptions in line with agreed clinical protocols and within your competency.
- To work with practice pharmacy team to develop and implement systems to ensure safe and effective management of high-risk medication, including regular monitoring and follow-up.
- To encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the PCN.
- To undertake medicines reconciliation post discharge and on other transfers of care
- To update and maintain accurate and timely patient medication records on practice clinical systems, including advice given and action taken.
- To liaise with secondary and primary care colleagues to ensure correct medicines are continued following the transfer of care.
- To liaise with community pharmacy to establish a clear line of communication regarding medicine changes for post discharge patients, ensuring medicines are stopped/started appropriately according to discharge documents.
- To monitor practice adherence to BNSSG prescribing guidelines.
- To support practice and PCN teams in improving the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards, and clinical and prescribing guidance.
- To apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines
- To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the PCN.
- To support and train practice staff, including GPs, MDT and receptionists, to confidently refer patients to community pharmacy for timely Pharmacy First and local PGD services.
- 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 incidents and near-miss events.
- To support Pharmacy Technicians to action and implement changes to medicines in line with MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local or national guidance.
- To promote and adhere to clinical governance guidelines.
- To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional.
- To undertake all mandatory practice training and induction programs.
- To undertake and complete the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) and associated learning courses.
- To identify and be proactive in your training needs and development and as agreed with your Line Manager.
Secondary responsibilities
In addition to your primary responsibilities, you can expect to contribute to:
To support delivery of QOF, QIP, IIF, and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives.
To 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.
To actively engage with colleagues in the PCN pharmacy team, attend team meetings, contribute to discussion, and explore mechanisms to develop new ways of working effectively, and achieve expectations set by stakeholders.
To attend practice clinical team meetings as a representative of the PCN pharmacy team, update clinicians on new prescribing guidance and improvements to practice.
To carry out any other appropriate duties as determined by the organisation, including working at different practice sites if required and assisting/supporting PCN Pharmacy Team colleagues to deliver patient safety and cost saving agendas.
To be responsible for maintaining a record of personal professional development
Network contract DES: Contract specification 2024/25 PCN requirements for Clinical Pharmacists enrolled under ARRS.
B.1. Clinical Pharmacist
B1.1. Where a PCN employs or engages a Clinical Pharmacist under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, the PCN must ensure that the Clinical Pharmacist is enrolled in, or has qualified from, an approved 18-month training pathway or equivalent that equips the Clinical Pharmacist to:
a) be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a primary care setting (for example, the CPPE Clinical Pharmacist training pathways); and
b) deliver the key responsibilities outlined in section B.1.3
B1.2 Where a PCN employs or engages a Clinical Pharmacist under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, the PCN must ensure this is a minimum 0.5 WTE if the clinical pharmacist is still enrolled on an approved 18-month training pathway or equivalent. This is to ensure the clinical pharmacist is able to access timely national training and can deliver continuity of care while working across multiple providers within the PCN.
B1.3 Where a PCN employs or engages one or more Clinical Pharmacists under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, the PCN must ensure that each Clinical Pharmacist has the following key responsibilities in relation to delivering health services:
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 prescribers, 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 older people, 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 PCNs practice(s) 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) have 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
h) develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across PCNs and 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 anticoagulation; and
j) be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision. Appropriate clinical supervision means: each clinical pharmacist must receive a minimum of one supervision session per month by a senior clinical pharmacist
