GP Practice Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

Management of medicine discharge from hospital. To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge.

Risk Stratification - Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through prepared practice computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related or both.

Unplanned hospital admissions - Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and read admissions through audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.

Repeat Prescribing - Produce and implement a practice repeat prescribing policy. Manage the repeat prescribing re authorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates and flagging up those needing a review with the GP.

Telephone and patient facing medicines support - Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries, and concerns about their medicines. Hold clinics for patients requiring face to face medicines use reviews, (MURs) i.e., advise about medicines and adherence support.

Medication review - Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for the GP on prescribing and monitoring.

Care home medication reviews - Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for the GP on prescribing and monitoring. Work with care home staff to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration.

See patients with single medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (e.g., COPD, asthma). Make recommendations to GPs for medicine improvements.

Service development - Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g., advise on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets).

Work with the practice to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines legislation.

Medicine information to practice staff and patients - Answers all medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff and patients with queries about medicines.

Monitor practice prescribing against the local health economy RAG list and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors ( red drugs ) or subject to shared care (amber drugs). Assist practices in setting and maintaining a practice formulary that is hosted on the practices computer system. Auditing practices compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance. Provide newsletter or bulletins on important prescribing messages.

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)
• Qualifications and experience for junior level practice pharmacists Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in pharmacy (hospital, primary care or community).
• Having the relevant skills, knowledge and experience for the role
• Working towards being an independent prescriber (if required).
• Qualifications and experience for a senior level practice pharmacist
• Extensive post qualification experience working with patients and the multidisciplinary healthcare team in general practice.
• In-depth knowledge of medicines and applied therapeutics
• Having the relevant skills, knowledge and experience for the role
• Independent prescribing qualification.

Desirable

• Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining independent prescribing qualification
• MSC in Advanced Clinical Practice

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post- qualification experience
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients)
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines Produce time and informative reports
• Work effectively independently and as a team member
• Demonstrate accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision

Desirable

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence- based healthcare
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence / motivate / persuade the audience to comply with recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers

Additional

Essential

• Self-Motivation
• Adaptable
• In date DBS
• Safeguarding adult and children level three
• Immunisation status
• Basic life support training
• Data protection Training

Desirable

• Full Driving Licence

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).