Job responsibilities
To support the PCN Practices with all aspects of medicines optimisation.
The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of
a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines optimisation
across the PCN. This will include structured medication reviews with direct
patient contact and may include contributing to:
Management of long-term conditions
Minor illness
Management of medicines on transfer of care
Reviewing systems for safer prescribing
Contributing to repeat prescription authorisations and reauthorisation
Actioning acute prescription requests
Addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients
Achievement of QOF and locally commissioned quality improvement schemes
Clinical audit
The post holder will be supported by the PCN Senior Clinical
Pharmacists, existing practice employed pharmacists within the PCN (where these
exist), PCN Clinical Director, a GP clinical supervisor and the lead Pharmacist
for North Yorkshire ICB for Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby locality. They
will also engage with pharmacy colleagues across the ICB locality for peer
support.
The post holder will be supported to develop their role to
become a non-medical prescriber, if that qualification is not already held,
and will be required to enrol on the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway
from CPPE, unless an
equivalent qualification is already held or exemption is agreed by CPPE.
Key duties and responsibilities
(Please note this is a list of options, it is not exhaustive, which
options are deployed will be decided by the PCN). It is however mandated by
NHS England that this role is patient-facing in nature.
1.
Patient facing Clinical Medication
Review
Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and work within
your scope of practice as a non-medical prescriber to implement any necessary
changes (or produce recommendations for/refer to other prescribing
pharmacists, nurses and/or GPs to implement if outside your scope). These reviews could be cohort based, in
care homes, polypharmacy or any other area required by the PCN, within the
pharmacists competence. Home visits may be required.
2.
Medicines quality improvement
Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the PCN,
feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant
practice team.
Identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines
through computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related,
medicine related, or both. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of
these medicines to high-risk patient groups
3.
Medicines safety
Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product
withdrawal and other local and national guidance.
4.
Management of
common/minor/self-limiting ailments
Managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments
while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting
to community pharmacy and referring
to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate.
5.
Patient facing medicines support
Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and
concerns about their
medicines in the practice.
6.
Telephone medicines support
Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and
concerns about their
medicines.
7.
Management of medicines at change of
care setting
Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital or admission to intermediate
care or 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. Set up and manage systems to
ensure continuity of medicines supply to high-risk groups of patients (e.g.
those with medicine compliance aids or those in Care Homes).
8.
Medicine information to practice
staff and patients
Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other network
staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with
queries about medicines. Suggest and recommend solutions. Providing follow up
for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.
9.
Drug monitoring
Ensure robust systems are in place for drug monitoring at each
practice across the PCN, streamlining these where possible.
10.
Signposting
Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare
professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period
of time e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long
term condition reviews etc.
11.
Repeat prescribing
Ensure each practice in the PCN has a robust repeat prescribing policy,
and streamline these across the PCN where possible. You may be asked to
contribute to the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing
patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching
review dates. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring in place when
required.
12.
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).
13. Information
management
Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and
risks to support decision making.
14.
Education and Training
Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on
therapeutics and medicines optimisation.
Support pharmacist and pharmacy technician colleagues in their
development
15.
Care Quality Commission
Work with the general practice teams to ensure the practices are
compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved.
16.
Public health
Support public health campaigns. Provide specialist knowledge on all
public health
programmes available to the general public.
17.
Collaborative working arrangements
Work collaboratively with the PCN Clinical Director and Senior
Clinical Pharmacist
Participate in the PCN MDT.
Liaise with the other local PCN and Practice Clinical Pharmacy teams
to benefit from peer support.
Liaise with ICB Medicines Commissioning colleagues on prescribing
related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit
Engage with the Leeds Practice Pharmacist and Technician Network and
with the other SEL GP-employed pharmacists for peer support.
Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and
neighbouring networks.
Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes
opportunities to initiate and
sustain such relationships.
Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit
of patients,including but not limited to :
Patients and their representatives
GP, nurses and other practice staff
Social prescribers, first contact
physiotherapists, physicians associates and paramedics.
Community pharmacists and support
staff
Locality / GP prescribing lead
Locality managers
Community nurses and other allied
health professionals
Hospital staff with responsibilities
for prescribing and medicines optimisation
18.
Professional development
Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and
professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing
the role and responsibilities.
Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including
confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and
health and safety.
Work with your GP clinical mentor to access regular clinical
supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues
that people present.
Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within
priorities set by others. Participate
in the delivery of formal education programmes.
Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant
to working areas of practice and keep up to date with relevant clinical
practice.
19.
Research and Evaluation
Critically evaluate and review literature.
Identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support
practice.
Generate evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local
level.
Apply research evidence base into the workplace.
20.
Health and Safety/Risk Management
Must comply at all times with the Health and Safety policies, in
particular following safe working procedures and reporting incidents using
the organisations Incident Reporting Systems
Comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Access to Health
Records Act (1990).
21.
Special working conditions
The post holder is required to travel independently between work sites
and to attend meetings etc hosted by other agencies.
The post-holder will have contact with body fluids, i.e. wound
exudates, urine etc while in clinical practice.
The post-holder is likely to need to visit patients in their own home.
22.
Miscellaneous
Work as part of the team to seek feedback, continually improve the service
and contribute to business planning.
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.
Duties may vary from time to time, without changing the general
character of the post or the level of responsibility.
23.
Equality and Diversity
The post-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures
designed to ensure equality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors
must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability,
sexual orientation, religion etc
24.
Respect for Patient Confidentiality
The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times
and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of
the role.