Job summary
Downend Health Group has an
exciting opportunity for a Clinical Pharmacist to join our pharmacist team for a 1-year fixed term in a full time or part time role.
The post holder will work within their
clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise
in clinical medicines management, addressing both the public health and social
care needs of patients.
For further details email: priyesh.shah@nhs.net
Closing date for applications: Friday, 17th January 2025
Interviews to take place week commencing: Monday 20th January 2025
Main duties of the job
You will be working with our friendly and knowledgeable team including our
in-house Clinical Pharmacists and the dedicated Medicine Management team to undertake a variety of tasks using your
knowledge and experience as a Pharmacist.
This will include provision of patient facing services and supporting
the processes for safe prescribing, management of medicines on transfer
of care and clinical audits.
The successful candidate will
be expected to work towards becoming an Independent Prescriber. Experience of
working in a primary care setting would be advantageous, but not essential as
training will be given to the right candidate. The Clinical Pharmacist will
need to be computer literate, have excellent interpersonal/communication skills
and be able to work independently as well as part of a team.
About us
Downend Health Group was formed in 2018 due to the merger of two well established practices located in the suburbs of Bristol. The surgery operates from two purpose-built premises located less than a mile apart.
As one of the largest teaching GP Practices in Bristol, Downend Health Group (DHG) cares for over 27,000 patients and this number continues to rise each year.
This excellent facility offers patients a family friendly service with efficient and easy access to a highly trained team of health care professionals. The medical team comprises 11 Partners (9 GPs, and 2 Pharmacists), 17 Salaried GPs, Clinical Pharmacists, Paramedics and a dedicated team of Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. We are supported by our experienced Care Co-ordinator Team, Medicines Management Team, Administration Team and Reception Team who provide excellent support both front of house and behind the scenes.
The surgery provides modern healthcare services and both buildings offer calm, welcoming environment for patients, with enhanced and pleasant working conditions for clinicians and staff.
We use EMIS Web and electronic prescribing. We also use Docman scanning software to allow efficient scanning and letter management across both sites.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Repeat
Prescribing
- Support the repeat prescribing and reauthorisation
process by reviewing requests for repeat prescriptions and medicines reaching
review dates.
- Support the Practice Pharmacy team with medication
related queries.
- Ensure processes are in place for ordering and
re-authorisation of high-risk medications and that monitoring tests are
appropriately ordered
Medication
Review
- Provide expertise in clinical medicines review and
address public health and social needs of patients
- Reduce inappropriate polypharmacy and wasteful
prescribing through clinical medication review
- Proactively identify patients using computer searches
who require medication reviews (e.g. polypharmacy, over 75s etc)
- Contribute to reductions in medicine related hospital
admissions and readmissions by supporting patients to get the best outcomes
from their medicines and identifying and addressing medicines related issues
Management of medicines at
discharge from hospital
- Support the Practice Pharmacy team with clinical assessment of
hospital discharge summaries and offer clinical support to ensure patients
receive the medicines and follow up reviews post discharge.
Long-term
condition (LTC) clinics
- Work within and develop own competence to deliver
patient facing clinics in patients with single or multiple medical problems
where medicines optimisation is required (e.g. asthma, diabetes, COPD,
hypertension)
- Make appropriate recommendations for ongoing treatment
to patients and refer appropriately to the GP/other services where needed.
- Responsible for meeting Quality Outcome Framework
(QoF) and other incentivised targets within agreed long term condition
indicators.
Medicines
safety & Service Development
- Increase quality and safety of prescribing through
mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles.
- Support the Practice with completing annual medicines
optimisation audits.
- Monitor practice prescribing against local
recommendations and QOF targets.
Education
and Training of Others
- Improve prescribing practice through educational
support for all prescribers and other practice staff around medicines
optimisation and management of long term conditions.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Repeat
Prescribing
- Support the repeat prescribing and reauthorisation
process by reviewing requests for repeat prescriptions and medicines reaching
review dates.
- Support the Practice Pharmacy team with medication
related queries.
- Ensure processes are in place for ordering and
re-authorisation of high-risk medications and that monitoring tests are
appropriately ordered
Medication
Review
- Provide expertise in clinical medicines review and
address public health and social needs of patients
- Reduce inappropriate polypharmacy and wasteful
prescribing through clinical medication review
- Proactively identify patients using computer searches
who require medication reviews (e.g. polypharmacy, over 75s etc)
- Contribute to reductions in medicine related hospital
admissions and readmissions by supporting patients to get the best outcomes
from their medicines and identifying and addressing medicines related issues
Management of medicines at
discharge from hospital
- Support the Practice Pharmacy team with clinical assessment of
hospital discharge summaries and offer clinical support to ensure patients
receive the medicines and follow up reviews post discharge.
Long-term
condition (LTC) clinics
- Work within and develop own competence to deliver
patient facing clinics in patients with single or multiple medical problems
where medicines optimisation is required (e.g. asthma, diabetes, COPD,
hypertension)
- Make appropriate recommendations for ongoing treatment
to patients and refer appropriately to the GP/other services where needed.
- Responsible for meeting Quality Outcome Framework
(QoF) and other incentivised targets within agreed long term condition
indicators.
Medicines
safety & Service Development
- Increase quality and safety of prescribing through
mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles.
- Support the Practice with completing annual medicines
optimisation audits.
- Monitor practice prescribing against local
recommendations and QOF targets.
Education
and Training of Others
- Improve prescribing practice through educational
support for all prescribers and other practice staff around medicines
optimisation and management of long term conditions.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 2 years' post-qualification experience.
- Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on planning, engagement and delivery, or clear evidence of ability to acquire and apply this rapidly.
- Demonstrates understanding of legal, governance and ethical frameworks within which pharmacists and primary/secondary care
- organisations work.
- Ability to summarise and present information in relevant concise and proactive way and to constructively challenge the views and practices of clinicians and managers.
- Proven verbal and non-verbal communication skills . Excellent clinical knowledge and ability to apply to practice.
- Experience of a patient focused role and consultation skills to apply knowledge in a format patients/carers can understand.
- Sound knowledge of medicines legislation and the vision for the development of clinical pharmacists within primary care.
- Ability to plan and work independently.
- Understanding of the data protection act and patient confidentiality, clinical governance, information governance and Caldicott requirements.
- Good interpersonal skills.
Desirable
- Should have an appreciation of the new NHS architecture including the relationship between individual provider and commissioning organisations.
- Good understanding of primary care.
- Experience of undertaking evidence reviews.
- Understanding of the current national policies in particular those impacting on medicines optimisation services.
- Evidence of experience in using independent prescribing.
- Project or Programme Management skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to masters level or
- equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
- Evidence of post qualifying and CPD
- Member of General Pharmaceutical Council
Desirable
- Extensive knowledge of medicines optimisation, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to masters level equivalent
- GPhC Independent Prescribing Qualification
Communication Skills
Essential
- Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (eg patients).
- Experience of communication, negotiating and influencing with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Ability to use informed persuasion to influence others.
Analytical
Essential
- Ability to critically analyse complex information and evidence and communicate the findings clearly in simple terms.
Desirable
- Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery.
- Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and making decisions where opinions differ/no obvious solution.
Planning & Management Skills
Essential
- Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
Desirable
- Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time.
- Able to facilitate change.
- Experience of clinical audit.
- Ability to manage staff, especially for clinical supervision.
Autonomy / Equality and Diversity
Essential
- Will consider the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery has the ability to take actions which support and promote this agenda.
Desirable
- Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the
- organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales Interpreting national policy for implementation.
Other
Essential
- Team working skills.
- Self-motivated.
- Resilient.
- Adaptable.
- Hard working, reliable and resourceful.
- Ability to move between details and the bigger picture.
- Demonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes organisational values.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 2 years' post-qualification experience.
- Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on planning, engagement and delivery, or clear evidence of ability to acquire and apply this rapidly.
- Demonstrates understanding of legal, governance and ethical frameworks within which pharmacists and primary/secondary care
- organisations work.
- Ability to summarise and present information in relevant concise and proactive way and to constructively challenge the views and practices of clinicians and managers.
- Proven verbal and non-verbal communication skills . Excellent clinical knowledge and ability to apply to practice.
- Experience of a patient focused role and consultation skills to apply knowledge in a format patients/carers can understand.
- Sound knowledge of medicines legislation and the vision for the development of clinical pharmacists within primary care.
- Ability to plan and work independently.
- Understanding of the data protection act and patient confidentiality, clinical governance, information governance and Caldicott requirements.
- Good interpersonal skills.
Desirable
- Should have an appreciation of the new NHS architecture including the relationship between individual provider and commissioning organisations.
- Good understanding of primary care.
- Experience of undertaking evidence reviews.
- Understanding of the current national policies in particular those impacting on medicines optimisation services.
- Evidence of experience in using independent prescribing.
- Project or Programme Management skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to masters level or
- equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
- Evidence of post qualifying and CPD
- Member of General Pharmaceutical Council
Desirable
- Extensive knowledge of medicines optimisation, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to masters level equivalent
- GPhC Independent Prescribing Qualification
Communication Skills
Essential
- Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (eg patients).
- Experience of communication, negotiating and influencing with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Ability to use informed persuasion to influence others.
Analytical
Essential
- Ability to critically analyse complex information and evidence and communicate the findings clearly in simple terms.
Desirable
- Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery.
- Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and making decisions where opinions differ/no obvious solution.
Planning & Management Skills
Essential
- Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
Desirable
- Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time.
- Able to facilitate change.
- Experience of clinical audit.
- Ability to manage staff, especially for clinical supervision.
Autonomy / Equality and Diversity
Essential
- Will consider the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery has the ability to take actions which support and promote this agenda.
Desirable
- Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the
- organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales Interpreting national policy for implementation.
Other
Essential
- Team working skills.
- Self-motivated.
- Resilient.
- Adaptable.
- Hard working, reliable and resourceful.
- Ability to move between details and the bigger picture.
- Demonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes organisational values.
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).
Additional information
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).
