Clinical Pharmacist (Andover Primary Care Network)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

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 the elderly, 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 selfcare;

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 with learning disabilities), liaison with community pharmacists and 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;

the senior clinical pharmacist must receive a minimum of one supervision session every three months by a GP clinical supervisor;

each clinical pharmacist will have access to an assigned GP clinical supervisor for support and development; and

a ratio of one senior clinical pharmacist to no more than five junior clinical pharmacists, with appropriate peer support and supervision in place.

Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:

• Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions

Lead on the medicines management of a cohort of patients (e.g. cardiovascular, frailty, pain, mental health). Has up to date knowledge of complex therapeutic and drug related issues within specialist area.

Aim to review multiple long term conditions at same clinic visit to provide holistic care and improve patient experience.

Support patients to manage their long term conditions.

Carry out face to face clinical medication reviews for patients on multiple medications for long term conditions.

Review if prescribing is appropriate in line with current guidance, cost-effective and safe; identify unmet need, stop unnecessary/ineffective medicines.

• Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF)

Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes

• CHD risk reduction

Identify patients at high risk of chronic disease and provide advice/treatment to reduce risk

• Domiciliary visits

Identify and visit housebound patients who would benefit from a clinical medication review or a review of their LTC by a clinical pharmacist.

• Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters

Answer medical information queries from GPs, Nurses, practice staff and patients.

Provide education on medicines related topics for GPs, Nurses, medical students, registrars.

• Evidence-based prescribing/ Clinical guidance

Review NICE and other evidence-based guidance as it is issued, to evaluate any impact on medicines and prescribing.

Undertake regular clinical audit to support implementation of clinical guidance across the practice.

Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the practice to discuss audit results and agree an action plan for improving standards within clinical areas.

• Medicines unavailability

Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable.

• Cost effective prescribing

Encourage cost effective prescribing within the practice, including adherence to local formulary.

Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members

• New medicines

Provide education for the clinical team on new medicines

• Drug safety

Review all safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken

• Unplanned Emergency Admissions

Work with the practice team to help reduce medicines related emergency admissions by running regular searches to identify patients at risk of harm from their medicines. Review these patients to reduce the risk of harm.

To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions

• Patient advice

Provide patients with advice on treating self-limiting conditions through face to face/ telephone consultations and patient information leaflets/website. Conditions may include UTIs, hayfever, emergency contraception, conjunctivitis.

• Improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and both the patient and other care providers

Management of medicines related information at hospital admission

To review communication processes between practices/ hospitals/care homes/ community pharmacies at hospital admission to evaluate how this can be improved

• Management of medicines at discharge from hospital

To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital/ intermediate care; identify and rectify unexplained changes, manage these changes without referral to the GP; perform a clinical mediation review; produce a post-discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow-up test, and work 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).

• Medication changes from clinic appointments

Reconcile medication from clinic appointment correspondence, identifying any unexplained changes and rectifying these by communication with the secondary care provider. Ensure patients are fully aware of any changes and that a plan for monitoring/dose titration is in place.

• Community Pharmacy

Act as the practice lead contact for community pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.

• Hospital Pharmacy

Act as the practice lead contact for hospital pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.

• Care Homes

Ensure care home residents have an annual medication review by a clinical pharmacist. Any changes agreed with the patient and/or their representative should be communicated appropriately.

• Newly registered patients

To review medications for new patients, to ensure safe, cost-effective prescribing in line with practice/local prescribing policies.

Lead on implementation of safe and efficient prescribing systems

• Repeat prescribing system

To ensure the practice repeat prescribing system is safe, efficient and helps minimise waste.

• Medication monitoring

To provide specialist knowledge on medication monitoring and ensure a system for implementation is in place

• Prescription queries

To answer queries from administration staff regarding medication requests where appropriate to save GP time

• Reauthorisation of repeat medication / medication review

To re-authorise medication for future repeat prescribing within scope of competence as an independent prescriber

To work with practice staff to ensure a robust medication review policy

• Repeat dispensing

To identify patients suitable for repeat dispensing. Ensure this is implemented effectively by close working with patients, prescribers and community pharmacies.

• Prescribing for vulnerable patients

Review the prescribing of medication for vulnerable patients to ensure it is appropriate e.g. weekly prescriptions for at risk-patients, monitored dosage systems or alternative solutions to improve patient compliance

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
• Registered Pharmacist with GPhC

Desirable

• Peer credentialed by the RPS Faculty (at expert level 2 or greater)
• Diploma or Certificate or MSc in Clinical Pharmacy

Experience

Essential

• Significant post qualification experience including primary care and at least one other field of pharmacy (community or hospital)
• Good understanding of interface issues

Desirable

• Clinical Pharmacy experience in running primary care clinics
• Extensive experience of multi-disciplinary working
• Experience of managing / developing a team

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Extensive clinical pharmacy / pharmacology knowledge
• Good knowledge of NHS medicines optimisation
• Good knowledge of primary care and NHS environment
• Good presentation skills, written and oral
• Trustworthy
• Innovative worker
• Team player
• Good time management
• Ability to exercise own professional and clinical judgement and to manage conflicting priorities
• Interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated
• Critical appraisal skills
• Demonstrate commitment to and understanding of Equal opportunities
• Good IT skills to support day to day work.

Desirable

• Current driving licence and access to a car
• Working knowledge of EMIS/electronic prescribing systems
• Experience in investigating complaints and critical incidents
• Experienced in report writing
• Project management and critical appraisal skills

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Andover Health Centre Medical Practice

Address

Andover PCN Health Hub

Chantry Centre

Andover

Hampshire

SP10 1RL

Employer's website

https://www.andoverhealthcentre.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)