Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

Communications and leadership

Demonstrate tact, diplomacy and negotiating skills to engage with doctors to persuade them to work towards objectives, overcoming resistance to change.

Develop good working relationships with the whole range of practice staff and a network of contacts within the locality and secondary care to provide problem-solving advice on a wide range of matters relating to medicines.

Advise community pharmacists in the vicinity of where prescribing and medicines management developments and/or changes are planned so they may anticipate the impact on their pharmacies and give a consistent message to patients.

Work in a discreet and professional manner, respecting and maintaining the confidentiality of patient specific and prescribing data (both at practice and organisational/locality wide level).

Be aware of, and monitor, the advice given to practices by representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and to counter the impact of inappropriate information to prescribers.

Actively lead quality improvement in this area, linking in with financial incentives where relevant (e.g. leading for a given network DES within the purview of a specialisation).

Policy and Service Development

Support the development of prescribing policy in the practice and care settings, the implementation of that policy and be involved in the development of policy in discreet areas of prescribing, involving working with clinicians in both primary and secondary care.

Produce best practice policies, protocols and SOPs for review by the clinical pharmacist lead and PCN board for adoption at a practice level across the network.

Planning and organising

Be able to prioritise and meet set deadlines particularly when under pressure.

Take the delegated lead responsibility for specific projects or key specialist areas of pharmacy practice as identified by line management.

Organise and manage their personal workload in the face of competing priorities, managing their own time effectively and working closely with a range of practice staff and the administration and technical staff in the Medicines Management department.

Record and report to line management and practices on the work undertaken and the benefits produced, in a timely manner, using tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and e-mail.

Analysis and data management

Critically appraise information from drug industry to inform other staff members and healthcare professionals in practices.

Assist in analysing medicines data, including interpreting e-PACT data (web-based electronic prescribing data analysis system) and providing reports at practice level for designated practices.

Actively identify quality improvement areas based on practice level prescribing data.

Demonstrate good computer literacy (e-mail, word, excel, PowerPoint, on-line medicines information databases).

Promote and be an advocate for the use of local formularies in practices in both written and electronic format ensuring that the formulary is the cornerstone for all prescribing practice in primary care.

Decisions made: (Freedom to act)

The post holder will be guided by their professional Code of Ethics, relevant legislation, policies and guidelines, local and national medicines management frameworks and guidance and will be able to interpret these and make judgements on how they apply when dealing with specific situations as they arise. The post holder will be expected to work under their own initiative, often in isolation, but will be able to seek guidance from their peers or line managers if the need arises.

Work related skills

Essential

• Patient physical assessment, e.g. blood pressure measurement, blood glucose testing, urine testing, pulse oximetry, temperature measurement.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Persuasive negotiating and influencing abilities.
• Well organised.
• Computer literate.
• Advanced level of clinical reasoning.
• Maintains high standard of practice.
• Able to work under pressure.
• Able to work as part of a team or as an individual.
• Flexibility required with regard to working hours.
• Post holder will be required to travel between patients and practice and needs a full driving licence and access to a car.
• To use VDU equipment for a significant proportion of the day on most days.
• High degrees of concentration required.

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of the wider NHS.
• Extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of clinical areas including common chronic disease management.
• Expert knowledge in a defined clinical area with demonstrable evidence of previous specialist experience in this area.
• NHS experience in Primary Care, Hospital or Community Pharmacy.
• Delivery of Medicines Management Standards and Policies.
• Extensive experience of strategic working with primary care health teams.
• Experience of working on projects where post holder uses own initiative and manages own time.

Desirable

• Experience of providing strategic prescribing advice to GPs.
• Experience in analysing PACT data.
• Experience of multidisciplinary working.
• Experience in implementing, leading and developing projects.
• Able to motivate others.
• Able to prioritise and meet set targets.
• Able to co-ordinate and plan activities with others.
• Able to propose, lead and manage strategic network level projects.

Qualifications

Essential

• Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy, or equivalent comprehensive experience.
• Completion of Pre-Registration Training
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development
• Post-graduate qualification in clinical pharmacy or equivalent (for example - PgDip or MSc Clinical Pharmacy) or equivalent primary care experience
• Authorisation for Independent Prescribing
• Completion of the CPPE PCN/MOCH pharmacist pathway

Desirable

• Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (MRPharmS)

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).