Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

• Processing repeat prescriptions on a daily basis
• Conducting structured medication reviews to support safe, effective prescribing and improve patient outcomes.
• Managing long-term conditions through medicines optimisation and tailored treatment plans.
• Providing clinical advice and support to the wider healthcare team on complex medicines-related queries.
• Managing caseload of patients with common /minor/self-limiting ailments requesting GP appointments and triaging patients appropriately.
• Acting as a key liaison for medicines reconciliation during care transitions, particularly following hospital discharge.
• Supporting prescribing audits, medication safety initiatives, and quality improvement projects.
• Triage and treat patients, performing specialist assessment of their needs and make referrals as necessary to other members of the primary and secondary health care teams as appropriate.
• Prescribing and reviewing medication that is appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with latest evidence-based practice, national and practice protocols and within the scope of qualified practice.
• Diagnose and manage acute and chronic conditions, including drug and non-drug based treatment methods into a management plan.
• Request diagnostic investigations and interpret within agreed protocols
• Assess, diagnose and treat patients in practice premises or their own home who require medical attention and/or refer to appropriate agency.
• Refer patients to other members of the multi-disciplinary practice teams, secondary care organisations and other organisations as necessary.
• Conduct face to face and other modes of medication reviews and agree medicines care plans in agreement with patients and carers
• Delivering long term conditions clinics and home visits particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes and prescribe accordingly
• Consult with patients for acute illnesses within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe medication
• Prescribe acute and repeat medication for patient need within areas of competency
• Provide targeted support and pro-active review for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care
• Receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff
• Manage therapeutic drug monitoring system and recall of patients taking high risk drugs
• Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support including e-consultations, remote medication review and telehealth and telemedicine
• Organise and oversee repeat prescribing, repeat dispensing, electronic prescribing and medication review systems
• Management of health screening programmes and ensures other team members are aware of health priorities and screening objectives and programmes.
• Innovation in practice to meet ongoing demands on the practices delivery of care.
• Improve health outcomes for patients by introducing new developments, and can demonstrate them as reports and presentations where appropriate.
• Supports practitioners in reporting the practice population to promote health improvement and disease prevention.
• Makes referrals to appropriate agencieswhere necessary
• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team
• Accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes
• Ensure clinical systems kept up to date, recording and/or amending accurate details
• Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the practice administrator
• Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice
• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required
• Restocking and maintenance of clinical areas and consulting rooms
• Maintain up to date skills and knowledge, maintaining awareness of professional issues at an advanced level.
• Training needs will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with practice requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the practice.
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self-reflection and peer review, as well as benchmarking and formal evaluation.
• Contribute to the identification and assessment of learning needs of staff and other professionals and assist in planning effective programmes of education.
• Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the introduction of all members of the practice staff where appropriate.
• Contribute to the development and maintain an in house nurse-training programme reporting to the practice manager.
• Act as a mentor for staff, assessing competence against set standards.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work and ensure own educational commitment is at least sufficient to maintain revalidation requirements.
• Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan.
• Regularly participate in clinical supervision.
• Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of practice nursing services ensuring that the needs of the patient are a priority
• Support staff development in order to maximise potential
• Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
• Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work
• Work with practice management to ensure sufficient staffing to provide a safe service, and that staff have the appropriate ability, quality and skill-mix to meet current and future service delivery
• Take part in recruitment processes where appropriate.
• Maintain effective communication and active involvement in the planning and processes of practice-based commissioning or similar initiatives
• Promote the role of the advanced nurse practitioner in general practice.
• Comply with Legislation with regards to data protection act and ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.
• The post-holder must regard all information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers (as well as information relating to the practice as a business organisation) as strictly confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality, data protection legislation and the protection of personal and sensitive data, as well as other related healthcare legislation
• Identifying, reporting, and correcting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business
• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness, as well as ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols and implementing them across the practice.
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities, raising them with appropriate management and managing those risks across clinical and patient processes.
• Safe management of sharps procedures, including training, use, storage and disposal
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other managers
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
• Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards;
• Waste management, including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
• Spillage control procedures, management and training
• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity.
• Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
• Support people who need assistance in exercising their rights.
• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
• Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (e.g. PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate.
• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
• Participate in audit where appropriate

Analysis Skills

Essential

• Ability to analyse and interpret complex/ often incomplete information, pre-empt and evaluate issues, and recommend and appropriate course of action to address the issues

Desirable

• Experience of working within a primary care setting
• Evidence of working across organisational boundaries within health and social care
• Independent thinker with good judgement, problem-solving and analytical skills
• Experience of clinical audits

Personal Attributes and Abilities

Essential

• Strong and inspirational leadership
• Ability to co-ordinate and prioritise workloads able to multi-task as well as be self- disciplined and highly motivated
• Commitment to quality and best practice
• Flexible and adaptable
• Team player

Desirable

• High degree of personal credibility, emotional intelligence, patience and flexibility
• Ability to cope with unpredictable situations
• Confident in facilitating and challenging others
• Demonstrates a flexible approach in order to ensure patient care is delivered

Communication

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and persuade others articulating a balanced view and able to constructively question information
• Ability to negotiate effectively
• Build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders which are based on openness, honesty trust and confidence

Desirable

• Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences
• Evidence of inspiring and motivating teams with the ability to communicate passionately, effectively and persuasively across a diverse set of stakeholders

Qualifications

Essential

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Post-graduate diploma level or equivalent
• Completion of the CPPE pathway, or equivalent https://www.cppe.ac.uk/career/clinical-pharmacists-in-general-practice-education
• https://www.cppe.ac.uk/career/pcpep/pcpep-training-pathway#navTop

Desirable

• Minimum of 5 years post- qualification experience
• Independent prescribing qualification
• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)

Experience

Essential

• Specialist knowledge acquired through post- graduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience working knowledge of the NHS, principles and values
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Recognises priorities when problem solving, identifies deviations from the normal pattern, is able to refer to seniors or GPs
• Work effectively independently and as a team player.

Desirable

• Experience of leading (pharmacy) professionals
• Experience of managing healthcare professionals and holding to account for performance
• Experience of teaching & training Experience of mentoring and coaching for change
• Experience of Clinical supervision
• Minor illness management
• Telephone triage
• Chronic Disease Management

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).