Clinical Pharmacist

Job description

Job responsibilities

To contribute to improve health outcomes in long term conditions as a member of the multidisciplinary primary care team.

To provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment, and to also provide evidence-based education and training for colleagues in partnership with the practice.

To practice as in independent prescriber, holding face to face consultations.

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

To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers

To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing systems

To fulfil the requirements of the PCN DES and

To provide structured medication reviews for care home patients and other patients specified in the PCN DES, and cooperation and collaboration with other PCN pharmacists and member to fulfil the DES requirements

This list is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the GP practice.

Main task/overview of responsibilities:

Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions

Long term condition clinics

Practice as an independent non-medical prescriber, holding clinics for long term conditions within scope of competence.

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.

Medication review / medicines optimisation

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. Implement own prescribing changes as an independent prescriber.

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

Medical information queries

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

Education

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.

Monitor the practices performance on coordinate treatment

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

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council
• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm or equivalent)

Desirable

• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience
• Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining independent prescribing qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of national prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
• Recognise priorities when problem solving and identify deviations from the normal pattern and be able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Produce timely and informative reports
• Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers
• Work effectively independently and as a team member
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
• Self-motivation
• Adaptable
• Safeguarding adult and children level 3

Desirable

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Full driving licence
• In date CRB
• Immunisation status
• Basic life support training

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

Middlewich Road Surgery

Address

163 Middlewich Road

Rudheath

Northwich

Cheshire

CW9 7DB

Employer's website

https://www.middlewichroadsurgery.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)