Clinical Pharmacist Newcastle Central PCN

Job responsibilities

Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:

Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions for PCN practices.

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.

Supporting with the network contract DES with specifically Structured Medication Review and Medicines Optimisation and targeting polypharmacy with potentially large prescriptions.

Pathology results

Review daily pathology results for patients under their care.

QOF

Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes.

Domiciliary visits (ad hoc)

Identify and visit housebound patients who would benefit from a clinical medication review or a review of their LTC by a clinical pharmacist. To note Indemnity cover will need to be checked for domiciliary visits.

Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters

Medical information queries

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

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 PCN practices.

Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the PCN practices 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 relevant safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken.

Unplanned Emergency Admissions

Work with the PCN 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, hay fever, 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 medication 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 PCN lead contact for community pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.

Hospital Pharmacy

Act as the PCN 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 to the care home staff and the community pharmacy.

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.

Reporting of Safeguarding Incidents

To ensure all safeguarding incidents are reported to the nominated Practice Safeguarding Lead.

All employees should commit to the following:

Complete the set training and objectives from the CPPE under the GP Pilot.

Maintain valid and appropriate level of indemnity cover

Commitment to CPD and revalidation under the required criteria set by the GPhC.

All employees should understand it is their personal responsibility to comply with all organisational and statutory requirements (e.g. health and safety, equality and diversity, confidentiality and clinical governance). All roles will require flexible working to contribute to extended hours services.

Job Description Agreement

This job description is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of the post and is not exhaustive. It will be subject to regular review and amendment as necessary in consultation with the post holder.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post-qualification experience
• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of principles of evidence-based healthcare

Qualifications

Essential

• Undergraduate degree in Pharmacy
• Hold or be working towards a Postgraduate Diploma

Desirable

• Hold or be working towards a prescribing qualification (training will be provided if not already underway)

Behavioural competencies and skills

Essential

• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients)
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is 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 provisions
• Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary
• Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity
• Is able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct

Professional Registration

Essential

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Other

Essential

• Self-motivation
• Adaptable
• Full driving licence
• Professional indemnity insurance (if not covered by practice policy)

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).