PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job description

Job responsibilities

To carry out clinical medication reviews and communicate recommendations to prescribers to ensure identified improvements in quality and value are achieved

Communicate advice to patients and staff, ensuring patients and families are able to be involved in decisions, practicing patient centred care who on occasions may be resistant to change on subjects which are often of a very sensitive nature

Assess and identify problems with patient concordance including practical issues with taking medications for specific patient groups. e.g. manual dexterity, visual impairment, cognitive impairment, swallowing difficulties.

Liaise with other healthcare professionals to find appropriate solutions where conflicting opinions may exist

Provide expert pharmaceutical input into safeguarding incidences relating to medicines in care homes where appropriate

Work on individual projects relating to prescribing as required, for example development and delivery of training packages to relevant audiences (e.g. Nonmedical prescribers, staff etc.) and development of policies, protocols and procedures

Answers relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines.

Suggesting and recommending solutions.

Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes

Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions through audit and individual patient reviews.

Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to highrisk patient groups.

To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working 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 highrisk groups of patients (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids).

Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.

Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practice computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related, or both.

Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components

Develop and implement prescribing audits and protocols

Develop policies and procedures in own work function with an impact on the wider organisation, as required.

Assist prescribers in achieving evidencebased, cost effective prescribing

Assist with the implementation and monitoring of medicines management targets and initiatives, including national prescribing targets

Devise and provide improvements to current management of information; analysing, reporting and suggesting procedures to enhance decision making processes

Ensure timely and accurate information analysis and reporting to management on agreed areas of work

Utilise and support robust systems to keep electronic records of reviews and issues arising to identify trends and develop quality initiatives and action plans, including audits, where appropriate

Contribute to regular reports detailing evidence of transformation and delivery of the EHCH agenda

Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.

Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance.

Provide education and training to the primary healthcare team on prescribing/medicines optimisation issues

Work with care homes and general practice teams to ensure is compliance with CQC standards where medicines are involved.

To support public health campaigns.

To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public.

Maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.

Liaise with CQC, Providers, Care homes and commissioning teams in relation to care homes and other medicines management areas when required; identifying and supporting any work programmes to address relevant care home issues arising and ensure alignment

Work with general practices, community pharmacies and care homes to implement robust systems relating to repeat prescribing (including electronic repeat dispensing e-RD) services, ensuring they are optimised in relation to care homes and minimising waste

Participate in relevant internal and external working groups/projects, services and initiatives to provide, information and analytical advice and expertise.

Present information and issues, explaining highly complex issues, to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

Recognise the roles of other colleagues and their role to patient care

Use appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations)

Demonstrate ability to work as a member of a team

Recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary

Foster and maintain strong links with all services

Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships

Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

Completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Minimum of 2 years experience as a pharmacist, demonstrated within a practice portfolio.

Have experience and an awareness of elderly medicine and the common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in care homes

May hold or be working towards an independent prescribing qualification.

Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate

Able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct

Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidelines.

NB: it is anticipated level of qualification held may vary according to the level of position and the components of the role being carried out, see person specification for details.

Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.

Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision

Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service

Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.

Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals

Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example.

Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service

Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation

Demonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice

Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol

Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management

Manages other pharmacy team members as appropriate

Demonstrate ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team

Understands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service

Demonstrates understanding of the mentorship process

Demonstrates ability to conduct teaching and assessment effectively according to a learning plan with supervision from more experience colleague

Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity; working alongside senior clinical pharmacist to identifying areas to develop

Participates in the delivery of formal education programmes

Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice

Ensures appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support development

Enrolled into review and appraisal systems within the organisation

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the federation as part of this employment

The post holder must undertake the CPPE Primary Care training pathway program.

Demonstrates ability to critically evaluate and review literature

Demonstrates ability to identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice

Demonstrates ability to generate evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local level

Demonstrates ability to apply research evidence base into working place

Demonstrates understanding of principles of research governance.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)
• Undertaking the CPPE PCPEP pathway or already completed

Desirable

• 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
• 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 (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
• Experience of GP clinical systems
• 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
• Experience of managing staff
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision

Desirable

• Experience and an awareness of elderly medicine and the common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in care homes
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing

Professional Registration

Essential

• Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Additional

Essential

• Self-Motivation
• Adaptable
• Full Driving Licence

Desirable

• 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

Local Primary Care GP Federation

Address

Suite 5, Blackburn Enterprise Centre

Furthergate

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB1 3HQ

Employer's website

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