PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

Clinical Duties

Perform face to face medication reviews for patients with polypharmacy, in practice and in patients homes (including care homes).

Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care.

Provide expertise in clinical medicines review and address public health and social needs of patients in GP practices.

Discuss complex and sensitive information with patients during medication review including medical histories, lifestyles, and personal circumstances and to refer on to other services and professionals as appropriate.

Improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medicines.

Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation and quality improvement whilst contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services.

Provide general practitioners with appropriate recommendations and action plans following medication review clinics with patients to optimise the patients treatment with medicines and ensure appropriate follow up with patients.

Record medication review plans, recommendations and outcomes on GP computer clinical systems and own clinical notes in accordance with practice procedures.

Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes; identify and rectify unexplained changes; manage changes by referral to the GP perform clinical medication review; support the production of post-discharge medicines care plans and work with patients and other pharmacy colleagues to ensure patients receive the medicines they need.

Support the processing of complex repeat prescribing medication requests made by patients or other repeat prescribing queries.

Work in partnership with hospital clinicians to proactively manage patients at high risk of medicine-related problems before they are discharged to ensure continuity of care.

Liaise with the Practice Clinical team on prescribing and medication issues, especially around management of long-term conditions.

Develop as an independent prescriber to manage and prescribe for patients within a specific chronic disease area and within own areas of competence.

With appropriate training, monitor the effects of medication by checking clinical signs (e.g., BP, pulse, etc).

Attend regular clinical supervision sessions to promote a culture of continuous professional development and shared learning.

Supportive Clinical Duties

As part of the multi-disciplinary team, attend relevant MDT Network meetings, providing information and feedback.

Report medicines related incidents, contribute to investigations and root cause analyses as well as participating in serious incident investigations and multidisciplinary case reviews.

Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians are kept up to date regarding changes in national and local medicines guidance and legislation.

Critically appraise clinical evidence and present information to prescribers via prescribing meetings and educational events, as required.

Lead on medicines management governance arrangements to adhere to CQC standards, including assisting in developing policies and SOPs.

Review repeats prescribing protocols and processes and support staff in their implementations.

Perform prescribing audits and direct/supervise the audit activity of others.

Facilitate good working relationships between practices and local community pharmacists.

Be responsible for delivering local prescribing quality initiatives in collaboration with CCG medicine management.

Develop an effective network and working relationship with individual practice GPs, practice staff, CCG medicines management colleagues, secondary care, and other professionals.

Safeguarding

All members of staff have responsibility to ensure the Safeguarding of patients within the organisation.

Ensure knowledge of Safeguarding policies and training is up to date.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the organisation, and will:

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.

Develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues.

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.

Effectively manage own time, workload, and resources.

Act corporately as a member of the team and take a shared responsibility for the development of strategy, effectiveness and culture of the team and the organisation.

Communication

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders, including shareholders, contract holders, subcontractors, practice managers and other practice staff.

Communicate effectively with patients and carers.

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services

Apply relevant policies, standards, and guidance of practice within which you work.

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.

Participate in audit where appropriate.

This role profile is not exhaustive, and you may be directed to complete other tasks according to the skills and requirements for individual roles. These duties will always be reasonable and deemed within the expectations of you position.

Other responsibilities

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies, and issues in relation to the specific client group, mental health and community care delivery.

To comply with the Professional Codes of Conduct and to be aware of changes in these. To maintain up to date knowledge of all relevant legislation and local policies and procedures implementing this.

To ensure that all duties are carried out to the highest standard and in accordance with currently quality initiatives within the work area.

To comply with all relevant organisations policies, procedures, and guidelines, including those relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Confidentiality of Information and to be aware of any changes in these.

To comply at all times with the PGPAs Information Governance related policies. Staff are required to respect the confidentiality of information about staff, patients and PGPA business and in particular the confidentiality and security of personal identifiable information in line with the Data Protection Act. All staff is responsible for ensuring that any data created by them is timely, comprehensive, accurate, and fit for the purposes for which it is intended.

Personal qualities

Essential

• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from all communities.
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative.
• Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues.
• High level of written and oral communication skills.

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of IT systems and ability to grasp new systems quickly.
• Evidence of experience as a pharmacist demonstrated.
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing.
• Experience of patient consultation.
• Experience of working with GPs
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development.
• General Practice and/or PCN experience.

Desirable

• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.
• In depth, therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare.
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic, and environmental factors and their impact on communities.
• Knowledge of General Practice clinical systems, such as, EMIS and SystmOne. Able to plan, manage, monitor, and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions.

Other requirements

Essential

• Flexibility to work outside core office hours.
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Full UK driving licence.

Qualifications

Essential

• Vocational 4-year masters degree in pharmacy.
• 1 year pre-registration training.
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Non-medical prescriber registration.

Desirable

• Advanced assessment and history taking skills or be willing to enrol in a current training pathway to develop these.

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations, e.g., CCGs).
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals and demonstrates personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure.
• Able to provide leadership and finish work tasks.
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines.
• Good critical appraisal skills.
• Able to 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.
• Able to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol.

Desirable

• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
• Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams and community groups.

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).