Senior Clinical Pharmacist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To support a Primary Care Network (PCN) within Leeds in all aspects of medicines optimisation.

• The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines optimisation across the PCN. This will include structured medication reviews with direct patient contact and may include contributing to:
• Management of long-term conditions
• Minor illness
• Management of medicines on transfer of care
• Reviewing systems for safer prescribing
• Contributing to repeat prescription authorisations and reauthorisation
• Action acute prescription requests
• Addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients
• Contributing to achievement of QOF and locally commissioned quality improvement schemes
• Undertaking clinical audit

The post-holder will provide support to any clinical pharmacists employed in the PCN.

The specifics of the role in each PCN will be worked up between the post-holder, the PCN and The Leeds GP Confederation Clinical Pharmacy Team.

The post holder will be supported by existing pharmacists employed within the PCN (where these exist), a GP clinical mentor and the Leeds GP Confederation Clinical Pharmacy Team. They will also engage with other pharmacy colleagues in Leeds for peer support The post holder will be required to enrol on the General Practice Pharmacist Training Pathway from CPPE (unless an equivalent qualification is already held and exemption is agreed by CPPE) and to enrol on a prescribing course if a non-medical prescriber qualification is not already held.

Lead in developing promoting and implementing the high quality, evidence based and cost effective use of medicines in primary care in a way that maximises the benefits of medicines to patients and service users and which minimises risks (clinical, legal and financial).

To work with other Health and Social Care agencies across Leeds, to implement a co-ordinated medicines optimisation approach across the wider health economy.

To develop, support and implement agreed prescribing and pharmaceutical activities or programmes within GP practices across a PCN.

Key Responsibilities

(Please note this is a list of options, it is not exhaustive, which options are deployed will be decided by the individual PCN, in conjunction with the clinical pharmacist). It is however mandated by NHS England that this role is patient-facing in nature.

1. Patient-Facing Clinical Medication Review

1.1. Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and work within your scope of practice as a non-medical prescriber to implement any necessary changes (or produce recommendations for/refer to other prescribing pharmacists, nurses and/or GPs to implement if outside your scope). These reviews could be cohort based, in care homes, polypharmacy or any other area required by the PCN, within the pharmacists competence. Home visits may be required.

1.2. To lead and coordinate medicines optimisation services and clinical pharmacy development to a PCN to improve quality of care, personalise care and patient experience. Provide clinical leadership to ensure high quality and cost effective prescribing.

2. Medicines Quality Improvement

2.1. Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas identified by yourself and agreed by the PCN or as directed by the PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.

2.2. Identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related, or both. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.

2.3. Identify, plan, organise, and co-ordinate the implementation of medicines optimisation initiatives, objectives and complex changes at GP practice and PCN level to bring about quality improvements in prescribing behaviour and better outcomes for patients including reducing patient harm & improving medication safety. Lead the development & implementation of new medicines optimisation initiatives and services within the PCN, community pharmacies and community providers. This includes the development of prescribing / medicines optimisation guidelines and protocols.

Person Specification

Skills and Attributes

Essential

• Please explain how you meet the Essential criteria for Qualifications, within the job description? Look at the job description document and view the person specification for Qualifications. Then please give your answer.

Qualifications

Essential

• Please explain how you meet the Essential criteria for Qualifications, within the job description? Look at the job description document and view the person specification for Qualifications. Then please give your answer.

Experience

Essential

• Please explain how you meet the Essential criteria for Qualifications, within the job description? Look at the job description document and view the person specification for Qualifications. Then please give your answer.

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

Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Address

Woodhouse Health Centre

Cambridge Road

Leeds

LS6 2SF

Employer's website

https://www.leedscommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/join-our-team1/ (Opens in a new tab)