York Road PCN Senior Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

The specifics of the role in each PCN will be worked up between the post-holder, the PCN and SEL GP Group.

The post holder will be supported by existing practice employed pharmacists within the PCN (where these exist), a GP clinical mentor and the head of clinical pharmacy for SEL GP Group. They will also engage with Leeds Practice pharmacist and technicians network for peer support.

The post holder will be supported to develop their role to become a non-medical prescriber, if that qualification is not already held, and will be required to enrol on the General Practice Pharmacist Training Pathway from CPPE.

Key duties and 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 and SEL GP Group). It is however mandated by NHS England that this role is patient-facing in nature.

1. Patient facing Clinical Medication Review

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.

2. Medicines quality improvement

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.

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

3. Medicines safety

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

4. Leadership and management

As the senior PCN pharmacist you will be expected to contribute to the leadership of medicines-related issues for the PCN, and to provide leadership and mentoring to any clinical pharmacists employed across the PCN.

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

Demonstrate understanding of, and contribute to, the workplace vision

Demonstrate ability to improve quality within limitations of service

Review progress yearly and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.

Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals

Demonstrate ability to lead a team and provide support to other clinical pharmacists

Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service and manage the team through these changes

Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation

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

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

Follow professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management

Demonstrate ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team

Lead and mentor a team of differing abilities

5. Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments

Managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting to community pharmacy and referring

to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate.

6. Patient facing medicines support

Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their

medicines in the practice.

7. Telephone medicines support

Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their

medicines.

8. Management of medicines at change of care setting

Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital or admission to intermediate care or 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 high-risk groups of patients (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids or those in Care Homes).

9. Medicine information to practice staff and patients

Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other network staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. Suggest and recommend solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.

10. Drug monitoring

Ensure robust systems are in place for drug monitoring at each practice across the PCN, streamlining these where possible. Understand and apply the traffic light classifications for prescribing in the Leeds Health Economy.

11. Signposting

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.

12. Repeat prescribing

Ensure each practice in the PCN has a robust repeat prescribing policy, and streamline these across the PCN where possible. You may be asked to contribute to the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring in place when required.

13. Service development

Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets).

14. Information management

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

15. Education and Training

Understand and demonstrate the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service

Demonstrate understanding of the mentorship process

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

Demonstrate self-development through continuous professional development activity

Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes

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

16. Care Quality Commission

Work with the general practice teams to ensure the practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved.

17. Public health

Support public health campaigns. Provide specialist knowledge on all public health

programmes available to the general public.

18. Collaborative working arrangements

Participate in the PCN MDT.

Liaise with CCG and Leeds GP Confederation colleagues on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit from peer support

Engage with the Leeds Practice Pharmacist and Technician Network and with the other SEL GP-employed pharmacists for peer support.

Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks.

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,including but not limited to :

Patients and their representatives

GP, nurses and other practice staff

Social prescribers, first contact physiotherapists, physicians associates and paramedics.

Community pharmacists and support staff

Locality / GP prescribing lead

Locality managers

Community nurses and other allied health professionals

Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation

19. Professional development

Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities.

Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.

Work with your line manager to access regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present.

Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others. Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes.

Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keep up to date with relevant clinical practice.

skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Minimum of five years experience as a qualified pharmacist and currently practicing at an advanced level demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences
• 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
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Knowledge of IT systems including ability to use word processing skills emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Able to plan manage, monitor and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
• 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.

Personal Qualities and Attributes

Essential

• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from all communities
• 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
• Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleagues when necessary
• Ability to identify risk and assess manage risk when working with individuals
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Demonstrates personal accountability emotional resilience and works well under pressure
• Ability to organise plan and prioritise on own initiative including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures including confidentiality safeguarding lone working information governance and health and safety
• Demonstrates leadership experience and previous experience of supervising and mentoring more junior staff
• Excellent interpersonal influencing and negotiating skills

Desirable

• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision

Qualifications

Essential

• Completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Demonstrates and understanding of and conforms to relevant standards of practice.
• Follows professional and organisational policies procedures relating to performance management

Desirable

• Holds or working towards an independent prescribing qualification
• Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
• Successful completion of the CPPE General Practice Pharmacist Training Pathway

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of five years experience as a qualified pharmacist and currently practicing at an advanced level demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• Experience and an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-terms conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
• Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams and community groups
• Experience of partnership collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations

Other

Essential

• Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record in line with the law on spent convictions
• Adaptable
• Work effectively independently and as a team player
• Self motivated
• Safeguarding and other mandatory training
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis including to visit people in their own homes

Desirable

• Immunisation status

Professional registration

Essential

• Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

• Membership Primary Care Pharmacy Association PCPA
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

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).