Job summary
We are looking for an experienced prescribing Clinical Pharmacist to join our Primary Care Network (PCN) who will support our General Practice and PCN teams. The Clinical Pharmacist role will work within our multi-disciplinary team to support and serve our patients.As a Clinical Pharmacist within Southampton West PCN, the post holder will hold and manage a clinical caseload of patients (and be required to prescribe as required) whilst ensuring patient care is safe, efficient, and effective to improve the health and care of our population.The clinical pharmacist post will be working at PCN level supporting patients from all practices within Southampton West PCN and may be required to work at any of the PCN member practice sites. The post holder will have a focus on Hypertension diagnosis and safe ongoing management with the aim of increasing prevalence across the PCN and GP Practices. Alongside this the clinical pharmacist will support the Home Visting and Care Home Teams will Structured Medication Reviews for Care Home Residents and patients who have recently had a completed proactive care assessment. The post holder will have allocated time and rotas for each workstream and or practice to ensure a safe and measurable patient outcomes.A key area of focus for the role is to provide clinical assessment and input on medicines optimisation and quality improvements, this includes the need to promote high quality cost effective safe prescribing.
Main duties of the job
- This is a patient facing role with a responsibility for the delivery of medicines optimisation to all patients. The role requires a flexible and adaptable approach and includes responsibility for all the activities below however it is expected that there will a greater emphasis on certain activities during different phases of the clinical pharmacy teams operation.
- Complete consultations with patients with single or multiple medical conditions where medicines optimisation is required
- Manage own case load of vulnerable patients at risk of hospital admission and harm from poor use of medicines
- Run long-term condition clinics where responsible for prescribing as an independent prescriber for conditions where medicines have a large component (e.g. medicine optimisation of new hypertensives and patients with stable angina)
- Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines (i.e. medicines optimisation)
- Involve patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and support adherence
- Undertake structured clinical medication reviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and implement own (as an independent prescriber) or facilitated prescribing changes and order relevant tests
- Support practices with national and local targets including QOF, IIF, and Prescribing Incentives
Please see job description for other main duties
About us
Southampton West Primary Care Network (PCN) consists of the 9 GP surgeries in the west of the City and covers 84,000 patients. Our mission is to work collaboratively to develop high quality services for our patients, so that we can improve health outcomes that enable people to live well, for longer, whilst developing resilient primary care.The PCN already hosts a strong and supportive multi-disciplinary wellbeing team consisting of mental health practitioners, peer support workers, social prescribers, care coordinators, Health and Wellbeing Coaches, Pharmacists, and First Contact Physiotherapist.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will hold the skills to
- Complete consultations with patients with single or multiple medical conditions where medicines optimisation is required
- Manage own case load of vulnerable patients at risk of hospital admission and harm from poor use of medicines
- Run long-term condition clinics where responsible for prescribing as an independent prescriber for conditions where medicines have a large component (e.g. medicine optimisation of new hypertensives and patients with stable angina)
- Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines (i.e. medicines optimisation)
- Involve patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and support adherence
- Undertake structured clinical medication reviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and implement own (as an independent prescriber) or facilitated prescribing changes and order relevant tests
- Produce recommendations for clinical pharmacists, nurses or GPs on prescribing and monitoring
- Support practices with national and local targets including QOF, IIF, and Prescribing Incentives
- Attend and refer patients to multidisciplinary case conferences. Identifying key areas of need for vulnerable patients and formulating care plans
- Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice
- Provide telephone consultations for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines
- Answer medicinerelated enquiries from GPs, other network 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
- Initiate implementation of practice searches to identify cohorts of at risk patients e.g. unplanned admission or readmissions from medicines. Ensure work is undertaken with case managers, multidisciplinary (health and social care) review teams, hospital colleagues and virtual ward teams to manage medicines-related risk
- Develop a robust system of reconciliation of medicines at transfer of care, including identifying and rectifying changes without referral to a GP. The system should include performance of a clinical medication review, production of a post discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow up tests and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge
- Ensure the set up and management of 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)Develop and maintain partnership working with hospital colleagues to ensure proactive management of patients at high risk of medicine related problems to ensure improved care
- Develop and maintain partnership working with community pharmacy colleagues to ensure medicines optimisation and patient safety
- Develop a mechanism whereby patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for e.g. pathology test results, common/minor/low-acuity ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
- Recognise priorities and refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
Analytical, Judgemental Skills, Planning & Organisational Skills- Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision-making
- Provide leadership to the network to ensure compliance with CQC standards where medicines are involved
- Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines legislation
- Liaise directly with hospital colleagues where prescribing needs to be returned to specialists
- Conduct audits of network compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance.
- Disseminate within the network important prescribing messages to improve prescribers knowledge and work with the team to develop and implement other techniques known to influence implementation of evidence such as audit and feedback
- Identify national and local policy and guidance that affects patient safety through the use of medicines, including MHRA alerts, product withdrawals and emerging evidence form clinical trials
- Manage the process of implementing changes to medicines and guidance for practitioners
- Be responsible for management of risk stratification tools on behalf of the practice
- Work with patients and the Primary Care Team to minimise risks through medicines optimisation
- Support public health campaigns and provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to general public.
Communication- Act as a role model demonstrating effective clinical leadership on a daily basis
- Assess and monitor risk in own and others practice, acting on results, thereby ensuring safe delivery of care
- Develop and promulgate systems for risk assessment and minimisation
- Undertake investigation of incidents and complaints when required; identifying lessons learnt and ensuring the sharing of learning across the organisation
- Ensure dignity, privacy, and cultural and religious beliefs are respected at all times
- Continually monitor standards of care through quality markers, achievement of network, and benchmarking
- Be aware of local quality data and use it to identify practice development required
- Work proactively in managing change to improve practice and health outcomes, identifying opportunities and gaining consensus around initiatives
- Identify and provide leadership on areas of prescribing and medicines optimisation where change might be required
- Conduct clinical audits and improve projects or work with colleagues such as GP registrars, practice managers etc.
- Present results and provide leadership on suggested changes
Professional Development & Responsibilities- Accountable for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
- Complete the 18-month mandated CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway as part of the role as per the DES contract (unless a valid exemption is held)
- Keep up to date with relevant clinical practice and current educational policies relevant to their working areas of practice as part of continuing professional development
- Adhere to the General Pharmaceutical Councils Standards for Pharmacy Professionals
- Participate in the General Pharmaceutical Councils Revalidation programme, ensuring that professional registration is renewed on an annual basis and that continuous registration is maintained. Evidence of renewal should be provided on request
- Follow legal, ethical, professional, and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
- Review yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others
- Attends and contributes to monthly group supervision
- Attends, contributes, and evidences learning via 121 monthly supervision
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will hold the skills to
- Complete consultations with patients with single or multiple medical conditions where medicines optimisation is required
- Manage own case load of vulnerable patients at risk of hospital admission and harm from poor use of medicines
- Run long-term condition clinics where responsible for prescribing as an independent prescriber for conditions where medicines have a large component (e.g. medicine optimisation of new hypertensives and patients with stable angina)
- Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines (i.e. medicines optimisation)
- Involve patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and support adherence
- Undertake structured clinical medication reviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and implement own (as an independent prescriber) or facilitated prescribing changes and order relevant tests
- Produce recommendations for clinical pharmacists, nurses or GPs on prescribing and monitoring
- Support practices with national and local targets including QOF, IIF, and Prescribing Incentives
- Attend and refer patients to multidisciplinary case conferences. Identifying key areas of need for vulnerable patients and formulating care plans
- Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice
- Provide telephone consultations for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines
- Answer medicinerelated enquiries from GPs, other network 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
- Initiate implementation of practice searches to identify cohorts of at risk patients e.g. unplanned admission or readmissions from medicines. Ensure work is undertaken with case managers, multidisciplinary (health and social care) review teams, hospital colleagues and virtual ward teams to manage medicines-related risk
- Develop a robust system of reconciliation of medicines at transfer of care, including identifying and rectifying changes without referral to a GP. The system should include performance of a clinical medication review, production of a post discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow up tests and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge
- Ensure the set up and management of 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)Develop and maintain partnership working with hospital colleagues to ensure proactive management of patients at high risk of medicine related problems to ensure improved care
- Develop and maintain partnership working with community pharmacy colleagues to ensure medicines optimisation and patient safety
- Develop a mechanism whereby patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for e.g. pathology test results, common/minor/low-acuity ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
- Recognise priorities and refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
Analytical, Judgemental Skills, Planning & Organisational Skills- Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision-making
- Provide leadership to the network to ensure compliance with CQC standards where medicines are involved
- Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines legislation
- Liaise directly with hospital colleagues where prescribing needs to be returned to specialists
- Conduct audits of network compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance.
- Disseminate within the network important prescribing messages to improve prescribers knowledge and work with the team to develop and implement other techniques known to influence implementation of evidence such as audit and feedback
- Identify national and local policy and guidance that affects patient safety through the use of medicines, including MHRA alerts, product withdrawals and emerging evidence form clinical trials
- Manage the process of implementing changes to medicines and guidance for practitioners
- Be responsible for management of risk stratification tools on behalf of the practice
- Work with patients and the Primary Care Team to minimise risks through medicines optimisation
- Support public health campaigns and provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to general public.
Communication- Act as a role model demonstrating effective clinical leadership on a daily basis
- Assess and monitor risk in own and others practice, acting on results, thereby ensuring safe delivery of care
- Develop and promulgate systems for risk assessment and minimisation
- Undertake investigation of incidents and complaints when required; identifying lessons learnt and ensuring the sharing of learning across the organisation
- Ensure dignity, privacy, and cultural and religious beliefs are respected at all times
- Continually monitor standards of care through quality markers, achievement of network, and benchmarking
- Be aware of local quality data and use it to identify practice development required
- Work proactively in managing change to improve practice and health outcomes, identifying opportunities and gaining consensus around initiatives
- Identify and provide leadership on areas of prescribing and medicines optimisation where change might be required
- Conduct clinical audits and improve projects or work with colleagues such as GP registrars, practice managers etc.
- Present results and provide leadership on suggested changes
Professional Development & Responsibilities- Accountable for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
- Complete the 18-month mandated CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway as part of the role as per the DES contract (unless a valid exemption is held)
- Keep up to date with relevant clinical practice and current educational policies relevant to their working areas of practice as part of continuing professional development
- Adhere to the General Pharmaceutical Councils Standards for Pharmacy Professionals
- Participate in the General Pharmaceutical Councils Revalidation programme, ensuring that professional registration is renewed on an annual basis and that continuous registration is maintained. Evidence of renewal should be provided on request
- Follow legal, ethical, professional, and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
- Review yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others
- Attends and contributes to monthly group supervision
- Attends, contributes, and evidences learning via 121 monthly supervision
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of coordinating complex activities / programs of care with other professionals and agencies
Desirable
- Track record of problem solving
- Experience of managing own priorities whilst working under pressure Working with Care Homes and Care Home Residents
Qualifications
Essential
- Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy
- Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Independent prescriber qualification held
Desirable
- Postgraduate clinical pharmacy diploma or equivalent experience
Knowledge, skill and training
Essential
- Effective communicator able to communicate highly complex and sensitive information where there may be barriers to understanding Methodical/systematic worker able to work on own initiative
- Accurate, good attention to detail
- Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
Desirable
- Confident in the use of computer systems, spreadsheets, databases, data collection and coordination and word processing
- Inquisitive and eager to learn, asks questions and responds positively to change in practice/procedure. Seeks ways to improve self and others
- Produce timely and informative reports
- An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
- Has an experience/awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in a general medical practice
- Knowledge of NHS primary and secondary care working including managing prescribing across the interface
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of coordinating complex activities / programs of care with other professionals and agencies
Desirable
- Track record of problem solving
- Experience of managing own priorities whilst working under pressure Working with Care Homes and Care Home Residents
Qualifications
Essential
- Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy
- Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Independent prescriber qualification held
Desirable
- Postgraduate clinical pharmacy diploma or equivalent experience
Knowledge, skill and training
Essential
- Effective communicator able to communicate highly complex and sensitive information where there may be barriers to understanding Methodical/systematic worker able to work on own initiative
- Accurate, good attention to detail
- Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
Desirable
- Confident in the use of computer systems, spreadsheets, databases, data collection and coordination and word processing
- Inquisitive and eager to learn, asks questions and responds positively to change in practice/procedure. Seeks ways to improve self and others
- Produce timely and informative reports
- An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
- Has an experience/awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in a general medical practice
- Knowledge of NHS primary and secondary care working including managing prescribing across the interface
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).
Additional information
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).
