Job summary
We are looking for a caring and motivated Clinical Pharmacist to become part of our welcoming and supportive practice team. You will work closely with our GPs and experienced prescriptions team to help ensure our patients receive safe, effective and personalised care, while taking a proactive role in medicines optimisation and patient safety.
We are a friendly teaching practice that genuinely values learning, development and wellbeing. All new members of staff receive a thorough induction and the ongoing support of a named mentor, creating a nurturing environment where you can feel confident, valued and able to grow. We are committed to supporting relevant further training to help you develop your skills and career within primary care.
Our close-knit clinical team includes six GP partners, two salaried GPs and two Advanced Nurse Practitioners, supported by an organised and approachable reception, administration and management team, along with a dedicated prescriptions team. We pride ourselves on maintaining a positive, collaborative atmosphere where everyone works together for the benefit of our patients and one another.
Main duties of the job
In this role, you will support patients to get the very best from their medicines by reviewing and optimising prescribing in line with agreed protocols and best practice guidance. You will help improve repeat prescribing systems, promote repeat dispensing and online ordering, and play an important role in reducing medicines waste while maintaining a strong focus on patient safety. The post holder will also undertake Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for appropriate patient groups.
Working as part of our friendly multidisciplinary team, you will have the opportunity to use your clinical skills and experience in a patient-facing role, assessing and supporting defined groups of patients and contributing directly to their ongoing care and prescribing needs. You will help develop and deliver pharmacy-led medicines optimisation initiatives across the practice, ensuring our approach remains up to date, evidence-based and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients.
The role includes supporting specialist areas within the wider medicines agenda, promoting safe, effective and best-value prescribing, and helping to lead service evaluation and audit activity to ensure we continue to provide high-quality care. You will also work closely with and support the Practice Prescribing Lead in driving forward medicines optimisation and service improvement within the practice.
About us
We are a forward-thinking, proactive and highly responsive practice, committed to continually improving the care we provide to our patients and community. We embrace the opportunities and challenges facing modern general practice and are keen to welcome motivated, like-minded individuals who are passionate about innovation, teamwork and service development.
We offer a structured pay scale, with salary aligned to experience, skills and relevant qualifications, ensuring your contribution and professional growth are fully valued.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Responsibilities
Provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team.
Provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the practice team, patients and their carers.
Improve patient and carer understanding of, confidence in and compliance with their medication.
Provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff
Organise and oversee the practices medicines optimisation systems including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems.
Work to support the PCN and ICB with implementation of the PCN DES and day-to-day general practice.
Promote high quality, cost-effective prescribing in primary care, supporting the specifications within the PCN DES, including Structured Medication Reviews, Enhanced Health in Care Homes and other medicines optimisation tasks as determined by the practice.
Improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards, and clinical and prescribing guidance.
Develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities.
Contribute to a patient safety culture through reporting and investigation of medicines incidents and undertaking proactive measures to improve patient safety.
Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents.
Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues.
Respond to prescription requests from community patients, nursing/care home staff, pharmacy staff and GPs, processing them within recognised timescales. This can include re-routing prescriptions to out of hours pharmacies for same day delivery.
Process monthly prescriptions for nursing/care homes, checking for changes and adherence/over-ordering issues.
Use practice templates to record near patient monitoring for high risk drugs.
Identify blood tests, recalls and reviews using established protocols and forward these to the appropriate clinician.
Support and respond to medicines-related queries from medical and nursing colleagues and from patients and relatives via face to face, via phone or via email. Queries can include issues with interactions or ADRs, availability of stock, swallowing difficulties, cost-effectiveness, urgent requests or extra supplies.
Review hospital discharge notifications and outpatient hospital letters and reconcile medication against current repeats, flagging up and correcting discrepancies.
Promote safe use of medication, reporting of medicines-related incidents and pro-actively preventing safeguarding incidents.
Use knowledge of GP computer prescribing systems and community pharmacy dispensing systems to advise on solving problems related to prescribing/dispensing and other areas to develop the skills of practice and pharmacy staff.
Support the review of care home procedures, making recommendations for potential improvements.
Observe the principles of clinical governance when developing policies, protocols, guidelines, SOPs and procedures.
Support practice prescribing budgets by on-going monitoring, audit and analysis of drug use and support practices in reviewing, developing and enhancing cost-effective prescribing. This includes staying aware of latest QIPP and other cost targets.
Help review medication with the pharmacists and make recommendations for prescribing changes to improve outcome and ensure prescribing of the most cost-effective product.
Other Responsibilities
ADMINISTRATION
Contributes and participates in audits, evaluation and clinical standard setting within the Practice.
Accurate and timely summarising of patient records and read-coding patient data
Complete all required paperwork for legal and administrative purposes in accordance with relevant standards
Ensure that all practice policies are fully implemented
Work in accordance with all governance and internal systems relating to (but not limited to) the management of clinical data and systems
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Taking responsibility for own development with relevant evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role to meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and a Personal Development Plan (PDP).
Stay up to date through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements are met, demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Subject to a performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
Work closely with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up and/or improving of practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets
Work to deliver the NHS contract requirements related to the practice (including the terms of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and locally enhanced services)
Commit to take and pass the necessary Clinical Pharmacist exams to maintain qualifications required to carry out duties of the role and as statutory regulatory bodies require.
GOVERNANCE
Produce complete and accurate records of patient consultation, in line with best practice, confidentiality, policies and procedures
Deliver care according to NHS guidance, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care
Take part in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the Practice and its activities.
Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required.
Work with other clinical teams on improving the quality of healthcare in response to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate
Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care
Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation
Manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
Awareness of statutory safeguarding, notification processes and local guidance for children/vulnerable patients, applying relevant policies and legislation to protect them
Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and guidelines for self and others, by taking action or alerting senior management team if the practice appears to contravene policy, or if there are concerns over any aspect of patient care.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Maintain confidentiality of information, acting within the terms of the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance on patient confidentiality at all times.
Maintain an awareness of the Freedom of Information Act.
Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data
HEALTH & SAFETY
The post-holder will manage their own and others health & safety and infection control as defined in the Practices Health & Safety Policy, the Practice Health & Safety Manual, and the Practices Infection Control Policy and published procedures.
Comply with Practice health and safety policies by following agreed safe working procedures
Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
Keeping work and general areas clean and tidy, and using appropriate infection control procedures to keep work areas hygienic and safe from contamination.
Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
Awareness and compliance with national standards of infection control, hygiene, regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines.
Correct personal use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensuring correct use of PPE by others, advising on appropriate circumstances for use by clinicians, staff and patients.
Reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The post-holder will support, promote and maintain the Practices Equality & Diversity Policy.
No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.
The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families.
OTHER DELEGATED DUTIES
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive - it may be changed after consultation with the post holder. The employee shares with the employer the responsibility for review and modification of duties.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Responsibilities
Provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team.
Provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the practice team, patients and their carers.
Improve patient and carer understanding of, confidence in and compliance with their medication.
Provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff
Organise and oversee the practices medicines optimisation systems including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems.
Work to support the PCN and ICB with implementation of the PCN DES and day-to-day general practice.
Promote high quality, cost-effective prescribing in primary care, supporting the specifications within the PCN DES, including Structured Medication Reviews, Enhanced Health in Care Homes and other medicines optimisation tasks as determined by the practice.
Improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards, and clinical and prescribing guidance.
Develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities.
Contribute to a patient safety culture through reporting and investigation of medicines incidents and undertaking proactive measures to improve patient safety.
Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents.
Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues.
Respond to prescription requests from community patients, nursing/care home staff, pharmacy staff and GPs, processing them within recognised timescales. This can include re-routing prescriptions to out of hours pharmacies for same day delivery.
Process monthly prescriptions for nursing/care homes, checking for changes and adherence/over-ordering issues.
Use practice templates to record near patient monitoring for high risk drugs.
Identify blood tests, recalls and reviews using established protocols and forward these to the appropriate clinician.
Support and respond to medicines-related queries from medical and nursing colleagues and from patients and relatives via face to face, via phone or via email. Queries can include issues with interactions or ADRs, availability of stock, swallowing difficulties, cost-effectiveness, urgent requests or extra supplies.
Review hospital discharge notifications and outpatient hospital letters and reconcile medication against current repeats, flagging up and correcting discrepancies.
Promote safe use of medication, reporting of medicines-related incidents and pro-actively preventing safeguarding incidents.
Use knowledge of GP computer prescribing systems and community pharmacy dispensing systems to advise on solving problems related to prescribing/dispensing and other areas to develop the skills of practice and pharmacy staff.
Support the review of care home procedures, making recommendations for potential improvements.
Observe the principles of clinical governance when developing policies, protocols, guidelines, SOPs and procedures.
Support practice prescribing budgets by on-going monitoring, audit and analysis of drug use and support practices in reviewing, developing and enhancing cost-effective prescribing. This includes staying aware of latest QIPP and other cost targets.
Help review medication with the pharmacists and make recommendations for prescribing changes to improve outcome and ensure prescribing of the most cost-effective product.
Other Responsibilities
ADMINISTRATION
Contributes and participates in audits, evaluation and clinical standard setting within the Practice.
Accurate and timely summarising of patient records and read-coding patient data
Complete all required paperwork for legal and administrative purposes in accordance with relevant standards
Ensure that all practice policies are fully implemented
Work in accordance with all governance and internal systems relating to (but not limited to) the management of clinical data and systems
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Taking responsibility for own development with relevant evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role to meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and a Personal Development Plan (PDP).
Stay up to date through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements are met, demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Subject to a performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
Work closely with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up and/or improving of practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets
Work to deliver the NHS contract requirements related to the practice (including the terms of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and locally enhanced services)
Commit to take and pass the necessary Clinical Pharmacist exams to maintain qualifications required to carry out duties of the role and as statutory regulatory bodies require.
GOVERNANCE
Produce complete and accurate records of patient consultation, in line with best practice, confidentiality, policies and procedures
Deliver care according to NHS guidance, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care
Take part in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the Practice and its activities.
Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required.
Work with other clinical teams on improving the quality of healthcare in response to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate
Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care
Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation
Manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
Awareness of statutory safeguarding, notification processes and local guidance for children/vulnerable patients, applying relevant policies and legislation to protect them
Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and guidelines for self and others, by taking action or alerting senior management team if the practice appears to contravene policy, or if there are concerns over any aspect of patient care.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Maintain confidentiality of information, acting within the terms of the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance on patient confidentiality at all times.
Maintain an awareness of the Freedom of Information Act.
Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data
HEALTH & SAFETY
The post-holder will manage their own and others health & safety and infection control as defined in the Practices Health & Safety Policy, the Practice Health & Safety Manual, and the Practices Infection Control Policy and published procedures.
Comply with Practice health and safety policies by following agreed safe working procedures
Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
Keeping work and general areas clean and tidy, and using appropriate infection control procedures to keep work areas hygienic and safe from contamination.
Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
Awareness and compliance with national standards of infection control, hygiene, regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines.
Correct personal use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensuring correct use of PPE by others, advising on appropriate circumstances for use by clinicians, staff and patients.
Reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The post-holder will support, promote and maintain the Practices Equality & Diversity Policy.
No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.
The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families.
OTHER DELEGATED DUTIES
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive - it may be changed after consultation with the post holder. The employee shares with the employer the responsibility for review and modification of duties.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)
- Registered Pharmacist with General Pharmaceutical Council
- Postgraduate Independent Prescribing qualification
- Experience of working in Primary Care
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
- Flexible approach to meet service needs and ensure a stakeholder focused response
- Self-motivated and proactive
- Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
- Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience, including primary care and at least one other field of pharmacy (community or hospital)
- Good knowledge of NHS medicines optimisation
- An appreciation of the nature of general practice
- Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems
- Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within primary care
- Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
- Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
- Can effectively manage allocated resources
- Produce timely and informative reports
- Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines
- Excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
- Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to come up with solutions
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals.
Desirable
- In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence- based healthcare
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)
- Registered Pharmacist with General Pharmaceutical Council
- Postgraduate Independent Prescribing qualification
- Experience of working in Primary Care
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Works effectively independently and as a member of a team
- Flexible approach to meet service needs and ensure a stakeholder focused response
- Self-motivated and proactive
- Continued commitment to improve skills and ability in new areas of work
- Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments if required
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience, including primary care and at least one other field of pharmacy (community or hospital)
- Good knowledge of NHS medicines optimisation
- An appreciation of the nature of general practice
- Computer literate with an ability to use the required GP clinical systems
- Understand the aims of current healthcare policy within primary care
- Able to analyse and interpret prescribing data
- Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily
- Can effectively manage allocated resources
- Produce timely and informative reports
- Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet strict deadlines
- Excellent understanding of data protection and confidentiality issues
- Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to come up with solutions
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with team members, patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals.
Desirable
- In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence- based healthcare
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).
