Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

Primary Duties and Areas of Responsibility

Patient Facing Long-term Condition Clinics

See (where appropriate) patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (e.g. COPD, asthma).

Review the on-going need for each medicine, and review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines ensuring they get the best use of their medicines.

Patient Facing Clinical Medication Review

(I.e. medicines optimisation). Make appropriate recommendations to GPs for medicine improvement. Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for GP/nurses on prescribing and monitoring.

Patient Facing Care Home Medication Reviews

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for the GPs and nurses on prescribing and monitoring. Work with care home staff to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration.

Management of Common/Minor/Self-limiting Ailments

Managing caseload of patients with common/self-limiting ailments whilst working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting and referring to other healthcare professionals where appropriate.

Medicine information to Practice Staff and Patients

Answers relevant medicine- related enquiries from GP's, other practice staff and patients with queries about medicines.

Unplanned Hospital Admissions and Medicines Discharge from Hospital

Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned admissions and re-admissions through audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high risk patient groups.

Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes.

Repeat Prescribing

Manage the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions whilst overseeing administration staff. Ensuring patients have appropriate monitoring tests.

Risk Stratification

Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through practice searches.

Information Management and Quality Improvement

Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making. Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GP's.

Medicines Safety

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

Care Quality Commission

Work with the GP team to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved.

Public Health

To support public health campaigns and to provide specialist knowledge on public health programmes available to the general public.

Qualifications

Essential

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent).

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• A member or working towards Faculty membership pf the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• Specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience.
• Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining independent prescribing qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post-qualification experience.
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices.
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving
• prescribing.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients).
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions.
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
• Produce timely and informative reports.
• 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.
• Work effectively, independently and as a team member.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.

Desirable

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence- based healthcare.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g
• patients).

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).