PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job description

Job responsibilities

KEY DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The focus of the post holder’s work will depend on the qualifications, skills, and experience of the individual and the needs of the practices within the PCN, both of which may change over time. Potential duties are therefore outlined below:

Clinical

· Patient facing medicines support – provide advice to patients requiring medication reviews and answer any questions, concerns or queries they have about their medicines.

· Undertake structured medication reviews (SMRs) with patients with multi-morbidity and polypharmacy and produce recommendations for GPs/nurses on prescribing and monitoring.

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

· Support patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisatin is required, Review the on-going need for each medicine and communicate with patients on safe and optimal use of their medications.

· Identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through practice computer searches.

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

Prescribing support

· Medicines information – Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other network staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines, suggesting and recommending solutions. Provide follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.

· Audit and risk management – undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs and PCN team, feedback results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.

· Medicines safety –respond to MHRA alerts, product withdrawal, or other local/national guidance and implement changes where necessary.

· National, local and formulary recommendations – Monitor practice prescribing against the local RAG list and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors (red drugs) or subject to shared care (amber drugs). Undertake audits on practices’ compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance. Provide newsletters or bulletins on important prescribing messages.

Medicines management

· Repeat prescribing – ensure patients’ repeat medications are effectively managed, identify review dates, and ensure that any monitoring requirements are in place.

· Hospital discharge – Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into 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.

· Medicines waste -support efficient ordering and return processes to reduce medicines wastage.

Practice Support

· Education and training – provide education on therapeutics and medicines optimisation to other members of the Primary Care Network.

· Care Quality Commission (CQC) – work with general practice teams to ensure that practices are compliant with CQC standards and assist with medicine-related compliance.

· Public Health – support practices with public health campaigns and provide technical advice necessary.

· Support the PCN - to deliver on Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) and other nationally and locally commissioned initiatives.

Health and Safety

· Comply with practice(s) Health and Safety policies at all times and report any incidents in a timely manner.

· Comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

· Comply with any necessary training requirements identified by the PCN relevant to the role.

Equality and Diversity

· Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion etc.

Patient Confidentiality

· Respect patient confidentiality at all times and do not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Working conditions

· There will be a requirement for independent travel between practice sites and to patient homes, care homes or to meetings hosted by other parties.

Job Description agreement

This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only. There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within the PCN. All members of staff should be prepared to take on additional duties or relinquish existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the PCN and its practices.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Vocational Master's degree in Pharmacy or equivalent comprehensive experience
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Completion of pre-registration training
• Evidence of commitment to CPD

Desirable

• Experience of working within primary care settings
• Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (MRPharmS)
• Post-graduate Diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
• Authorisation for Independent Prescribing (IP)

Experience

Essential

• NHS experience in Primary Care, Hospital or Community Pharmacy
• Delivery of Medicines Management Standards and Policies
• Experience of working with primary health care teams
• Experience of working on projects where post holder uses own initiative and manages own time

Desirable

• Experience of providing advice to GPs and primary care clinicians
• Experience in analysing ePACT/prescribing data
• Experience in clinical audit
• Experience of multidisciplinary working
• Experience of promoting formulary adherence within primary care
• Experience using GP clinical systems (e.g. SystmOne and EMIS)

Skills and knowledge

Essential

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with persuasive negotiating and influencing abilities
• Able to instigate and manage change
• Well organised and able to prioritise and meet set targets
• Possess an advanced level of clinical reasoning and problem solving and maintain a high standard of practice
• Able to co-ordinate and plan activities with others, work as part of a team or as an individual
• Able to work under pressure
• Possess knowledge of the wider NHS
• Have an extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of prescribing process and quality improvement areas, such as competence in delivering clinical audit
• Have an extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of clinical areas including common chronic disease management

Desirable

• Able to undertake vaccination administration, e.g. influenza, pneumococcal vaccines
• Knowledge of the use of drugs within several disease areas

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

Nexus Devon Primary Care Network

Address

Mount Pleasant Health Centre

Mount Pleasant Road

Exeter

Devon

EX4 7BW

Employer's website

https://www.mountpleasanthealthcentre.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)