General Practice Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

Primary Duties and Areas of Responsibility

Patient facing Long-term condition clinics

See patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (e.g. COPD, asthma). Review the ongoing medicine plan for these patients, ensuring they get the best use of their medicines (i.e. medicines optimisation) and make appropriate recommendations to clinicians for medicine improvement.

Patient facing Clinical Medication Review

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for nurses and/or GP with regard to prescribing and monitoring for Practice Patients, Care Home Patients and Domiciliary Patients, to include MDT Case Conferences.

Patient facing medicines support

Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice.

Telephone medicines support

Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines. Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support including e-consultations, remote medication review and telehealth and telemedicine.

Medicine information to practice staff and patients

Respond to medicine related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients/carers with queries about medicines. Suggesting and recommending solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.

Unplanned hospital admissions

Provide targeted support and pro-active review for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care

Management of medicines at discharge from hospital

To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, 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).

Signposting

Ensure that patients are timely referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.

Repeat prescribing

Oversee repeat prescribing, repeat dispensing, electronic prescribing and medication review systems. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required.

Risk stratification

Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practice computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related, or both.

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). Develop specialist area(s) of interest.

Information management

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

Medicines quality improvement

Undertake simple audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team.

Medicines safety

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

Implementation of local/national guidelines and formulary recommendations

Agree and review Prescribing Formularies and Protocols and monitor compliance levels.

Cost Effectiveness

Support the delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives

Education and Training

Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation.

Care Quality Commission

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

Public health

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

Collaborative Working Relationships

Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care, whilst working as part of an MDT

Should be proficient in communicating with relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations e.g. ICBs)

Recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary

Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality

Foster and maintain strong links with all services across locality, working collaboratively and sustainably across General Practice, with ICB Colleagues, Medicines Management Team and with Community and Hospital Teams to benefit from Peer Support and ensure best Patient Care

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

Registered member of General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

GPhC Independent Prescribing Qualification or working towards attainment

Evidence of an on-going commitment and undertaking of continuing professional development to maintain advanced theoretical and practical therapeutic knowledge

Minimum of 2 years post registration experience in primary care working within a GP surgery is desirable.

Has experience and an awareness of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice

On appointment, Post-holder must be enrolled upon or have qualified from an accredited training pathway that equips the pharmacist to be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a primary care setting (currently, the Clinical Pharmacist training pathway:CPPE Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice Training Pathway

Knowledge of current NHS policies, processes and structures

Ability to constructively challenge the views and practices of clinicians and managers

Proven verbal and written communication skills.

Ability to plan and work independently.

Understanding of the data protection act, GDPR and patient confidentiality, clinical governance, information governance and Caldicott requirements

Good interpersonal skills

Ability to use GP systems - EMIS Web is desirable

Leadership

Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and implement this appropriately within the workplace, as well as understanding and contributing to the workplace vision

Engage with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and involve PPGs in development of the role and practices

Demonstrate ability to improve quality within limitations of service

Review yearly progress and develop a clear plan to achieve results within priorities set by others, as well as demonstrating self-motivation to achieve goals

Promote diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example

Management

Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service and implement processs for effective resource utilisation

Identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol, conforming to relevant standards of practice

Follow professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management

Demonstrate ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team

Education, Training and Development:

Act as a role model to members in the team and/or service and be able to provide mentorship where applicable

Conduct teaching and assessment effectively according to a learning plan with supervision from more experienced colleague

Apply self-development through continuous professional development activity; working alongside senior colleagues to identify areas to develop

Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes and show an understanding of current educational policies, keeping up to date with relevant clinical practice

Ensure appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support development and enrol onto review and appraisal systems within the practice

Research and Evaluation

Critically evaluate and review literature, identifying where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice

Be proficient in providing evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local level

Understand the principles of research governance and demonstrate ability to apply research evidence base into working place

Health and Safety/Risk Management

The post-holder must comply at all times with each Practices Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System

The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990)

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

Respect for Patient Confidentiality

The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Special Working Conditions

The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites and to attend meetings etc hosted by other agencies.

The post-holder may have contact with body fluids i.e., wound exudates; urine etc while in clinical practice.

Personal Qualities & 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. ICBs)
• Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
• 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

Skills and knowledge

Essential

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
• 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)
• Recognise priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern, knowing when to escalate
• Able to work under-pressure and to meet deadlines
• Produce timely and informative reports
• Influence/motivate/ persuade the audience to comply with recommended agreed course of action, breaking down significant barriers
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
• Be able to work well independently and as a team member
• Should be accountable for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices
• 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.

Desirable

• Understand the principles of research governance

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

• May hold or be working towards an independent prescribing qualification
• Clinical Diploma

Other

Essential

• Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions
• Self Motivation
• 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

• Adaptable
• Basic life support training

Professional registration

Essential

• Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

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

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of two years experience as a pharmacist
• Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams community groups
• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations
• Minimum of 2 years post qualifying experience

Desirable

• Experience and an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-terms conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice

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).