Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

Scope and Purpose of the role

The post holder will be responsible for the ongoing development and delivery of these processes within the PCN, including:

• Patient Facing Medicines Support including Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs)
• Working with the PCN Lead Pharmacist to develop systems to provide support to patients with medication related questions, queries or concerns. This includes providing face to face, telephone and online support.
• Supporting patients to make best use of their medicines including provision verbal and written advice, supporting dose titration and cross tapering of medication regimens.
• Working with the PCN Pharmacy Team to ensure an effective risk stratification process is developed and used to identify patients with multi-morbidity and polypharmacy most likely to benefit from a SMR.
• Undertaking SMRs as specified in the NHS England Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service (DES). This includes ensuring any issues identified during the review are acted upon in a timely fashion.
• Using specialist knowledge of polypharmacy, barriers to adherence, multi-morbidity, frailty and communication skills across a range of physical and cognitive limitations, to formulate solutions for individual patients issues, and support patients to make best use of their medicines. Clinical Pharmacy Support All work will be undertaken within the post holders clinical competence, ensuring that patients are referred to the appropriate clinician as necessary.
• Working with the PCN Pharmacy Team, GPs and practice teams to further develop and participate in the clinical pharmacy service to all patients within the PCN.
• Delivering and effectively communicating integrated patient centred-care through appropriate working with the wider health and social care team.
• Liaising with hospital and community pharmacies where specialist expertise is needed above that provided by our practice medicines management teams.
• Undertaking timely medicines reconciliation after hospital admission or outpatient intervention. This includes identifying and rectifying unexplained changes, ensuring any recommendations are actioned and undertaking a medication review or reauthorisation as appropriate.
• Contributing to chronic disease management processes within the practices where appropriate.
• Involvement in medication reviews and reauthorisation processes.
• Signposting patients and promoting self-care as appropriate. Other Clinical and Administrative Responsibilities
• Managing the work of and provide ongoing support to the PCN Pharmacy Technician(s) where relevant. This includes day to day clinical supervision, training and development and assisting with annual appraisal.
• Contributing to medicines safety and quality improvement processes. Including:
• Identifying areas of prescribing that may require improvement, and developing projects to address any issues identified. o Designing and undertaking audits, presenting results and providing leadership on suggested changes. o Leading on quality improvement projects, including medicines related QoF QI and Investment and Impact Fund projects. o Involvement in medicine related alerts and recalls and significant event processes as appropriate. o Involvement in ongoing review and development of high risk drug monitoring processes.
• Contributing to the ongoing development of safe and effective repeat prescribing processes, including policy development and review and staff training.
• Answering medicine related queries from GPs, practice staff and patients, including helping practices to manage medicine shortages and product discontinuations.
• Contributing to the provision of ongoing staff training and clinical updating across the PCN. This includes staff training on the safe management of repeat medicines processes and reducing medicine wastage.
• Contributing to the ongoing development of systems to promote cost effective evidence based prescribing in line with the local formulary and national guidelines.
• Supporting PCN practices to meet the medicines related requirements of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and the Care Quality Commission, as appropriate.
• Supporting practices to undertake work for the local ICB prescribing incentive scheme.
• Updating and maintaining contemporaneous and accurate patient medication records on the practices clinical computer systems, including advice given and action taken. Practices are on EMIS or SystmOne and have remote access and GP Connect enabled between practices.

Supervision and Training

• An Induction programme will be provided to include working at the relevant PCN practices.
• The successful candidate will be expected to undertake the national CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway.
• Day-to-day clinical supervision: will always have access to a GP and/or pharmacist, where appropriate in each practice.
• Clinical supervision provision to be monitored by PCN Clinical Director via the Lead Pharmacist.
• Regular attendance at targeted meetings and peer support groups with opportunity to meet colleagues working across Exeter.

Quality:

The post-holder will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
• Participate in audit, where appropriate Personal & Professional

Development:

The post-holder will:

• Participate in the lead practices mandatory training programme and an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work Health & Safety /Risk Management
• The post-holder must comply at all times with the PCNs Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the lead practices Incident Reporting System.
• The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).
• 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.

Communication & Working Relationships

The post-holder will establish and maintain effective communication pathways with the following:

• Patients
• Clinicians, managers and practice and PCN employed staff across the PCN
• Community Pharmacy Staff
• Hospital Pharmacy Staff and other Clinicians
• Care Home staff and residents
• Devon ICB Medicines Optimisation Team

Special Working Conditions

• The post holder will be required to drive
• The post holder may be required to undertake duties at any location in the community in order to meets service needs including aligned care homes
• Indirect exposure to emotional circumstances, i.e. terminally ill patients

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 service development. 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.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence- based healthcare.
• Demonstrable ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients, carers, clinicians and administrative staff).
• Able to plan, manage, monitor, advise on and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions.
• 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 when appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Produces timely and informative reports
• Evidence of ability to support collation and analysis of data
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices, including the breadth of acute and long term conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Demonstrable ability to show kindness and compassion

Desirable

• Ability to use SystmOne and /or EMIS Web medical software packages
• Ability to use Microsoft Office packages, including Microsoft Teams
• Understanding of the development of Primary Care Networks and the Network Direct Enhanced Services

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Specialist knowledge gained through pre-registration training and pharmacy degree

Desirable

• Experience of working in primary care or attached to a primary care team through secondment or training
• Minimum of 3 years post qualification experience (dependent on desired banding).
• Experience of working within a care home setting.

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (or equivalent)
• Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council
• Specialist clinical knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Membership of the primary care Pharmacy Association.
• Independent prescribing qualification or working towards/intent of gaining qualification.

Other Factors

Essential

• Able to work effectively, independently and as a team member.
• Friendly and approachable.
• Good presentation of self, enthusiastic, flexible, innovative.
• Committed to patient care and first class service provision.
• Flexible attitude to working arrangements. Able to multi-skill change work patterns at short notice. Must be able to work within changing environments
• Adaptable, friendly, polite, courteous and caring.
• Motivated and committed.
• Ability to work within a pressurised environment.
• Receptive to feedback and the willingness to learn and develop.
• Full Drivers Licence or ability to travel between sites easily

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).