Job summary
Shrewsbury Primary Care Network is looking for two enthusiastic Clinical Pharmacists to join our team! This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping the way we deliver high-quality and personalised care to our patient population.
You'll be at the heart of general practice, working closely with GPs and other healthcare professionals to optimise medicine use, improve outcomes and support patients in managing their health. If you're passionate about clinical pharmacy, enjoy collaborative working, and want to be part of a supportive and innovative environment - we'd like to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work within their clinical competencies to provide specialist pharmaceutical support to all practices within Shrewsbury PCN to improve care and support safe and effective prescribing.
Moving between practices, the role will have a patient facing element - either face to face or telephone - including chronic disease management, repeat prescription management and structured medication reviews. This will also include management and review of patients with polypharmacy.
The post holder will need to be proactively involved in quality improvement and audit as well as managing some aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
The post holder will be supported to help develop the role and work to improve the care and outcomes for the patients across Shrewsbury PCN.
About us
Shrewsbury PCN is made up of 11 GP practices supporting over 104,000 patients in and around Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
We are passionate about leading a network that is supportive and collaborative, where members and staff feel appreciated and empowered to make a difference. Our ambition is to deliver exceptional care and have a positive impact on the community we serve.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Vision
- To support the delivery of an effective and efficient medicines management service within PCN by working closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team.
- To ensure service compliance with medicines legislation, in particular controlled drugs legislation.
- To provide input into policy, procedures, audit and research affecting the use of pharmaceuticals within the PCN where appropriate.
Delivery
- Undertake structured medication reviews for patients with single or multiple long-term conditions where medicines optimisation is required, particularly those with complex polypharmacy, frailty or residing in care homes.
- Support deprescribing initiatives, particularly in relation to falls risk, anticholinergic burden and inappropriate polypharmacy.
- Liaise with care home staff to improve medicines administration practices and ensure medication safety.
- To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals or intermediate care and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post-discharge and to reduce risk of readmission.
- To be involved in multidisciplinary clinical meetings within the PCN and its member Practices where appropriate.
- To manage repeat prescription requests, resolving queries where possible within scope of practice. To ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required.
- Implement changes to medicines in line with MHRA alerts, product withdrawal or shortage and other local or national guidance.
- Using Eclipse software, identify patients at risk of harm from their medications and take proactive steps to mitigate these risks.
- To maintain full and complete records of all patient contacts using appropriate clinical templates and coding.
- To undertake a proactive role in audit and quality improvement implementing recommendations where appropriate.
- Provide independent information to patients with regard to medicines and prescribing changes, initiating further support from other healthcare professionals where appropriate.
- Participate in review and setting of policies relating to medicines management and prescribing and help to ensure practices prescribe in accordance with local guidelines and formulary.
- To identify areas of clinical risk at a PCN level and make recommendations to support the introduction of new working practices that will optimise the quality of prescribing and make more efficient use of network resources.
- To monitor PCN practice's prescribing against the local health economy and make recommendations for GP's or amend within scope of practice, based on findings.
- To take a lead role in pharmaceutical projects across the PCN as identified by the Senior Leadership Team and Senior Clinical Pharmacist.
- Work with practices to ensure full compliance with Care Quality Commission standards for safe and effective care.
- To maintain own clinical and professional competence and be responsible for own continuous professional development.
- To work as a flexible member of the PCN providing support to other team members when necessary.
- To take an active role in the development of embedding of the PCNs culture, values and reputation as providers of high quality services.
- To delegate tasks as appropriate to PCN Pharmacy Technicians.
Understanding and Managing in Context
- Identify and respond effectively to the specialist pharmaceutical information needs of patients, carers, doctors, nurses and other members of the healthcare team.
- Ensure that information is provided in a timely manner, to the appropriate individual (in accordance with the degree of urgency of the request or issue identified).
- Be able to present information in a suitable format (e.g. written and/or verbal) and style for the target audience. Barriers to effective communication may include non-consenting/non-compliant patients.
- To be responsible for communicating and interpreting relevant policy relating to medicines to local clinical areas.
- To identify and share areas of good practice with the pharmacy team, with a view to improving standards.
Relationship building
- Patients and carers where appropriate.
- GPs, Nurses and other multidisciplinary practice staff including other pharmacists.
- PCN clinical and non-clinical staff.
- Practice Managers within the PCN.
- ICB pharmacists and medicines management team.
- Secondary Care and interface Pharmacists.
- Community Nurses and other allied health professionals.
- Community Pharmacists and support staff.
Teams and People Development
- To prepare and deliver training for clinical and non-clinical staff within the PCN.
- To participate in pharmacy continuing education sessions.
- To train and support pharmacy technicians and other trainees within the PCN as required.
Personal Development
- Take responsibility for keeping up to date and reviewing your personal development needs and objectives on a regular basis, including participating in appraisal reviews with your manager on at least a 12-monthly basis.
- Undertake Shrewsbury PCNs mandatory training requirements.
- To participate in any training programme implemented by the PCN as part of this employment, such training to include:
- If not already held, completion of the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to work in various patient-facing roles in primary care networks as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skill and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
This job description will be subject to review and amendment, in consultation with the post holder, to meet the changing needs of the service and the organisation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Vision
- To support the delivery of an effective and efficient medicines management service within PCN by working closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team.
- To ensure service compliance with medicines legislation, in particular controlled drugs legislation.
- To provide input into policy, procedures, audit and research affecting the use of pharmaceuticals within the PCN where appropriate.
Delivery
- Undertake structured medication reviews for patients with single or multiple long-term conditions where medicines optimisation is required, particularly those with complex polypharmacy, frailty or residing in care homes.
- Support deprescribing initiatives, particularly in relation to falls risk, anticholinergic burden and inappropriate polypharmacy.
- Liaise with care home staff to improve medicines administration practices and ensure medication safety.
- To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals or intermediate care and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post-discharge and to reduce risk of readmission.
- To be involved in multidisciplinary clinical meetings within the PCN and its member Practices where appropriate.
- To manage repeat prescription requests, resolving queries where possible within scope of practice. To ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required.
- Implement changes to medicines in line with MHRA alerts, product withdrawal or shortage and other local or national guidance.
- Using Eclipse software, identify patients at risk of harm from their medications and take proactive steps to mitigate these risks.
- To maintain full and complete records of all patient contacts using appropriate clinical templates and coding.
- To undertake a proactive role in audit and quality improvement implementing recommendations where appropriate.
- Provide independent information to patients with regard to medicines and prescribing changes, initiating further support from other healthcare professionals where appropriate.
- Participate in review and setting of policies relating to medicines management and prescribing and help to ensure practices prescribe in accordance with local guidelines and formulary.
- To identify areas of clinical risk at a PCN level and make recommendations to support the introduction of new working practices that will optimise the quality of prescribing and make more efficient use of network resources.
- To monitor PCN practice's prescribing against the local health economy and make recommendations for GP's or amend within scope of practice, based on findings.
- To take a lead role in pharmaceutical projects across the PCN as identified by the Senior Leadership Team and Senior Clinical Pharmacist.
- Work with practices to ensure full compliance with Care Quality Commission standards for safe and effective care.
- To maintain own clinical and professional competence and be responsible for own continuous professional development.
- To work as a flexible member of the PCN providing support to other team members when necessary.
- To take an active role in the development of embedding of the PCNs culture, values and reputation as providers of high quality services.
- To delegate tasks as appropriate to PCN Pharmacy Technicians.
Understanding and Managing in Context
- Identify and respond effectively to the specialist pharmaceutical information needs of patients, carers, doctors, nurses and other members of the healthcare team.
- Ensure that information is provided in a timely manner, to the appropriate individual (in accordance with the degree of urgency of the request or issue identified).
- Be able to present information in a suitable format (e.g. written and/or verbal) and style for the target audience. Barriers to effective communication may include non-consenting/non-compliant patients.
- To be responsible for communicating and interpreting relevant policy relating to medicines to local clinical areas.
- To identify and share areas of good practice with the pharmacy team, with a view to improving standards.
Relationship building
- Patients and carers where appropriate.
- GPs, Nurses and other multidisciplinary practice staff including other pharmacists.
- PCN clinical and non-clinical staff.
- Practice Managers within the PCN.
- ICB pharmacists and medicines management team.
- Secondary Care and interface Pharmacists.
- Community Nurses and other allied health professionals.
- Community Pharmacists and support staff.
Teams and People Development
- To prepare and deliver training for clinical and non-clinical staff within the PCN.
- To participate in pharmacy continuing education sessions.
- To train and support pharmacy technicians and other trainees within the PCN as required.
Personal Development
- Take responsibility for keeping up to date and reviewing your personal development needs and objectives on a regular basis, including participating in appraisal reviews with your manager on at least a 12-monthly basis.
- Undertake Shrewsbury PCNs mandatory training requirements.
- To participate in any training programme implemented by the PCN as part of this employment, such training to include:
- If not already held, completion of the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to work in various patient-facing roles in primary care networks as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skill and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
This job description will be subject to review and amendment, in consultation with the post holder, to meet the changing needs of the service and the organisation.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to gain acceptance for recommendations and be able to influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers.
- Can work effectively, both independently and as a team member across a number of diverse teams.
- Self-motivated and able to prioritise and manage own workload.
Other
Essential
- Ability to meet the travel requirements for the post as travel is required across the locality on a regular basis and other location as required.
- Training may need to be undertaken outside of normal practice hours, and off site.
- Prolonged sitting due to the working environment.
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable post-qualification experience.
Qualifications
Essential
- Master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent.
- Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Independent prescriber or currently working towards qualification.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare.
- 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.
- Can demonstrate the ability to communication complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients).
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions.
- Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
- Able to recognise priorities when problem solving and identifies deviation from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
- Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
- Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
- Able to produce timely and informative reports.
- Use of VDU.
- Ensuring accuracy within work place even when noise is problematic.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to gain acceptance for recommendations and be able to influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers.
- Can work effectively, both independently and as a team member across a number of diverse teams.
- Self-motivated and able to prioritise and manage own workload.
Other
Essential
- Ability to meet the travel requirements for the post as travel is required across the locality on a regular basis and other location as required.
- Training may need to be undertaken outside of normal practice hours, and off site.
- Prolonged sitting due to the working environment.
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable post-qualification experience.
Qualifications
Essential
- Master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent.
- Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Independent prescriber or currently working towards qualification.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare.
- 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.
- Can demonstrate the ability to communication complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients).
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions.
- Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
- Able to recognise priorities when problem solving and identifies deviation from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
- Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
- Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
- Able to produce timely and informative reports.
- Use of VDU.
- Ensuring accuracy within work place even when noise is problematic.
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).
