Job responsibilities
Job Responsibilities
Provide expertise in clinical medicines reviews and address public health and social needs of patients in GP practices
Reduce inappropriate poly-pharmacy and wasteful prescribing through clinical medication review
To discuss medication issues with patients as needed and appropriate e.g. adverse effects/interactions, overdose/inadvertent ingestion, OTC remedies, queries from dispensary, queries from care homes.
To review and continue repeat medications for new patients who have just registered with the practice and suggest GP medication review where appropriate.
Reconcile medicines following hospital discharge and work with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge.
Contribute to reductions in medicine related hospital admissions and readmissions by supporting patients to get the best outcomes from their medicines and identifying and
addressing medicines related issue.
To respond to community pharmacy queries to include, re-authorise repeats where there are queries, clarify doses, clarify products, give appropriate alternatives when availability issues.
Manage patients and health care professionals medicine queries.
Increase quality and safety of prescribing through mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles
Manage practice formularies to improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of prescribing
Implement drug withdrawals and alerts e.g. MHRA aimed at improving medicines safety
Overall management of the Pharmacy team providing support, guidance and training. Additionally, provide regular one to one supervisions etc.
Work with primary care professional and patients to implement NICE and other evidence based guidelines
Run clinics where medicines are the main interventions e.g. anticoagulant monitoring clinics.
Contribute to multi-morbidity reviews and multidisciplinary reviews
Provide medicines information and training to Practice healthcare professionals and admin staff
Review daily Pathology results for patients on known medicines
Act as a source of medicines information for all of the practice team and patients (e.g. around doses, side effects, adverse events, possible alternatives e.g. around out of stocks)
To monitor and inform colleagues as relevant about ongoing prescribing issues, e.g. new guidelines (national and local), new products being asked for by secondary care, manufacturing and supply problems, new prescribing restrictions or contraindications, and individual and systematic errors made by colleagues.
To advise on cost effective prescribing and prescribing budget issues.
To identify patients in need of medication review and develop the system of patient invitation with the admin team.
To liaise with dispensary, admin and clinical staff in discussing, developing, and implementing medicines management systems in the practice.
To work with the GPs (especially the prescribing lead) to review, develop and implement prescribing policies and strategies for the whole practice.
To suggest and design audits in relation to prescribing targets, implementation of policies and the Quality Assurance and Improvement Framework (QAIF)
To work with the GPs and Practice Manager on choosing and delivering targets for the Medicine Management Incentive scheme
To monitor the practices prescribing performance
Professionalism
Demonstrates general pharmaceutical skills and knowledge in core areas
Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general pharmaceutical care programmes for patients in core areas, including disease states / long term conditions identified by local Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment
Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision as an individual
Demonstrates ability to use skills in a range of routine situations requiring analysis or comparison of a range of options
Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
Is able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidance
Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
Participate in the management, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events utilising a structured framework (eg root-cause analysis)
Collaborative Working Relationships
Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care
Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
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)
Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team
Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary
Liaises with CCG colleagues including CCG Pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit
Liaises with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/ Optimisation to benefit from peer support
Liaises with other GP Practices and staff as needed for the collective benefit of patients
Leadership
Demonstrates understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace
Demonstrates understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision
Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service
Reviews last years progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others
Demonstrates ability to motivate self to achieve goals
Management
Ability to successfully manage the day-to-day operations of a small team ensuring the team is able to meet its aims and objectives.
Provide support and guidance to team members
Participate in the performance monitoring review of the team, providing feedback as appropriate
Demonstrates understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team/Practice
Demonstrates understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation
Demonstrates understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice
Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol
Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management
Demonstrates ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team
Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties
Education, Training and Development
Understands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service
Act as mentor to students, assessing competence against set standards as requested and if appropriately qualified
Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments
Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate
Make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the workplace, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information
Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning
Participates in the delivery of formal education programmes
Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice
Communication
Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.
Utilise communication skills to support patients to adhere to prescribed treatment regimens.
Management of risk
Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients
Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines
Undertake mandatory and statutory training
Apply policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all