PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job responsibilities

There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas

b. Be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism (through STOMP the Stop Over Medication Programme)

c. Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the PCNs practice(s) and to help in tackling inequalities

d. Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation (including ensuring prescribers in the organisation conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, while contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services

e. Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care

f. Have a leadership role in supporting further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to help improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage general practice workload

g. Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across PCNs and the wider health and social care system

h. Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists (including mental health and reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic use in people with learning difficulties), liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation

i. Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision

j. To act as the PCN point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positive working relationships

k. To liaise with the practices and, when practicable, to standardise the medicines management process across the PCN

l. To consult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medication

m. To receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians

n. To receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff

o. To provide medication review services for patients in the practice and during domiciliary visits to the local nursing home

p. To manage a caseload of complex patients

q. To manage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high risk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs etc.

r. To deliver long term conditions clinics particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes and prescribe accordingly

s. To provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team

t. To review medications for newly registered patients

u. To improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medication

v. To encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the PCN

w. To liaise with practices and implement and embed a robust repeat prescribing system for use across all practices

x. To provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff

y. To organise and oversee the PCNs medicines optimisation systems including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems

z. To improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance

aa. To provide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a system

bb. To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional

cc. To review the latest guidance ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc.

dd. To provide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care

ee. To handle prescription queries and requests directly

ff. To provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the PCN multidisciplinary team, patients and their carers

gg. To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the PCN

hh. To participate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss events

ii. To undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes

jj. To contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance

kk. To attend a formal appraisal with your manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed

nn. To contribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct care

oo. To maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the PCN Clinical Pharmacist may be requested to:

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

b. Agree and review prescribing formularies and protocols and monitor compliance levels

c. Improve the data quality of medicines records and linking to conditions

d. Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues

e. Provide proactive support to the Pharmacy Technician team, contributing to the smooth delivery of pharmacy services and ensuring high standards of patient care

f. Working in partnership with pharmacists and clinicians in secondary care, improve the safety and quality of prescribing after discharge from hospital admissions and attendance

g. Provide leadership and support to prescription administrative/dispensary staff

h. Develop a specialist area of interest

i. Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents

j. Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support including e-consultations, remote medication review and telehealth and telemedicine

k. Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner

l. Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility

Qualifications

Essential

• GPhC registered pharmacist
• When a PCN employs or engages a Clinical Pharmacist under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, the PCN must ensure that the Clinical Pharmacist is enrolled in, or has qualified from, an approved 18-month training pathway or equivalent that equips the Clinical Pharmacist to:
• a. Be able to practice and prescribe safely and ef-fectively in a primary care setting (for example, the CPPE Clinical Pharmacist training path-ways)
• b. Deliver the key responsibilities outlined in Annex B of the Network Contract Agreement DES Specification PCN Requirements and Entitle-ments dated 2 June 2023

Desirable

• Minor ailments certification
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Working towards faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Medicines Management qualification
• MUR and repeat dispensing certification

Skills

Essential

• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills organisation skills with the ability to constructively challenge the view and practices of managers and clinicians
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure

Desirable

• Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term condition
• Good clinical system IT knowledge of SystmOne and other digital platforms

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Flexible and cooperative
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety

Experience

Essential

• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice and the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners

Desirable

• Minimum of two years working as a pharmacist demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• Experience in managing pharmacy services in primary care
• Experience and an awareness of common acute and chronic conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
• In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
• Understanding of the mentorship process
• Broad knowledge of general practice

Other Requirements

Essential

• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational health clearance
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) commensurate with the role
• Access to own transport with business insurance and ability to travel across locality on a regular basis
• Competent with using Microsoft Office software
• Highly organised
• Flexibility
• Resilient
• Motivated and proactive with a positive approach to challenges
• Adaptable to change
• Good sense of humour

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).