Job summary
ABOUT THE ROLE
The post holder is an independent prescribing Clinical Pharmacist, who acts within their professional boundaries, supporting and working in General Practice. You will be based at Hama Medical Centre providing support to the General Practice Team by ensuring that the practice(s) integrates with community and hospital pharmacy to help utilise skill mix, improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage workload. The role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and operational efficiencies so requires motivation and passion to deliver excellent service within general practice.
Main duties of the job
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. See (where appropriate) patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (, COPD, asthma). Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines (, medicines optimisation). Make appropriate recommendations to Senior Pharmacists or GPs for medicine improvement.
2. Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate Healthcare Professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time, pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
3. Analyse, interpret, and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
4. Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council
5. Qualified Independent Prescriber
6. An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
About us
PICS is the employer for this role. We collaborate with patients and partners to design and deliver clinically robust health and social care solution through Community Services, Out of Hospital Services, GP Practices, and Primary Care Networks. Find out more about us:
Benefits of working for PICS
We offer a comprehensive package which includes:
7. NHS Pension 2015 Scheme (subject to eligibility)
8. Alternative government-based scheme (subject to eligibility)
9. Competitive leave entitlement that includes maternity, paternity and adoption leave, study leave allowance, and sickness provisions
10. Access to education and training opportunities, depending on your role (CPPE Pharmacy, NHS England Roadmap for First Contact Practitioners, apprenticeship schemes, support professional development)
11. Working in a multi-disciplinary team with support from a wide variety of professionals
12. A flexible approach to a work-life balance
13. Cycle to work scheme (subject to eligibility)
14. Access to Blue Light Card scheme
15. All staff events and conferences
16. Staff engagement (Wellbeing Group, EDI Network, Staff Focus group)
17. Free parking across many sites
18. Personalised induction into the company and job role
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Patient facing long-term condition clinics
19. See (where appropriate) patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (, COPD, asthma). Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines (, medicines optimisation). Make appropriate recommendations to Senior Pharmacists or GPs for medicine improvement.
Patient facing clinical medication review
20. Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Nurses and/or GP on prescribing and monitoring.
Patient facing care home medication review
21. Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for the Senior Clinical Pharmacist, nurses or GPs on prescribing and monitoring. Work with care home staff to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration.
Patient facing domiciliary clinical medication review
22. Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for the Senior Clinical Pharmacists, Nurses and GPs on prescribing and monitoring. Attend and refer patients to multidisciplinary case conferences.
Management of common/minor/self-limiting aliments
23. Managing caseload for patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate.
Medicines support
24. Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries, and concerns about their medicines in the practice.
25. Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries, and concerns about their medicines.
Medicine information
26. Answers all medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (, community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. Suggesting and recommending solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.
Unplanned hospital admissions
27. Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions through audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.
Management of medicines at discharge from hospital
28. To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and 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 (, those with medicine compliance aids or those in care homes).
Signposting
29. Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate Healthcare Professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time, pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
Repeat prescribing
30. Produce and implement a practice repeat prescribing policy. Manage the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates and flagging up those needing a review. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required.
Risk stratification
31. 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.
Medicine's quality improvement and safety
32. Undertake simple audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team.
33. Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance.
Implementation of local and national guidelines and formulary recommendations
34. Monitor practice prescribing against the local health economy's RAG list and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors (red drugs) or subject to shared care (amber drugs). Assist practices in seeing and maintaining a practice formulary that is hosted on the practice's computer system. Auditing practice's compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance. Provide newsletters or bulletins on important prescribing messages.
Collaborative working relationships
The post holder will:
35. Recognise the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care
36. Demonstrate 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 CCGs)
37. Demonstrate ability to work as a member of a team
38. Recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary
39. Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality
40. Foster and maintain strong links with all services across locality
41. Explore the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships
42. Demonstrate ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams
43. Liaise with CCG colleagues including CCG Pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit
44. Liaise with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/ Optimisation to benefit from peer support
45. Liaise with other GP Practices and staff as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to:
46. Patients
47. GP, Nurses, and other practice staff
48. Other healthcare professionals
49. Locality / GP prescribing lead
50. Locality managers
51. Community nurses and other allied health professionals
52. Community and hospital pharmacy teams
53. Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation
Knowledge, skills, and experience
54. Completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
55. Minimum of 2 years' experience as a pharmacist, demonstrated within a practice portfolio
56. Has experience and an awareness of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
57. May hold or be working towards an independent prescribing qualification.
58. Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
59. Able to follow legal, ethical, professional, and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
60. Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidelines.
NB: it is anticipated of qualification held may vary according to the level of position and the components of the role being carried out, see person specification that the level.
Leadership
61. Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.
62. Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision
63. Engage with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and involves PPGs in development of the role and practices
64. Demonstrate ability to improve quality within limitations of service
65. Review yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.
66. Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals
67. Promote diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example.
Management
68. Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service
69. Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation
70. Demonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice
71. Demonstrate ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol
72. Demonstrate ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team
Education, training, and development
73. Understand and demonstrate the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service
74. Demonstrate understanding of the mentorship process
75. Demonstrate ability to conduct teaching and assessment effectively according to a learning plan with supervision from more experience colleague
76. Demonstrate self-development through continuous professional development activity; working alongside Senior Clinical Pharmacist to identifying areas to develop
77. Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes
78. Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice.
79. Ensure appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support development
80. Enrol into review and appraisal systems within the practice
Research and evaluation
The post holder will:
81. Demonstrate ability to critically evaluate and review literature
82. Demonstrate ability to identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice
83. Demonstrate ability to generate evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local level
84. Demonstrate ability to apply research evidence base into working place
85. Demonstrate understanding of principles of research governance.
Health and safety/risk management
86. Must comply at all times with the Practice's Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System.
87. Will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).
Special working conditions
88. Travel independently between practice sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc hosted by other agencies.
89. Have contact with body fluids, wound exudates; urine etc while in clinical practice.
Please see JD and PS attached for full list.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
90. Please provide details of your CPD, using examples where necessary.
91. Please provide your registration number of your GPhC professional registration.
Knowledge and skills
Essential
92. Please provide detailed information of how you feel that your knowledge and skills are suitable for this role; please provide examples to support your application referring to the job description and person specification for guidance.
Experience
Essential
93. Please provide detailed information of how you feel that your experience is suitable for this role; please provide examples to support your application referring to the job description and person specification for guidance.
Personal Qualities
Essential
94. Please provide details for why you would be a great fit for this role and why you have decided to apply.