Job summary
Kearsley Medical Centre are seeking to recruit a Prescribing Care Home Pharmacist on behalf of Farnworth and Kearsley PCN for up to 30+ hours per week. We require the candidate to work Tuesday - Thursday as a minimum, the working hours of which can be negotiated.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work withintheir clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provideexpertise in clinical medicines management, provide face to face structuredmedication reviews, manage long term conditions, management of medicines ontransfer of care and systems for safer prescribing, manage repeat prescriptionauthorisations and reauthorisation, acute prescription request, whileaddressing both the public health and social care needs of patients residing inCare Homes within Farnworth & Kearsley PCN. The post holder will performface to face medication review of patients for people in residential carehomes. The post holder will provide leadership on quality improvement andclinical audit and well as managing some aspects of the Quality and OutcomesFramework. This role is pivotal to improving the quality of care andoperational efficiencies so requires motivation and passion to deliver anexcellent service within general practice. The post holder must hold aprescribing qualification.
The Lead Employer and place ofwork is Kearsley Medical Centre, with regular visits to the care homes toundertake clinical work and participate in MDTs.
About us
Kearsley Medical Centre isbased in South Bolton, close to the A666. We are part of Farnworth and Kearsley PCN who provide primary care services to three care homes within the area.
The successful candidate would be based at Kearsley Medical Centre with the requirement to visit the care homes. They will be supported by a Care Home Technician, Care Home Lead GPs and the Practice's Prescribing Lead.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key duties and responsibilities
1. Clinical assessments and Care Home MDT
Managing patients with common/minor/self-limitingailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence.Referring to the PCN Care Home GP Lead or other healthcare professionals whereappropriate. Engaging in a weekly MDT meeting, escalating any patients asnecessary within an appropriate time frame.
2. Patient facing Long-term condition consultations
See, where appropriate, patientsresiding in Care Homes with single or multiple medical problems where medicineoptimisation is required Respiratory, Cardiovascular and Diabetes.Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and anopportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they getthe best use of their medicines medicines optimisation. Make appropriaterecommendations to GPs for medicine improvement.
3. Patient facing Care Home Medication Reviews
Undertake clinical medicationreviews with patients and produce recommendations for the nurses or GPs onprescribing and monitoring. Work with care home staff to improve safety ofmedicines ordering and administration.
4. Risk stratification
Identification of cohorts ofpatients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practicecomputer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicinerelated, or both.
5. Unplanned hospital admissions
Review the use of medicines mostcommonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions throughaudit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce theprescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.
6. Telephone/email medicines support
Provide telephone or emailsupport for care home staff with questions, queries and concerns aboutresidents medicines.
7. Management of medicines at discharge from hospital
To reconcile medicines followingdischarge from hospitals, intermediate care and into Care Homes, includingidentifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working with care homes andcommunity pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need postdischarge. Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supplyto high-risk groups of patients those with medicine compliance aids
8. Medicine information to practice and care home staff
Answers relevant medicine-relatedenquiries from GPs, other network staff, other healthcare teams communitypharmacy and care home staff with queries about medicines. Suggesting andrecommending solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effectof any changes.
9. Signposting
Ensure that patients are referredto the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of carewithin an appropriate period of time pathology results, common or minorailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
10. Repeat prescribing
Ensure an efficient repeatprescribing policy for Care Home patients is in place and adhered to. Managethe repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requestsfor repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates andflagging up those needing a review. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoringtests in place when required.
11. Service development
Contribute pharmaceutical advicefor the development and implementation of new services that have medicinalcomponents advice on treatment pathways and patient informationleaflets.
12. Information management
Analyse, interpret and presentmedicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.
13. Medicines quality improvement
Undertake clinical audits ofprescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implementchanges in conjunction with the relevant practice team.
14. Medicines safety
Implement changes to medicinesthat result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and nationalguidance.
15. Implementation of local and national guidelines and formularyrecommendations
Monitor practice prescribingagainst the local health economys RAG list and make recommendations to GPs formedicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors red drugs or subjectto shared care. Assist practices in seeing and maintaining apractice formulary that is hosted on each practices computer system. Auditingpractices compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance. Providenewsletters or bulletins on important prescribing messages.
16. Education and Training
Provide education and training toprimary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation.
17. Care Quality Commission
Work with the general practiceteam to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines areinvolved.
18. Public health
To support public healthcampaigns. To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmesavailable to the general public.
19. Collaborative working arrangements
Participates in the PCN Care HomeMDT.
Liaises with ICB colleaguesincluding ICB pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistencyof patient care and benefit.
Liaises with colleagues includingICB Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians on prescribing related matters toensure consistency of patient care and benefit
Liaises with colleagues includingICB Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Heads of MedicinesManagement and Optimisation to benefit from peer support.
Foster and maintain strong linkswith all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks. Explores thepotential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate andsustain such relationships.
Liaises with other stakeholdersas needed for the collective benefit of patients Including but not limited to
1. Patients and theirrepresentatives
2. GP, nurses and other practicestaff
3. Social prescribers, firstcontact physiotherapists and paramedics.
4. Community pharmacists andsupport staff
5. Other members of the medicinesmanagement team including pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Dieticians
6. Locality or GP prescribing lead
7. Locality managers
8. Community nurses and otherallied health professionals
9. Hospital staff withresponsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation
20. Participation in meetings
Participate and engage in monthlypharmacy team meeting to discuss workload, highlight any issues, adapt anylearning from team members or Prescribing Lead, identify, plan and update anytargets, and any other role relevant meetings as needed.
21. IIF
Work towards any Pharmacy relatedIIF targets. Work with team members and Prescribing Lead to develop andimplement plans to achieve IIF targets and update PCN accordingly.
Professional development
Work with your line manager toundertake continual personal and professional development, taking an activepart in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities. Adhere toorganisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality,safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
Work with your line manager toaccess regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively withthe difficult issues that people present.
Review yearly progress anddevelop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.
Participate in the delivery offormal education programmes.
Demonstrate an understanding ofcurrent educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keep upto date with relevant clinical practice.
Research and Evaluation
Critically evaluate and reviewliterature.
Identify where there is a gapin the evidence base to support practice.
Generate evidence suitable forpresentations at practice and local level.
Apply research evidence baseinto the workplace.
Health and Safety/Risk Management
Must comply at all times withthe Health and Safety policies, in particular following safe working proceduresand reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting Systems
Comply with the Data ProtectionAct 2018 and the Access to Health Records Act 1990.
Special working conditions
The post holder is required totravel independently between work sites and to attend meetings etc hosted byother agencies. The post-holder will have contact with body fluids, wound exudates, urine etc while in clinical practice
Miscellaneous
Work as part of the team toseek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to businessplanning.
Undertake any tasks consistentwith the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work isdelivered in a timely and effective manner.
Duties may vary from time totime, without changing the general character of the post or the level ofresponsibility.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
1. Minimum of two years experience as a pharmacist, demonstrated within a practice portfolio
2. Experience and an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-terms conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
3. Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams community groups
Qualifications
Essential
4. Completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
5. Independent prescribing qualification
6. Demonstrates and understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice.
7. Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management
Desirable
8. Clinical Diploma
Knowledge, skills and qualities
Essential
9. Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
10. In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of
11. the principles of evidence-based healthcare
12. Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
13. An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
14. Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
15. Able to gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers
16. Able to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol
17. Understand the principles of research governance
18. Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the cooperation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations, CCGs)
19. Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary
20. Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
21. Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
22. Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks
23. Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
24. Demonstrates personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure
25. Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
26. High level of written and oral communication skills
27. Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative
28. Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety
29. Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions
30. Self Motivation
31. Safeguarding and other mandatory training
32. Immunisation status
33. Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit care homes
Desirable
34. Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
35. Membership Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA)
36. Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
37. Able to plan, manage, monitor and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
38. Adaptable