Job summaryWere recruiting a qualified and experienced Clinical Pharmacist to join our enthusiastic and proactive Pharmacy Team. Within the Pharmacy Team you will work alongside our current Clinical Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technician.
You'll be part of a multi-disciplinary team providing specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment, and to also provide evidence-based education and training for colleagues in partnership with the practice.
The role will also involve providing structured medication reviews, managing long term conditions, management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing, providing specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters while addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients.
Main duties of the jobTo practice as an independent prescriber, holding face to face consultations
To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions
To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers
To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing systems
This job description is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the GP Practice.
About usKiltearn Medical Centre has a skilled and experienced team of 6 GP Partners leading a Clinical Team of GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, HCAs, Clinical Care Coordinators and Pharmacists.
Our current patient list is circa 12,000 and the practice is well placed to be at the forefront of general practice, provide innovative and robust services, as well as provide development opportunities for the staff.
We are based in a modern purpose-built surgery, with an good CQC grading, and our ethos is to deliver high-quality medical care through our comprehensive, highly skilled team members.
Job responsibilitiesMain purpose of job:
- To contribute to improve health outcomes in long term conditions as a member of the multidisciplinary primary care team
- To provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment, and to also provide evidence-based education and training for colleagues in partnership with the practice
- To practice as an independent prescriber, holding face to face consultations
- To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions
- To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers
- To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing systems
This job description is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the GP Practice.
Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:
Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions
Long term condition clinics
Practice as an independent non-medical prescriber, holding clinics for long term conditions within scope of competence.
Aim to review multiple long term conditions at same clinic visit to provide holistic care and improve patient experience.
Support patients to manage their long term conditions.
Medication review / medicines optimisation
Carry out face to face clinical medication reviews for patients on multiple medications for long term conditions.
Review if prescribing is appropriate in line with current guidance, cost-effective and safe; identify unmet need, stop unnecessary/ineffective medicines. Implement own prescribing changes as an independent prescriber.
Pathology results
Review daily pathology results for patients under their care
QOF
Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes
CHD risk reduction
Identify patients at high risk of CHD and provide advice/treatment to reduce risk
Domiciliary visits
Identify and visit housebound patients who would benefit from a clinical medication review or a review of their LTC by a clinical pharmacist.
Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters
Medical information queries
Answer medical information queries from GPs, Nurses, practice staff and patients.
Education
Provide education on medicines related topics for GPs, Nurses, medical students, registrars.
Evidence-based prescribing/ Clinical guidance
Review NICE and other evidence-based guidance as it is issued, to evaluate any impact on medicines and prescribing.
Undertake regular clinical audit to support implementation of clinical guidance across the practice.
Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the practice to discuss audit results and agree an action plan for improving standards within clinical areas.
Medicines unavailability
Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable.
Cost effective prescribing
Encourage cost effective prescribing within the practice, including adherence to local formulary.
Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members
New medicines
Provide education for the clinical team on new medicines
Drug safety
Review all safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken
Unplanned Emergency Admissions
Work with the practice team to help reduce medicines related emergency admissions by running regular searches to identify patients at risk of harm from their medicines. Review these patients to reduce the risk of harm.
To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions
Patient advice
Provide patients with advice on treating self-limiting conditions through face to face/ telephone consultations and patient information leaflets/website. Conditions may include UTIs, hayfever, emergency contraception, conjunctivitis.
Improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and both the patient and other care providers
Management of medicines related information at hospital admission
To review communication processes between practices/ hospitals/care homes/ community pharmacies at hospital admission to evaluate how this can be improved
Management of medicines at discharge from hospital
To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital/ intermediate care; identify and rectify unexplained changes, manage these changes without referral to the GP; perform a clinical mediation review; produce a post-discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow-up test, and work 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 (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids).
Medication changes from clinic appointments
Reconcile medication from clinic appointment correspondence, identifying any unexplained changes and rectifying these by communication with the secondary care provider. Ensure patients are fully aware of any changes and that a plan for monitoring/dose titration is in place.
Community Pharmacy
Act as the practice lead contact for community pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.
Hospital Pharmacy
Act as the practice lead contact for hospital pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.
Care Homes
Ensure care home residents have an annual medication review by a clinical pharmacist. Any changes agreed with the patient and/or their representative should be communicated to the care home staff and the community pharmacy.
Newly registered patients
To review medications for new patients, to ensure safe, cost-effective prescribing in line with practice/local prescribing policies.
Lead on implementation of safe and efficient prescribing systems
Repeat prescribing system
To ensure the practice repeat prescribing system is safe, efficient and helps minimise waste.
Medication monitoring
To provide specialist knowledge on medication monitoring and ensure a system for implementation is in place
Prescription queries
To answer queries from administration staff regarding medication requests where appropriate to save GP time
Reauthorisation of repeat medication / medication review
To reauthorise medication for future repeat prescribing within scope of competence as an independent prescriber
To work with practice staff to ensure a robust medication review policy
Repeat dispensing
To identify patients suitable for repeat dispensing. Ensure this is implemented effectively by close working with patients, prescribers and community pharmacies.
Prescribing for vulnerable patients
Review the prescribing of medication for vulnerable patients to ensure it is appropriate e.g. weekly prescriptions for at risk-patients, monitored dosage systems or alternative solutions to improve patient compliance
All employees should understand it is their personal responsibility to comply with all organisational and statutory requirements (e.g. health and safety, equality and diversity, confidentiality and clinical governance)
Person SpecificationExperienceEssential- Significant post-qualification experience In depth experience of therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence based healthcare.
- Experience of working within a Primary Care GP surgery Experience of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
Desirable- Experience of planning, managing, monitoring, advising and reviewing general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
- Experience of using Patient Management Systems, e.g. EMIS and Microsoft packages for a range of different purposes
QualificationsEssential- Masters degree in pharmacy (MPham) or equivalent Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council Demonstrate a commitment to Continuous Professional Development
- Independent prescriber Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Desirable- A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
- Specialist knowledge acquired through post-graduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience
Knowledge and SkillsDesirable- Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences, e.g. patients, carers, etc. Ability to be self-motivated and work co-operatively as part of a team.
- Managing ones own time with a minimum of supervision to meet agreed outcomes and deadlines Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
- 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
- Understanding of how to develop and deliver a person centred approach and an ability to assess, plan and review an individuals needs
- Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and valuing patients perspectives and choices
- Motivated to work towards creating a safe, open and trusting environment
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.Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). 