Job summary
Severnvale PCN is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Clinical Pharmacist to join our established team. We are looking for a pharmacist passionate about delivering high-quality patient care and supporting the development of our pharmacy services. Completion of the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) is desirable; candidates who have not completed the pathway will be expected to undertake and successfully complete the training.

Working 30 hours per week across 5 days, the postholder will provide specialist pharmaceutical support across the four Severnvale PCN practices, working closely with patients, carers, and practice, community and hospital colleagues to optimise medicines use and improve patient outcomes.

The role includes patient consultations, medicines optimisation, quality improvement, audits, service development, and supporting effective medicines management. The postholder will help implement change, monitor prescribing budgets, support the day-to-day operation of the PCN Prescription Hub, and provide leadership and support to the Prescription Hub Care Coordinator and Prescription Clerk teams.

Main duties of the job
As a Clinical Pharmacist within Severnvale Primary Care Network, you will work across four GP practices to provide high-quality, patient-centred pharmaceutical care. You will undertake structured medication reviews, support medicines optimisation, and provide clinical consultations for patients with long-term conditions and complex medication needs. You will reconcile medicines following hospital discharge, support safe and effective repeat prescribing processes, and work collaboratively with GPs, practice teams, community pharmacies and other healthcare professionals to improve patient outcomes.

You will play an active role in quality improvement by carrying out clinical audits, supporting prescribing initiatives, implementing evidence-based guidance, and contributing to medicines management projects. The role also includes supporting the day-to-day operation of the PCN Prescription Hub, providing advice and education to colleagues, participating in multidisciplinary team meetings, and helping to develop safe and effective prescribing practices across the network.

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of a supportive, forward-thinking pharmacy team, helping to deliver innovative, high-quality care to patients across Severnvale PCN.

About us
Severnvale PCN (Primary Care Network) comprises four GP practices in South Gloucestershire delivering services to a population of circa 34,000 patients which includes 8 care homes. We are an enthusiastic, dynamic, and friendly PCN who constantly strive to improve patient pathways and health care outcomes.

The PCN team includes a Clinical Director, a PCN Manager, a Community Frailty Practitioner, a Care Coordinator, 4 Clinical Pharmacists, , 7 Care Coordinator Prescription Clerks, 2 dedicated Social Prescribing Link Workers and First Contact Physiotherapists

Job responsibilities
1. JOB SUMMARY
To provide specialist pharmaceutical support to the 4 Practices of Severnvale Primary Care Network (PCN).

To liaise with patients, clinical and non-clinical staff, practice, hospital and community pharmacists and patient's carers to improve the pharmaceutical care of patients.

To consult with patients.

To support the Clinical Pharmacist Management Team and fellow Clinical Pharmacists role to maximise support to all clinical and non-clinical practice staff to improve patient care in relation to all aspects of medicines and their impact.

To provide clinical leadership on medicines optimisation and quality improvement and be responsible for supporting the GPs in implementing effective medicines management within the practices, including undertaking searches and audits identifying areas for improvement, initiating and managing change, and monitoring budgets.

To support in the day to day management of the PCN Prescription Hub.

To help provide leadership to PCN pharmacy technician and Prescription Hub Prescription Clerk Care Co-ordinators.

2. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To carry out medication reviews and structured medication reviews (SMRs) for patients both in the surgery, in care homes or for housebound patients - with single or multiple medical problems where medicines optimisation is required; reviewing the need for each medicine and providing recommendations for other clinicians on prescribing.

To consult with patients, by telephone and face to face according to competency. This may include patients with long term conditions, e.g. hypertension, CVD, diabetes as well as medication reviews.

To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals or intermediate care and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post-discharge.

To support in the management of the repeat prescribing process, helping to manage repeat prescription requests, resolving queries where possible and producing prescriptions for clinical review and signature. To ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required.

To undertake clinical and medication audits in priority areas, such as QOF, IIF (within PCN DES), NICE guidance, CQC searches and other agreed target areas, feeding your findings back to the network teams and implementing actions as appropriate

Provide independent information to patients regarding medicines and prescribing changes, initiating further support from other healthcare professionals where appropriate

To participate in the review of policies relating to medicines management and prescribing

To support in identifying areas of clinical risk at network level and make recommendations to support the introduction of new working practices that will optimise the quality of prescribing and make more efficient use of network resources

To help support the Practice Clinical, Management and Administrative Teams to implement procedural and service changes relating to prescribing to ensure best practice is adopted in accordance with local guidelines, legislation, directives and safety updates e.g. NICE, MRA etc.

To support in the provision of education and training to primary healthcare teams on therapeutics and medicines optimisation

To participate in multidisciplinary clinical meetings within the network

To maintain own clinical and professional competence and be responsible for own continuous professional development

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of duties and responsibilities but is a guide for information to the role. The job description will be periodically reviewed in light of the developing work requirements. The postholder will be expected to contribute towards that revision.

3. SUPERVISION RECEIVED
The postholder will be line managed by the Lead Clinical Pharmacist with clinical supervision provided by a GP from the practice whose patients the post holder is dealing with and the Senior Clinical Pharmacist.

4. SUPERVISION EXERCISED
The post holder will provide clinical supervision to staff involved with the prescribing process where appropriate.

5. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Develop and maintain key working relationships with:

• PCN Clinical director
• PCN Clinical Pharmacist Management Team
• Other Clinical Pharmacists
• Care Coordinator Prescription Clerk Team
• Other PCN staff members, e.g. PCN Manager, Frailty lead
• Practice GPs, Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants
• Patients and Carers where appropriate
• Practice Management, Reception and other Administrative staff
• Secondary Care and interface Pharmacists
• ICB Head of Medicines Management & Medicines Management Team
• Community Nurses and other allied health professionals
• Community Pharmacists and support staff

Person Specification
Skills & Knowledge
Essential

• Good clinical knowledge
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated and able to work on own initiative with the ability to prioritise workload and exercise good time management skills
• Proven track record of team-working
• IT skills with established clinical system of EMISWeb

Desirable

• Good influencing and negotiating skills
• Good presentation skills
• Aware of current issues in medicines optimisation

Qualifications
Essential

• Pharmacy degree
• Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development.
• Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) primary care Pharmacy Education Pathway (completed or exempted)

Desirable

• Independent Prescribing Qualification (non-medical prescriber)

Other
Essential

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Able to work under pressure.
• Hard working, adaptable, reliable, honest, pleasant and approachable
• Able to work autonomously with minimal supervision
• Clean driving licence

Experience
Essential

• Minimum 2 years post-registration experience
• Previous primary care experience

Desirable

• Previous experience of using prescribing data
• Previous work in a multi-disciplinary team

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).