Prescribing Clinical Pharmacist

Job summary
We are looking for somebody who shares our idea of what a PCN should be - supportive of its member Practices, effective and innovative. You'll be prepared to work hard to look after your patients and work with the lead clinical pharmacist and pharmacy team, wider multidisciplinary team colleagues and PCN leadership team to maintain a resilient and sustainable PCN.

We would like someone to join our team who has experience working as a Prescribing Clinical Pharmacist in General Practice.

27 to 37 hours p/w

For an informal chat / visit please contact Marie Wragg, PCN Manager View email address on meeveem.com or David Russell, Lead Clinical Pharmacist View email address on meeveem.com

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to View email address on meeveem.com or apply via NHS jobs.

Main duties of the job
The post holder is a prescribing clinical pharmacist who acts within their professional boundaries, working alongside a team of pharmacists across the PCN which is made up of 5 Practices.

They will improve patients health outcomes and the efficiency of the primary care team by providing direct, accessible and timely medicines and expertise including face to face contact with patients.

The post holder will be an integral part of the PCN, as well as part of a wider general practice and multi-disciplinary team. This includes being a conduit of patient medicines information into and out of hospitals. They will work to optimise medication issues to improve patient care and safety, and augment clinical staff in the management of patients, with minimal support needed from the Lead Pharmacist.

As part of their employment, the post holder will ideally have completed the CPPE pathway and must be an Independent Prescriber , equipping the prescribing clinical pharmacist to be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a primary care setting.

The supervision and mentorship network will be provided to support the prescribing clinical pharmacist.

About us
Network North PCN Ltd is a well-established Primary Care Network in North Sheffield, with a stable patient population. We have a compassionate and supportive team. We are committed, friendly and flexible. Key info:

• 5 Practices within the PCN
• On site duty GPs, available for questions/queries
• System One and EMIS practices
• Approx. 45,000 patients
• Commitment to CPD
• Emphasis on teaching within Practices
• Forward thinking, innovative and keen to embrace new ways of working
• Multi-disciplinary team - including an Advanced Care Practitioner, Care Coordinators, Clinical Pharmacists, GPs, Mental Health Workers, Pharmacy Technician, Physician Associates, Physiotherapists and Social Prescribing Link Worker

Job responsibilities
Primary key responsibilities
A prescribing clinical pharmacist at Network North PCN has the following key responsibilities in relation to delivering health services. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels.

• 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.
• Be a prescriber and work with and alongside the PCN and general practice team
• Work with the 5 Practices across the PCN as and where needed
• 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 Stop Over Medication Programme)
• Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the organisation and to help in tackling inequalities. Compared to a Clinical Pharmacist role, they must have a greater range of clinical skills relating to competences
• Provide leadership on person-centered medicines optimisation (including ensuring prescribers in the PCN practices conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, whilst contributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework, enhanced services/local enhanced services, Impact and Investment Fund requirements and also any local PQIS schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives
• Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care
• Have a 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
• Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across the wider health and social care system
• 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
• Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision.
• To act as the point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positive working relationships
• To consult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medication
• To receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians
• To receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff
• To provide medication review services for patients in the practices and during domiciliary visits to local nursing homes
• To manage a caseload of complex patients
• To manage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high risk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs, etc.
• To deliver long term condition clinics and home visits, particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes, and prescribe accordingly
• To provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team
• To review medications for newly registered patients
• To improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medication
• To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation
• To encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the PCN
• To implement and embed a robust repeat prescribing system
• To provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff
• To organise and oversee the PCNs medicines optimisation systems, including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems
• To improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education, to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance.
• To develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities
• To ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. To apply infection-control measures within the PCN practices according to local and national guidelines
• To provide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a robust system
• Share expertise with the various students across the Practices and have students shadow them in clinic
• To support clinicians with the management of patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependencies
• To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional
• To manage a caseload of complex patients and potential care institutions and to provide advice for the GP management of more complex patients or areas such as addictive behaviours, severe mental illness or end of life care
• To review the latest guidance, ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC guidance etc.
• To provide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care
• To handle prescription queries and requests directly
• To provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the organisation, patients and their carers
• To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the organisation
• 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
• To undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes
• To contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance
• 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
• To attend pharmacy team meetings and other clinical team meetings
• To contribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct care
• To maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.
• Carry out clinical audits
• Help the PCN prepare for Neighborhood working

Secondary responsibilities
In addition to the primary responsibilities, the prescribing clinical pharmacist may be requested to:

• Agree and review prescribing formularies and protocols, and monitor compliance levels
• Improve the data quality of medicines records and linking to conditions
• Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues
• Working in partnership with pharmacists and clinicians in local hospital(s), improve the safety and quality of prescribing after discharge from hospital admissions and attendance
• Provide support to prescription administrative/dispensary staff
• Produce pharmacy updates (e.g. Bulletins) and share other communications as needed
• Develop a specialist area of interest
• Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents
• Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support, including e- consultations, remote medication review, and telehealth and telemedicine
• 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
• Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. Other duties will be added and/or amended to suit the ever-changing needs of General Practice.

Person Specification
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, negotiation and organisational skills with the ability to constructively challenge the views 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
• Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS/SystmOne
• Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Demonstrate personal accountability and emotional resilience, and work well under pressure

Qualifications
Essential

• The prescribing clinical pharmacist:
• Is a GPhC registered pharmacist
• Holds a GPhC Independent Prescribing qualification

Desirable

• The prescribing clinical pharmacist:
• has qualified from an approved 18-month CPPE training pathway that equips them to:
• a.Be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a primary care setting
• b.Be able to assist Practices to deliver the key responsibilities outlined in the annual Network Contracted Enhanced Service Specification
• Has a minor ailments certification
• Has a medicines management qualification

Experience
Essential

• The prescribing clinical pharmacist has:
• An appreciation of the nature of and experience working in PCNs, GPs and general practice.
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Experience and an awareness of common acute and chronic conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
• An appreciation of the NHS landscape, including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners
• Broad knowledge of PCNs and general practice

Desirable

• Minimum of two years working as a pharmacist demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
• Understanding of the mentorship process

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
• Compassionate and maintain integrity
• 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

Other requirements
Essential

• Clear Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own home

Desirable

• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours where needed.

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).