Clinical Pharmacist

Job summary
Aintree Park Group Practice are looking for an enthusiastic and committed Clinical Pharmacist to join our high achieving, popular practice. We provide patient centred care for our population of approximately 16,000 across two sites in North Liverpool and South Sefton.

We are a well-established training practice, with a high staff retention rate and are dedicated to supporting the development of our team.

We have a diverse skilled workforce including a Practice Pharmacist, Mental Health Consultancy, Acute Care Nurse Practitioners, Practice Matron, Paramedic, Practice Nurses, Health Care Assistants, and a Vulnerable Patient Care Co-ordinator. As well as supporting medical student training and placements.

Main duties of the job
Act as an integral part of the general practice team, working within professional boundaries and alongside a well-established Clinical Pharmacist in Aintree Park.

To be responsible for proactively managing repeat prescribing, providing structured medication reviews, managing long term conditions

Make decisions about the management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing.

Improve patient health outcomes by providing direct, accessible and timely medicines and expertise including face to face contact with patients.

About us
As an excellent employer, we offer numerous staff benefits and incentives including 12 months of mentoring for all new starters, BMA model contract, competitive salary, indemnity fees paid, protected study leave, enhanced annual leave for 100% attendance, plus family friendly working opportunities.

We actively encourage applications from individuals who share our vision and we are particularly interested in hearing from individuals who are looking to develop an area of interest, support teaching or training and education.

Aintree Park is an organisation that is committed to equality and diversity, and we strive for our workforce to be representative and inclusive of the community we are proud to serve.

Although not required by law, we strongly recommend that all staff have received all Covid vaccinations.

Job responsibilities

• 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.
• Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions.
• Aim to review multiple long term conditions and support patients to manage their conditions.
• 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 and stop unnecessary or ineffective medicines, implementing own prescribing changes as an independent prescriber.
• Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable.
• Review all safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• To ensure the practice repeat prescribing system is safe, efficient and helps minimise waste.
• To reauthorise medication for future repeat prescribing within scope of competence as an independent prescribe.
• To identify patients suitable for repeat dispensing. Ensure this is implemented effectively by close working with patients, prescribers and community pharmacies.
• 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.
• Review daily pathology results for patients under their care.
• Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes.
• Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Experience of working within the NHS
• Knowledge of the local and national health policy and wider health economy
• Knowledge of clinical governance, confidentiality, data protection and information governance in primary care
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences, e.g. patients, carers, etc.
• 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

Desirable

• Appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice
• Leadership in quality initiatives including clinical benchmarking
• IT skills to support clinical work, research and audit

Attributes and Behaviour
Essential

• A complete finisher.
• Resilience and drive
• Personal and professional integrity and confidence.
• Flexibility
• Self-starter
• Calm and resolute under pressure

Qualifications
Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPham) or equivalent Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council Demonstrate a commitment to Continuous Professional Development

Desirable

• Independent prescriber Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Aintree Park is an organisation that is committed to equality and diversity, and we strive for our workforce to be representative and inclusive of the community we are proud to serve.