PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job summary

Together4Healthcare PCN are a forward-thinking PCN based in Sandwell. We have an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Pharmacist to join our friendly and supportive PCN. Our PCN currently employs 8 Clinical Pharmacists and 3 Pharmacy Technicians.

The ideal start date will be in August 2024, but we are willing to waita bit longer if the right candidate is found.

We encourage any pharmacists with the Independent Prescribing (IP) qualification to apply for this role. If successful in your application, our PCN would be able to offer you a permanent contract.

For any applicants without the IP qualification; we will not be able to offer you this training within the first 12 months of your role.

Main duties of the job

The post holder for this role will work within their clinical competencies and provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of their on-going care. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to develop and run processes for repeat prescriptions, reauthorisation management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing.

Working in General Practice requires flexibility and we would encourage applicants to be open minded about their role within our PCN. Your role on day 1 may be very different to your role on day 100 and we will readily adapt our services to any helpful suggestions you make.

About us

Together4Healthcare PCN is made up of 6 General Practices based in Sandwell (West Bromwich and Smethwick). We cover a patient list size of approximately 42,000 patients:

Dr R K Arora (West Bromwich) Linkway Medical Practice (West Bromwich) New Street surgery (West Bromwich) Norvic Family Practice (Smethwick) Sarephed Medical Centre (Smethwick) Bearwood surgery (Smethwick)

You will be supported and mentored by a combination of GPs and other Clinical Pharmacists, with the overarching aim of improving prescribing within PCN practices, ensuring cost-effective prescribing through medication reviews and the optimisation of the management of patients with chronic long-term conditions.

You will predominately be based at Dr R K Arora's surgery. But as this is a PCN role, you may be asked to work at any of our PCN sites if required.

Job description

Job responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Being responsible within their allocated GP Practices, this role will require the post holder to provide expertise in clinical medicines review and address public health and social needs of patients.

More specifically this will include, but will not be limited to, the following duties:

Undertake clinical medication reviews and run poly-pharmacy clinics with patients with multi-morbidities, particularly in high risk groups (eg the frail elderly, renal impairment, hepatic impairment, multiple co-morbidities)

Management of medicines of patients discharged from hospital, reconciling and identifying unexplained changes and managing these without referral to a GP.

Improve prescribing practice through educational support for all prescribers within the practice

Lead on where changes in evidence require changes in prescribing across patient population where a drug is withdrawn or indications change

Liaise with colleagues in community pharmacy to align support for medicines adherence such as MUR and NMS

Support, develop and manage service improvement changes to enhance clinical care through practice based audits and appropriate guidance NICE.

Prescribing advice to prescribers in practice

Ensure patient safety when they are transferred between care providers through reconciliation of prescribed medicines

Undertake any other duties related to medicines and patient care as decided by the GP Practice.

ANALYTICAL

Review patients within specialist clinics, optimising their medication in line with their symptoms, preferences, monitoring results and other indicators of control.

Review medications in order to optimise these for patients with medication queries and those with multiple medications.

Run searches to identify and explore ways in which patients with long term conditions could be better supported.

Run searches to identify and explore ways in which the practice might improve the cost-effectiveness of its prescribing.

PLANNING & ORGANISATIONAL

Co-ordinate and plan the care of patients with specific diseases to ensure that this is optimised and that the practice achieves QOF targets.

Coordinate efforts to ensure that the practice improves its cost-effective prescribing, remains within budget and achieves CCG Prescribing Incentive Scheme targets.

Review the best deployment of own skills and the best division of own time to best support the interests of patients and the organization and work with the practice management team and clinicians to allow this new role to evolve.

PATIENT CARE

When appropriate:

See patients with specific diseases in clinics, reviewing their conditions holistically, optimising medications and performing the required diagnostics and other investigations as appropriate.

Review patient medication queries remotely or by telephone.

Review patients with multiple medications in order to optimise these for patients.

Use advanced critical thinking and decision-making skills in a clinical context.

Ensure that own clinical knowledge and skills are developed and remain up to date

POLICY

Review new prescribing initiatives and medication policy changes both at a CCG level and nationally and ensure that the practice responds to these appropriately.

Propose, implement, manage and evaluate initiatives to improve cost-effective, safe and appropriate prescribing within the practice.

Be responsible for identifying risks within the working environment and either resolve these or report them within the practice.

FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES

Help to coordinate and deploy practice resources in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

Maintain a personal duty of care in relation to equipment and resources.

PHYSICAL SKILLS

Maintain computer skills to a high level, navigating patient notes and running searches as required.

Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to a high level.

Deploy clinical skills with confidence to perform required diagnostics and potentially to give Influenza or Covid-19 vaccines.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

The Clinical Pharmacist will have the following key relationships:

Patients

All Clinical Staff

Other PCN Clinical Pharmacists

PCN or Practice Pharmacy Technicians

ICB Medicines Management Team

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To follow company policies and procedures at all times.

Equal Opportunities: To promote and develop the equality of opportunity in accordance with Practice Equal Opportunities Policy.

Confidentiality: To protect the confidentiality of information relating to Patient and Staff or other agencies.

Quality: To provide a quality service to internal and external agencies and participate in/develop clinical governance within sphere of responsibility.

Health and Safety: To share responsibility for abiding by Health and Safety policies and regulations and acting in accordance with the Risk Management Policy. You are expected to make yourself aware of and comply with Practices Health and Safety policies. Contravention of this policy will normally be regarded as a disciplinary matter.

Appraisal & Development: To participate in all mandatory training requirements. To attend department training sessions as required for personal and service development. To participate in the Practices appraisal process and set personal development plans.

Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults: Together4Healthcare PCN are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All employees have a duty of care and a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

Professional Registration/Codes of Conduct: Where your role requires you to maintain a statutory professional registration, it is your responsibility to ensure that this is maintained. The continuation of your employment is conditional upon you continuing to be registered with the appropriate professional body. Together4Healthcare PCN will require evidence of current registration. Failure to comply may result in your suspension from duty and could result in disciplinary action.

Where you are a member of a professional body you are required to adhere to the relevant codes of conduct. All managers are required to adhere to the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Minimum 2 years post-qualification experience Experience and an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-terms conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams community groups Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills Excellent written and verbal communication skills Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences ( patients) Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office packages Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improvement of prescribing Work effectively independently and as a team member Provide good leadership to other members of the Prescriptions team (including a PCN/practice Pharmacist Technician and non-clinical administrative staff) Ability to follow policy and procedure Adaptable

Desirable

Experience of using SystmOne (our clinical IT system) Understanding of QOF

Qualifications

Essential

Completion of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Desirable

Independent Prescribing qualification Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Membership of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA)

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