Job Description

Integration and working as a team is seen as essential part of our PCN and as such you will work alongside our practice-based pharmacists. This allows for the provision of essential support from your professional peers You will significantly contribute to patient safety, by bringing medicines and prescribing expertise to support patients and carers with the management of their long term conditions including concordance and support for healthy lifestyles. We have long planned to provide the INTs services to patients in their own homes, a vision supported by the 10 year plan. The successful applicant will be able to contribute to both the planning and provision of this service.



Acting within your professional boundaries and supporting and working alongside a team of pharmacists in primary care you will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role. The post holder will work with the wider PCN team to ensure that all aspects of the Primary Care Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service and its associated service specifications, relevant to this post, are realised. The post holder will take responsibility for areas of chronic disease management within practices and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage patients with complex polypharmacy. The post holder will provide primary support to general practice staff with regards to prescription and medication queries and help support the repeat prescription system.



They will deal with acute prescription requests and medicines reconciliation on transfer of care for patients. They will support the development and delivery of systems for safer prescribing, providing expertise in clinical medicines whilst addressing both public and social care needs of patients in primary care. The post holder will provide clinical leadership on medicines optimisation and quality improvement as well as contributing to some aspects of Quality and Outcomes Framework and Investment and Impact Fund work where appropriate. The role is pivotal to improving quality of care for patients and operational efficiencies within primary care and therefore requires motivation and passion to deliver excellent service within general practice.



The post holder will be supported to develop their role to become a non-medical prescriber if not already a prescriber. Key responsibilities Responsibilities may include but not be limited to the following: See patients with LTC(s) where medicines optimisation is required and review the on-going need for each medicine Undertake structured medication reviews with patients, including arranging appropriate monitoring Work with care home staff to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration Attend and refer patients to multidisciplinary team meetings Where appropriate and required, provide patient facing clinics and or phone consultations for those with questions and concerns about their medicines Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals and outpatient appointments Managing a caseload of patients with specific ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high-risk groups of patients identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practice computer searches Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets Analyse, present and interpret medicines data to highlight issue and risks to support decision making Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance Monitor practice prescribing against national guidelines and formulary recommendations Work to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmission through audit and individual patient reviews Confidentiality In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately In the performance of the duties outlined in this , the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to local practices and Heartbeat Primary Care CIC as business organisations.



All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of Heartbeat and practices may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with Heartbeat and practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data. Health & Safety The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Heartbeat Health & Safety Policy, to include: Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines Infection Control all clinical and non-clinical staff groups Responsible for, in respect of your area of work, for ensuring so far as is reasonably practicable and in accordance with policies, that you are aware of your individual responsibilities in regard to infection prevention and control, this requires you to: Maintain safe infection prevention and control the environment for yourself and others Be familiar with and comply with current infection prevention and control guidelines, policies and procedures Raise matters of non-compliance with your manager Attend infection prevention and control mandatory training as directed by your manager Be appraised in relation to infection prevention and control Equality and Diversity The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Heartbeat procedures and policies, and current legislation and also that of any practices you may be working in Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights. Personal/Professional Development The post-holder will participate in any learning programme implemented by Heartbeat as part of this employment, such training to include: Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Quality The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within Heartbeat and member practices, and will: Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.



Communication The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to: Communicate effectively with other team members Communicate effectively with patients and carers Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly. Keep accurate and contemporaneous entries in patients records using practice clinical systems (currently all practices using TPP SystmOne). Contribution to the Implementation of Services The post-holder will: Apply Heartbeat policies, standards and guidance and those of general practice where appropriate Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work Participate in audit where appropriate. Special Working Conditions The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites (where applicable) and to attend meetings etc.



hosted by other agencies The post-holder will be part of Richmondshire PCN and will be expected to support the work of the PCN and its constituent practices as required. ANY OTHER DELEGATED DUTIES CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE TO THE POST. This job description covers the main duties that the post holder will be expected to undertake. These duties may be revised from time-to-time following consultation with the post holder.



Richmondshire PCN continues to work closely with Northumberland University and their Enhanced Care for Older People (EnCOP) programme. The aim of EnCOP is to recognise older peoples care as a specialism, provide best practice guidance, support inter-professional and inter-organisational care and consistency across the system. There will be an opportunity to be involved in the framework. Applicants who do not hold knowledge and skills specific to meeting the needs of older people and SMRs should be willing to develop these in line with our planned workforce developments [including in being supported to complete the EnCOP programme].