Job Description

Title:

Clinical Pharmacist (Practice / PCN)

Reports to:

Senior Clinical Pharmacist and nominated person within Practice setting.

Responsible to:

Senior Clinical Pharmacist and Surrey Heath Community Providers Ltd (SHCPL, 'The Federation'), Surrey Heath Primary Care Network ('The PCN')

Base:

Surrey Heath Community Providers Ltd, Theta, Lyon Way, Frimley Rd, Frimley, Camberley GU16 7ER

The role will require working across the practices within the Federation / Surrey Heath Primary Care Network (PCN) footprint and care home settings across the footprint.

Hours per week:

37.5 hours (Full time position)

Salary:

47,758.00 per annum (Based on full time hours)

Holiday Entitlement:

30 days per year (based on full time hours) plus Bank Holiday entitlement

Key Relationships:

Surrey Heath Clinical Pharmacy Team, Federation Directors & PCN Clinical Directors, GPs and other general practice healthcare professionals within Surrey Heath PCN/Federation teams, Practice Managers / practice staff within Surrey Heath, GP Prescribing leads, Patients / residents / clients, Care Homes' staff, Community Pharmacists, Surrey Heath Integrated Care Team.

About Us

We are Surrey Heath Community Providers Limited, which is a federation of 7 GP practices across 10 sites, covering a population of over 97,000 patients across Surrey Heath. We began in 2016 and now employ around 200 members of staff across our clinical and corporate support teams. Since 2019 we have hosted the Primary Care Network in Surrey Heath.

As a GP Federation, we are proud to represent our member practices and to champion primary care by working with local general practice and system partners in the provision of community based healthcare services. We are dedicated to providing safe and compassionate care to our patients across our range of primary care services in Surrey Heath and believe in continuous commitment to quality service delivery and positive patient outcomes.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do,

and we pride ourselves in

ensuring our patients feel safe, supported, communicated with and respected

, at a time when they may be feeling vulnerable.

Our vision is to provide high quality, seamless health care that enables people to lead healthier lives, whilst feeling supported and cared for.

JOB OVERVIEW

As a Clinical Pharmacist in Surrey Heath the role will join the growing clinical pharmacy team and work within one or more of our general practices, as well as working as part of the PCN Care Homes Team to support the responsibilities and deliverables of Surrey Heath Primary Care Network (PCN). Initially, time will be planned on a rotational basis in order to build skill and competence across the portfolio and allocated to nominated practices and PCN Care Homes Team.

Surrey Heath Community Providers offer a 365 day, 52 week service delivery and as part of that we offer a 7 days a week from 0800 hrs - 2000hrs service. So you may be required to work evenings, weekends, and Bank Holidays as part of your normal working hours, as per the needs of the business.

As such the role will be responsible for supporting the practice(s) in implementing effective medicines management within the practice, identifying areas for improvement, and initiating and managing change. The role will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, spending time working directly in one or more nominated GP practice(s) and also spending time working in and supporting our care homes. Within care homes, the post holder will be responsible for supporting the Primary Care Network (PCN) to implement the medicines optimisation requirements of the Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service for enhancing health in care homes. In addition, the role will support other PCN medicines management responsibilities as required.

This is a clinical role and therefore will be responsible for developing and managing medicines management plans and delivering patient services as determined by PCN and practice policy and local and national guidance.

Key Responsibilities and Duties may include the following:

Management of medicines at discharge from hospital

To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working 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 (eg, those with medicine compliance aids or those in care homes).

Risk stratification

Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practice computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related, or both.

Unplanned hospital admissions

Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions through audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.

Repeat prescribing

Produce and implement a practice repeat prescribing policy. Manage the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates and flagging up those needing a review to the GP.

Telephone and patient facing clinical support

Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines. Hold clinics for patients requiring face-to-face medicines use reviews -- i.e. advise about medicines and adherence support. Participate in triage and provide management of minor ailments as appropriate, e.g. urinary tract infection / upper respiratory tract infection etc. including telephone triage, and managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence.

Medication review (including care homes and domiciliary medication reviews)

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients / home residents and produce recommendations for the GP on prescribing and monitoring. Make clinical decisions about patient care, within scope of practice, and communicate highly complex and sensitive medicines related information clearly to the person / resident, their carer(s), their GP and other healthcare professionals involved in their care. Work with care home staff and ICT colleagues to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration. Undertake Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) as part of a programme of regular SMRs, in line with the PCN service specification (DES), using appropriate tools to identify and prioritise residents who would benefit from a Structured Medication Review (SMR), including identifying residents at high risk of harm from medicines or with severe frailty through pre-prepared practice computer searches.

Long-?term condition clinics

See patients with single medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (e.g. COPD, asthma). Make recommendations to GPs for medicine improvements. MDT meetings Participate in MDT processes, reviewing identified patients, carrying out face to face medication reviews and participating in MDT meetings as necessary.

Service development

Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g. advise on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets). Undertake tasks to support and enable the delivery of relevant projects and service development, including education and training, supporting communication, developing documentation, protocols, policies and procedures. Leading on an area of development as appropriate. Provide the practice or PCN with medicines management and optimisation expertise when developing new services or compiling or reviewing procurement tender/bids.

Care Quality Commission

Work with the practice manager and GPs to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines legislation.

Public health

To contribute to public health campaigns, including flu vaccinations and adult immunisation programmes.

Cost saving programmes

Undertake changes to medicines (switches) designed to save on medicine costs where a medicine or product with lower acquisition cost is now available and is identified as being clinically effective.

Medicine information to practice staff and patients

Function as part of the general practice team, developing relationship with practices and being available to answer questions, providing primary support in relation to care homes prescription and medication queries. Work autonomously making decisions within competence, e.g. extending medication review dates, where within competence. Deal with Practice alerts as appropriate, including QOF/QIS alerts.

Information management

Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.

Medicines quality / service improvement

Undertake simple audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team. Support the PCN to deliver quality and service improvement, including the 'QIPP' agenda, the Quality Outcomes Framework, achievement of the Investment and Impact Fund, and locally commissioned enhanced services. Identify areas for improvement in relation to medicines in a care home or practice setting, assist in implementing and reviewing any improvements. Assist in the implementation of strategies (local, regional, national) relating to medicines optimisation, initially with specific focus on the care home sector and frailty patients. Taking the lead when appropriate. Action drug alerts and recalls, within competence, independently or with other members of the team.

Training

Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation.

Implementation of local and national guidelines and formulary recommendations

Monitor practice prescribing against the local health economy's RAG list and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors (red drugs) or subject to shared care (amber drugs). Assist practices in setting and maintaining a practice formulary that is hosted on the practice's computer system. Assist in ensuring medicines related policies are up to date and appropriately implemented. Auditing practice's compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance. Provide newsletters or bulletins on important prescribing messages. Work collaboratively with the CCG medicines management pharmacists, and PCN clinical pharmacy team to promote best practice protocols and guidelines relating to medicines management.

Medicines safety

Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance. Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines legislation.

Activity recording & reporting

Record and report activity undertaken to demonstrate the cost and/or clinical benefit.

Leadership

Act as a professional in their own right, accountable for their own professional actions, guided by national protocols and legislation. Work independently within the personal objectives and organisational priorities that have been agreed with the practice, Federation, and PCN. Promote best practice in prescribing by applying a sound and detailed understanding of therapeutics and evidence-based medicine/pharmaceutical care. Work alongside clinical pharmacy team members and support the Senior Clinical Pharmacists in delivering their leadership responsibilities, e.g. providing deputisation at meetings as required and supporting team meetings.

COVID Vaccination Programme

All our Registered healthcare professionals are also expected to support the 'evergreen' local COVID vaccination programme with the preparation and administration of vaccines, including clinical eligibility assessment, consent, administration and aftercare advice, in line with the relevant prescribing mechanism (e.g. National Protocol).
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, and it is expected that you will participate in a wide range of activities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Maths and English GCSE (C and above) or equivalent

Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) or equivalent - Essential

Post-graduate clinical diploma level or equivalent training/experience - Essential

Independent prescriber - Desirable

Willingness to undertake independent prescribing training - Essential

Have completed, be enrolled in, be undertaking or prepared to undertake an approved primary care pharmacy educational pathway (PCPEP), e.g. the CPPE Primary care pharmacy education pathway or Medicines optimisation in care homes training pathway for pharmacy professionals - Essential

Professional Registration

Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council - Essential

A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - Essential

Skills Knowledge and Experience

Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience. - Desirable

In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence?based healthcare - Essential

An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices. - Essential

An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing. - Essential

Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills - Essential

Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Essential

Experience of motivational interviewing and able to train other staff - Essential

Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences - Essential

Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions - Essential*

Good IT skills - Essential

Familiarity with GP systems - Essential

Able to obtain, analyse and interpret complex technical information, and present reports. - Essential

Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate - Essential

Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision - Essential

Personal Qualities

Reliable - Essential

Enthusiastic and Self-motivated - Essential

Work autonomously - Essential

Flexible in working arrangements to meet service need - Essential

Able to work under pressure to meet deadlines, whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail - Essential

Able to work at part of a multi-disciplinary team - Essential

Commitment to CPD - Essential

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 47,758.00 per year

Schedule:

Monday to Friday Weekend availability
Work Location: In person