Job Description

Clinical Pharmacist

Salary

-

Dependent on experience

Hours - 30 hours minimum

Location - Parkside Family Practice, Green Road, Reading - no hybrid working available

An exciting opportunity for a Clinical Pharmacist has arisen to join our Primary Care Network team.

Wokingham North PCN comprises 3 GP surgeries with a total population of 38,000 patients and we aspire to be a progressive and innovative team, working collaboratively to share best practice and to delivery excellent clinical pharmacy services to our patients.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive individual who enjoys challenging and varied work and who will share our vision of providing excellent patient care.

The successful applicant will have completed their CPPE pathway and be joining an established Pharmacy Team and work closely with the wider clinical team to help deliver safe and high-quality medicines management for our patients.

As well as having up to date clinical knowledge, preferred candidates will have an understanding understand primary care medicines management. We are also seeking a commitment to addressing health inequalities and proactively reaching people from all communities.

JOB SUMMARY

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team in a patient-facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using your expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas. You will take responsibility for areas of chronic disease management and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage patients with complex poly-pharmacy. You will have access to appropriate clinical supervision.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop and manage a medicines management plan and deliver patient services as determined by Network policy and local and national guidance.

Maximise cost-effective prescribing and improve the quality of patient care.

JOB PURPOSE

Provide expertise in clinical medicines review and address public health and social needs of patients in GP practices

Reduce inappropriate poly-pharmacy and wasteful prescribing through clinical medication review

Reconcile medicines following hospital discharge and work with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines You need post discharge.

Contribute to reductions in medicine related hospital admissions and readmissions by supporting patients to get the best outcomes from their medicines and identifying and addressing medicines related issues

Interface with community and hospital pharmacy colleagues and develop referral processes between primary care professionals including the promotion of the repeat dispensing service

Manage the repeat prescribing re-authorisation process by reviewing requests for repeat prescriptions and medicines reaching review dates

Manage patients and health care professionals medicine queries

Increase quality and safety of prescribing through mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles

Manage practice formularies to improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of prescribing

Support achievement of PQS and QOF targets.

Implement drug withdrawals and alerts e.g. MHRA aimed at improving medicines safety

Work with primary care professionals and patients to implement NICE and other evidence based guidelines

Run clinics where medicines are the main interventions e.g. anticoagulant monitoring clinics.

Contribute to multi-morbidity reviews and multidisciplinary reviews

Provide medicines information and training to Practice healthcare professionals and admin staff

Act as a source of medicines information for all of the practice team and patients (e.g. around doses, side effects, adverse events, possible alternatives e.g. around out of stocks)

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Working with the practice based teams to undertake medication reviews particularly in high risk groups such as:

- Frail elderly

- Poly-pharmacy

- Renal impairment

- Hepatic impairment

- Substance misuse

- Patients on high risk medicines

- STOPP/START identified patients

- Revolving door Hospital admissions

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

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

Liaise with colleagues in community pharmacies to align support for medicines adherence such as NMS

Support improvements in clinical care through practice based audit and implementing change

Prescribing advice to prescribers in practice e.g. temporary non availability of drugs

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

It is anticipated that the level of qualification held may vary according to the level of position and the components of the role being carried out

Completion of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy, and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Minimum of 2 years post graduate experience in pharmacy, as demonstrated within a practice portfolio

Completion of the CPPE pathway.

Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)

Member of or working towards (through foundation) RPS Faculty membership

May hold or be working towards a prescribing qualification

May hold or be working towards a postgraduate pharmacy qualification

Has an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long term conditions that are likely to be seen in a general medical practice

Complete appropriate Continuing Professional Education and Development and remain in good standing with pharmacist registration and regulation bodies.

Maintain appropriate professional insurance.

Responsibility for administration

To provide regular support and feedback to practices on prescribing action plans

To update and maintain accurate patient medication records on the practice's clinical computer systems, including advice given and action taken.

To advise the primary health care team on the safe and secure handling of controlled drugs and other medicines, ensuring compliance with medicines legislation.

If appropriate to organise appraisal reviews for the dispensary staff

Communication

The post-holder should recognize 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 people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

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. You 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 job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. You may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. 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 the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & safety:

The post-holder will implement and lead a full range of promotion and management of their own and others' health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines

Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines

Correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Use and monitoring of the correct use of Standard Operating Procedures for cleaning and infection control

Responsible for correct hand hygiene of self and others

Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols within the team

Active observation of current working practices across the team in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes

Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand-cleansing facilities, wipes etc. are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.

Safe management of sharps procedures, including training, use, storage and disposal

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management

Actively identifying, reporting, and correcting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers

Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)

Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards

Waste management, including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection

Spillage control procedures, management and training

Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance

Maintenance of sterile environments

Correct cleaning of equipment used for near patient testing, such as blood glucose monitoring equipment and smokelysers, using the manufacturer's instructions as appropriate

Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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 recognizes the importance of people's rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation

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 training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with 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 the practice, 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 team's performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize 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 people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

Apply practice policies, standards and guidance Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work Participate in audit where appropriate

Additional responsibilities for practice participating in the Dispensing Services Quality Scheme,

staff competency recording,

development and maintenance of standard operating procedures, and

recording and analysis of medication dispensing and prescribing significant events.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Pay: 45,000.00-50,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 30 - 37.5 per week

Experience:

Clinical pharmacy: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person