Job Description

As a PCN we aim to offer and deliver excellent, safe, co-ordinated, high quality patient care. Continuously learning, evolving and implementing new models of care, to create inclusion and reduce inequalities and improve outcomes. We work hard to promote a culture where staff feel engaged, valued and recognised by the organisation and the others they work with.

The role will include working with and alongside, The PCN Pharmacy team, Prescription Teams and Dispensary teams at all of the practices within the PCN.

The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines management, structured medication reviews, manage long term conditions, management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing and support acute prescription request, while addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients within all of the GP Practices within the PCN.

The post holder will perform face to face and telephone medication review of patients with polypharmacy especially for older people, and those with multiple comorbidities.

The post holder will provide leadership on quality improvement and clinical audit and well as managing some aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework. This role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and operational efficiencies so requires motivation and passion to deliver an excellent service within General Practice.

The post holder will be supported to develop their role to become a non-medical prescriber, if that qualification is not already held.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and produce recommendations for Nurses and/or GP on prescribing and monitoring.
See (where appropriate) patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required

Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines. Make appropriate recommendations to GPs for medicine improvement.

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 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.

Provide medicines support for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines.

Management of medicines at the transfer of care. 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 (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids)

Medicine information to Practice staff and patients. Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, the wider MDT team, other network staff and Healthcare Teams.

Support and work alongside the Pharmacy Technician, Prescription Team and Dispensary Team supervising and advising when appropriate. Work alongside the extended PCN Pharmacy Team to deliver the PCN shared agenda.

PROMOTE PRESCRIBING QUALITY AND SAFETY INCLUDING:

Support repeat prescribing policy within each Practice.

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. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required.

Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making. Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team. Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance.

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).

Liaise with colleagues including ICB Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Heads of Medicines Management/Optimisation to benefit from peer support. Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks. Explore the potential for collaborative working and take opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships. Liaise with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients, including but not limited to: Patients and their representatives GP, Nurses and other Practice staff Social Prescribers, First Contact Physiotherapists, Physicians, Associates and Paramedics and hospital staff.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Work with your line Manager to undertake continual personal and professional development, attend regular CPD sessions with the extended MDT teams at both practices. Attend Clinical, Prescription and Dispensary team meetings. Taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities. Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety. Work with your line Manager to access regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present. Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.

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 job description, the post-holder will 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 the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source, and held in any format, 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

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 people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Health & safety:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others' health, safety and security 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:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder's role o Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually) Reporting potential risks identified

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 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.

Special requirements of the post:

This job description represents an outline of the post; it provides an indication only of the scope and range of the duties to be undertaken. The post holder may be required to undertake other related duties not specifically mentioned above. The job description therefore is intended to be flexible and is subject to review and amendment following consultation between the post holder and line manager.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: Up to 25.00 per hour

Benefits:

Company pension On-site parking
Experience:

Pharmacist: 5 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person