Clinical Pharmacist

To support the General Practitioners, Specialist Nurses and the wider team by providing expertise, management in regards to medicines, prescribing, regulatory affairs, audit, compliance and best practice with regards to medicines and Medicines Optimisation. The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines management, provide face to face and telephone structured medication reviews, manage long term conditions, management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing, manage repeat prescription authorisations including signing off repeat prescriptions, reviewing and signing off acute prescription requests, while addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients in the GP practices that make up the PCN. To work with patients, their carers/relatives, practice staff, primary care teams and secondary care teams to ensure patients receive a service around their medicines that is of high quality, efficiency, cost effectiveness and an overall good experience for the patient. This will also include ensuring patients have the correct access to medicines that meets their needs, their medication is optimised and they understand and are part of the decision making process around their medication prescribing. Through working with Practice Managers, Partnership Leads and colleagues in Secondary Care, to ensure services are cost effective and any targets on cost reduction are met. To lead and be responsible for aspects of audit, compliance and inspection with regards to any relevant standards from statute, legislation, registration, CQC, MHRA, DOHSC, etc. around medicines and prescribing. 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 Key Relationships (not exhaustive) Patients, carers and relatives Partnership Prescribing Leads Partnership GPs and Nurses Other members of the Primary Care Team including Commissioners SWB Chief Pharmacist Other members of the Secondary Care Team Other relevant organisations/bodies from time to time as required e.g. CQC MHRA, GPhC, etc Main duties and responsibilities Work closely with GPs to resolve day to day medicines related issues.Provide expertise in practical therapeutics and clinical pharmacy input. Work with patients to allow them to successfully self-manage their well-being and long term conditions. This will be through optimising their medicines and ensuring side effects and adverse events from their medication are identified and resolved in a timely and safe manner. This may also include titration of doses and de-prescribing as needed. The post holder will perform face-to-face and telephone medication review of patients with polypharmacy especially for older people, people in residential care homes and those with multiple co- morbidities. The post holder will provide leadership on quality improvement and clinical audit and well as managing some aspects of the Quality and outcomes framework. To evaluate the prescribing and advice needs of individual patients with complex and multiple needs, agreeing treatment changes through face to face reviews and telephone consultations. To implement, review and monitor the outcomes of the above, in a self-directed and managed manner. To develop bespoke integrated pharmaceutical care plans for both individual patients and for patient populations. To act as an independent prescriber at a suitable level to ensure all aspects of the main duties and responsibilities are met. This may require being competent to prescribe with a wide enough scope of practice that in itself may need to change over time. Manage patients with more complex long term conditions and act as a prescriber accordingly to manage those patients conditions. Offer a holistic approach to the use and understanding of medicines by patients and their carers that includes step up and step down management required in Long Term Conditions or possibly End of Life. Manage the repeat and acute prescribing authorization process including signing prescriptions by reviewing medication requests, medicines reaching review dates and medicine queries. Increase the uptake of new medicines with a focus on overall value rather than focusing exclusively on drug cost. To reconcile medicines at interfaces and transfer of care, including discharge from Secondary and Intermediary Care. To include, identifying any unexplained changes, completing clinical medication review and arranging follow up such as follow up tests, dose titration and medication supply where appropriate. Contribute to reducing medicines related hospital admissions and readmissions by proactively targeting reviews at patients identified as being at greatest risk. This may include working with patients and staff in residential or care homes and those in Intermediary Care facilities and wards. To provide prescribing support and guidelines for Practice GPs, working with them and Secondary Care colleagues to ensure patients receive seamless care across the interfaces. Manage medicines shortages by suggesting suitable alternatives, managing the communication across the practices and ensuring any prescribing system changes to support this are actioned. Interpret national and local commissioning decisions as they relate to medicines, making recommendations and developing and leading on action plans to meet those recommendations. Facilitate communication and liaise across patients care pathway (including the wider primary care workforce, secondary care, social care and domiciliary environments Support the GPs and other practice staff to deliver QOF I PCCF and enhanced services. To identify and lead on any statutory and regulatory requirements relating to medicines and prescribing for the Practices. To conduct regular audits, develop and lead on action plans deliver necessary changes to ensure compliance. This will also include any requirements relating to medicines and prescribing by the CQC, CCGs, etc. Conduct clinical audit as part of the multidisciplinary team and ensure implementation of any agreed actions. Develop and maintain robust risk management arrangements in relation to medicines and prescribing. Monitor the services around medicines and prescribing in terms of activity, effectiveness, risk, safety and quality using a range of key performance indicators Contribute to clinical education of our healthcare professionals and patients/carers. To assist in the provision of work experience and training of vocational students. Implementation of drug alerts e.g. MHRA and drug withdrawal/supply issues affecting patients. Identify opportunities for savings and efficiencies where that does not conflict with the interest of the individual patient. To develop and lead on action plans to ensure those savings are realised within the required timescales. Support innovation and clinical research where appropriate and through working with partners external to the Practice(s) as needed. Ensure own CPD and PDP are identified and maintained together with competence and any reaccreditation for registration(s) and acting as an Independent Prescriber. .To work across all areas of the organisations as needed. Job description Job responsibilities To support the General Practitioners, Specialist Nurses and the wider team by providing expertise, management in regards to medicines, prescribing, regulatory affairs, audit, compliance and best practice with regards to medicines and Medicines Optimisation. The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines management, provide face to face and telephone structured medication reviews, manage long term conditions, management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing, manage repeat prescription authorisations including signing off repeat prescriptions, reviewing and signing off acute prescription requests, while addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients in the GP practices that make up the PCN. To work with patients, their carers/relatives, practice staff, primary care teams and secondary care teams to ensure patients receive a service around their medicines that is of high quality, efficiency, cost effectiveness and an overall good experience for the patient. This will also include ensuring patients have the correct access to medicines that meets their needs, their medication is optimised and they understand and are part of the decision making process around their medication prescribing. Through working with Practice Managers, Partnership Leads and colleagues in Secondary Care, to ensure services are cost effective and any targets on cost reduction are met. To lead and be responsible for aspects of audit, compliance and inspection with regards to any relevant standards from statute, legislation, registration, CQC, MHRA, DOHSC, etc. around medicines and prescribing. 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 Key Relationships (not exhaustive) Patients, carers and relatives Partnership Prescribing Leads Partnership GPs and Nurses Other members of the Primary Care Team including Commissioners SWB Chief Pharmacist Other members of the Secondary Care Team Other relevant organisations/bodies from time to time as required e.g. CQC MHRA, GPhC, etc Main duties and responsibilities Work closely with GPs to resolve day to day medicines related issues.Provide expertise in practical therapeutics and clinical pharmacy input. Work with patients to allow them to successfully self-manage their well-being and long term conditions. This will be through optimising their medicines and ensuring side effects and adverse events from their medication are identified and resolved in a timely and safe manner. This may also include titration of doses and de-prescribing as needed. The post holder will perform face-to-face and telephone medication review of patients with polypharmacy especially for older people, people in residential care homes and those with multiple co- morbidities. The post holder will provide leadership on quality improvement and clinical audit and well as managing some aspects of the Quality and outcomes framework. To evaluate the prescribing and advice needs of individual patients with complex and multiple needs, agreeing treatment changes through face to face reviews and telephone consultations. To implement, review and monitor the outcomes of the above, in a self-directed and managed manner. To develop bespoke integrated pharmaceutical care plans for both individual patients and for patient populations. To act as an independent prescriber at a suitable level to ensure all aspects of the main duties and responsibilities are met. This may require being competent to prescribe with a wide enough scope of practice that in itself may need to change over time. Manage patients with more complex long term conditions and act as a prescriber accordingly to manage those patients conditions. Offer a holistic approach to the use and understanding of medicines by patients and their carers that includes step up and step down management required in Long Term Conditions or possibly End of Life. Manage the repeat and acute prescribing authorization process including signing prescriptions by reviewing medication requests, medicines reaching review dates and medicine queries. Increase the uptake of new medicines with a focus on overall value rather than focusing exclusively on drug cost. To reconcile medicines at interfaces and transfer of care, including discharge from Secondary and Intermediary Care. To include, identifying any unexplained changes, completing clinical medication review and arranging follow up such as follow up tests, dose titration and medication supply where appropriate. Contribute to reducing medicines related hospital admissions and readmissions by proactively targeting reviews at patients identified as being at greatest risk. This may include working with patients and staff in residential or care homes and those in Intermediary Care facilities and wards. To provide prescribing support and guidelines for Practice GPs, working with them and Secondary Care colleagues to ensure patients receive seamless care across the interfaces. Manage medicines shortages by suggesting suitable alternatives, managing the communication across the practices and ensuring any prescribing system changes to support this are actioned. Interpret national and local commissioning decisions as they relate to medicines, making recommendations and developing and leading on action plans to meet those recommendations. Facilitate communication and liaise across patients care pathway (including the wider primary care workforce, secondary care, social care and domiciliary environments Support the GPs and other practice staff to deliver QOF I PCCF and enhanced services. To identify and lead on any statutory and regulatory requirements relating to medicines and prescribing for the Practices. To conduct regular audits, develop and lead on action plans deliver necessary changes to ensure compliance. This will also include any requirements relating to medicines and prescribing by the CQC, CCGs, etc. Conduct clinical audit as part of the multidisciplinary team and ensure implementation of any agreed actions. Develop and maintain robust risk management arrangements in relation to medicines and prescribing. Monitor the services around medicines and prescribing in terms of activity, effectiveness, risk, safety and quality using a range of key performance indicators Contribute to clinical education of our healthcare professionals and patients/carers. To assist in the provision of work experience and training of vocational students. Implementation of drug alerts e.g. MHRA and drug withdrawal/supply issues affecting patients. Identify opportunities for savings and efficiencies where that does not conflict with the interest of the individual patient. To develop and lead on action plans to ensure those savings are realised within the required timescales. Support innovation and clinical research where appropriate and through working with partners external to the Practice(s) as needed. Ensure own CPD and PDP are identified and maintained together with competence and any reaccreditation for registration(s) and acting as an Independent Prescriber. .To work across all areas of the organisations as needed.