Clinical Pharmacist

• Clinical • Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas • Be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism • Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the PCNs practice(s) and to help in tackling inequalities • Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation (including ensuring prescribers in the practice conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, whilst contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services • Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care • Have a role in supporting further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to help improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage general practice workload • Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across PCNs and the wider health and social care system • Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists (including mental health and reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic use in people with learning difficulties), liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation • Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision • High risk drug monitoring, and involved in audits, set by CCG or towards borough wide aims and targets. Run searches for local and national medication alerts/shortages. LTC Management • See (where appropriate) patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (e.g. COPD, asthma). • 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 (i.e. medicines optimisation) • Make appropriate recommendations to Senior Pharmacists or GPs for medicine improvement Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments • Managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting 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 Patient facing medicines support Medicines support to patients • Provide patient clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice • 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 or those in care homes). Medicines support to practice staff • Answers relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. • Suggesting and recommending solutions. • Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes • Do appropriate database searches, in keeping MHRA and NICE alerts/ guidance to support safe patient care. Signposting • Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc 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. • Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required. 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 Service development • Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets • Comply with local medicines management requirements. Medicines quality improvement • Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team. • Present audit findings to improve service delivery as appropriate. Medicines safety • Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance Care Quality Commission • Work with the general practice team to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Public health • To support public health campaigns. • To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public. Collaborative Working Relationships • Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the primary care network and their role to patient care • Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations e.g. CCGs) • Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team • Can recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary • Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality • Foster and maintain strong links with all services across locality • Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships • Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams • Liaises with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/ Optimisation to benefit from peer support • Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to Patients, GP, nurses and other practice staff • Other healthcare professionals including PCN pharmacy technicians, social prescribers, physician associates, dentists, health and social care teams and dieticians etc. Leadership • Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and can implement this appropriately within the workplace. • Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision Engages with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and involves PPGs in development of the role and practices • Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service - Have basic knowledge of Quality Improvement (QI) Methodology. • Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others. • Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals • Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example Management • Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service • Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation • Demonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice • Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol Job Limitations At no time should the post holder work at a level outside their level of competence. If the post holder has concerns regarding this, they must discuss immediately with the supervising GP. All junior staff therefore have a responsibility to inform those supervising their duties, if they are not competent to perform a duty. This job description is intended as a guide to the main duties of the post and is not intended to be a prescriptive document. Duties and base of work may change to meet the needs of the service or because of the introduction of new technology. This job description may be reviewed from time to time and changed, after consultation with the postholder. Job description Job responsibilities • Clinical • Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas • Be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism • Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the PCNs practice(s) and to help in tackling inequalities • Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation (including ensuring prescribers in the practice conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, whilst contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services • Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care • Have a role in supporting further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to help improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage general practice workload • Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across PCNs and the wider health and social care system • Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists (including mental health and reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic use in people with learning difficulties), liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation • Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision • High risk drug monitoring, and involved in audits, set by CCG or towards borough wide aims and targets. Run searches for local and national medication alerts/shortages. LTC Management • See (where appropriate) patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required (e.g. COPD, asthma). • 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 (i.e. medicines optimisation) • Make appropriate recommendations to Senior Pharmacists or GPs for medicine improvement Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments • Managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting 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 Patient facing medicines support Medicines support to patients • Provide patient clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice • 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 or those in care homes). Medicines support to practice staff • Answers relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. • Suggesting and recommending solutions. • Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes • Do appropriate database searches, in keeping MHRA and NICE alerts/ guidance to support safe patient care. Signposting • Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc 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. • Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required. 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 Service development • Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets • Comply with local medicines management requirements. Medicines quality improvement • Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team. • Present audit findings to improve service delivery as appropriate. Medicines safety • Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance Care Quality Commission • Work with the general practice team to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Public health • To support public health campaigns. • To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public. Collaborative Working Relationships • Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the primary care network and their role to patient care • Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations e.g. CCGs) • Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team • Can recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary • Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality • Foster and maintain strong links with all services across locality • Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships • Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams • Liaises with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/ Optimisation to benefit from peer support • Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to Patients, GP, nurses and other practice staff • Other healthcare professionals including PCN pharmacy technicians, social prescribers, physician associates, dentists, health and social care teams and dieticians etc. Leadership • Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and can implement this appropriately within the workplace. • Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision Engages with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and involves PPGs in development of the role and practices • Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service - Have basic knowledge of Quality Improvement (QI) Methodology. • Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others. • Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals • Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example Management • Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service • Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation • Demonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice • Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol Job Limitations At no time should the post holder work at a level outside their level of competence. If the post holder has concerns regarding this, they must discuss immediately with the supervising GP. All junior staff therefore have a responsibility to inform those supervising their duties, if they are not competent to perform a duty. This job description is intended as a guide to the main duties of the post and is not intended to be a prescriptive document. Duties and base of work may change to meet the needs of the service or because of the introduction of new technology. This job description may be reviewed from time to time and changed, after consultation with the postholder.