Clinical Pharmacist

Job description Job responsibilities The following are the core responsibilities of the Clinical Pharmacist delivering health services.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 areasBe a prescriber, or completing training to become a prescriber, and work with and alongside the general practice teamBe responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism (through STOMP Stop Over Medication Programme)Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the organisation and to help in tackling inequalitiesProvide 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 servicesThrough structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-careHave a leadership role in supporting further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to help to improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help to manage general practice workloadDevelop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across the wider health and social care systemTake 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 anticoagulationBe part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision. Appropriate clinical supervision means:o Each Clinical Pharmacist must receive a minimum of one supervision session per month by a senior clinical pharmacisto The Senior Clinical Pharmacist must receive a minimum of one supervision session every three months by a GP clinical supervisoro Each Clinical Pharmacist will have access to an assigned GP clinical supervisor for support and developmento A ratio of one Senior Clinical Pharmacist to no more than five junior Clinical Pharmacists, with appropriate peer support and supervision in placeAct as the point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positive working relationshipsConsult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medicationReceive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other cliniciansReceive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staffProvide medication review services for patients in the practice and during domiciliary visits to the local nursing homeManage a caseload of complex patientsManage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high risk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs, etc.Deliver long term condition clinics and home visits, particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes, and prescribe accordinglyProvide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary teamReview medications for newly registered patientsImprove patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medicationMaintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislationEncourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the organisationImplement and embed a robust repeat prescribing systemProvide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staffOrganise and oversee the organisations medicines optimisation systems, including the repeat prescribing and medication review systemsImprove the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education, to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance.Develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activitiesEnsure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelinesProvide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a systemSupport clinicians with the management of patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependenciesActively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professionalManage a caseload of complex patients and potential care institutions and to provide advice for the GP management of more complex patients or areas such as addictive behaviours, severe mental illness or end of life careReview the latest guidance, ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc.Be aware of duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation and adhere to practice policies and procedures on Safeguarding Adults and Safeguarding ChildrenProvide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary careHandle prescription queries and requests directlyProvide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the organisation, patients and their carersSupport in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the organisationParticipate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so, and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss eventsUndertake all mandatory training and induction programmesContribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governanceAttend a formal appraisal with your manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreedContribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct careMaintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all timesThere may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks, this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels