PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Job description Job responsibilities To carry out clinical medication reviews and communicate recommendations to prescribers to ensure identified improvements in quality and value are achievedCommunicate advice to patients and staff, ensuring patients and families are able to be involved in decisions, practicing patient centred care who on occasions may be resistant to change on subjects which are often of a very sensitive natureAssess and identify problems with patient concordance including practical issues with taking medications for specific patient groups. e.g. manual dexterity, visual impairment, cognitive impairment, swallowing difficulties.Liaise with other healthcare professionals to find appropriate solutions where conflicting opinions may existProvide expert pharmaceutical input into safeguarding incidences relating to medicines in care homes where appropriateWork on individual projects relating to prescribing as required, for example development and delivery of training packages to relevant audiences (e.g. Nonmedical prescribers, staff etc.) and development of policies, protocols and proceduresAnswers 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 changesReview the use of medicines most commonly 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 highrisk patient groups.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 highrisk groups of patients (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids).Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.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.Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal componentsDevelop and implement prescribing audits and protocolsDevelop policies and procedures in own work function with an impact on the wider organisation, as required.Assist prescribers in achieving evidencebased, cost effective prescribingAssist with the implementation and monitoring of medicines management targets and initiatives, including national prescribing targetsDevise and provide improvements to current management of information; analysing, reporting and suggesting procedures to enhance decision making processesEnsure timely and accurate information analysis and reporting to management on agreed areas of workUtilise and support robust systems to keep electronic records of reviews and issues arising to identify trends and develop quality initiatives and action plans, including audits, where appropriateContribute to regular reports detailing evidence of transformation and delivery of the EHCH agendaAnalyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance.Provide education and training to the primary healthcare team on prescribing/medicines optimisation issuesWork with care homes and general practice teams to ensure is compliance with CQC standards where medicines are involved.To support public health campaigns.To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public.Maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.Liaise with CQC, Providers, Care homes and commissioning teams in relation to care homes and other medicines management areas when required; identifying and supporting any work programmes to address relevant care home issues arising and ensure alignmentWork with general practices, community pharmacies and care homes to implement robust systems relating to repeat prescribing (including electronic repeat dispensing e-RD) services, ensuring they are optimised in relation to care homes and minimising wasteParticipate in relevant internal and external working groups/projects, services and initiatives to provide, information and analytical advice and expertise.Present information and issues, explaining highly complex issues, to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.Recognise the roles of other colleagues and their role to patient careUse appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations)Demonstrate ability to work as a member of a teamRecognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessaryFoster and maintain strong links with all servicesExplores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationshipsLiaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patientsKnowledge, Skills and Experience RequiredCompletion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical CouncilMinimum of 2 years experience as a pharmacist, demonstrated within a practice portfolio.Have experience and an awareness of elderly medicine and the common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in care homesMay hold or be working towards an independent prescribing qualification.Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriateAble to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conductInvolves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidelines.NB: it is anticipated level of qualification held may vary according to the level of position and the components of the role being carried out, see person specification for details.Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace visionDemonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of serviceReviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goalsPromotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example.Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or serviceDemonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisationDemonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practiceDemonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocolFollows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance managementManages other pharmacy team members as appropriateDemonstrate ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the teamUnderstands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or serviceDemonstrates understanding of the mentorship processDemonstrates ability to conduct teaching and assessment effectively according to a learning plan with supervision from more experience colleagueDemonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity; working alongside senior clinical pharmacist to identifying areas to developParticipates in the delivery of formal education programmesDemonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practiceEnsures appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support developmentEnrolled into review and appraisal systems within the organisationThe post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the federation as part of this employmentThe post holder must undertake the CPPE Primary Care training pathway program.Demonstrates ability to critically evaluate and review literatureDemonstrates ability to identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practiceDemonstrates ability to generate evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local levelDemonstrates ability to apply research evidence base into working placeDemonstrates understanding of principles of research governance