About this role
Job summary
Gateshead Inner West PCN are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Clinical Pharmacist to join our established team of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians on a fixed term period, to cover planned leave,until the end of March 2027.
This is an excellent opportunity for the successful candidate to work as part of an experienced pharmacy team serving a diverse community of approximately 45,000 across the Inner West of Gateshead.
This is a patient-facing role, although many patient consultations will take place by telephone. While the position will be based at one of our practices, you may be required to work across any of our five practice sites as needed.
Candidates are advised that generating all or a significant part of your application using AI tools may be considered misrepresentation. Applications produced using AI may appear very similar to those submitted by other candidates. If an application appears to have been generated and does not seem genuine, it may not be progressed at any stage of the recruitment process.
Please note, Gateshead Inner West PCN is not approved by the Home Office and is therefore not able to offer candidates support for an application for a Health and Care Visa.
If you would like to find out more about the role, we would be delighted to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be an integral part of the General Practice team, as well as the wider pharmacist network and multidisciplinary team. This includes being a conduit of patients' medicine information into and out of hospitals. They will work to optimise medicines use, improve patient care and safety, and support clinical staff in the management of patients.
The role will help improve patient health outcomes and the efficiency of the Primary Care team by providing direct, accessible and timely medicines expertise, including face-to-face consultations with patients.
The postholder will support GP Practice colleagues with prescription and medication queries, including repeat prescriptions, medicines reconciliation following transfers of care, and the development of systems to support safe prescribing. The team delivers structured medication reviews, provides quality improvement advice and guidance, and contributes to aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and enhanced services. The Clinical Pharmacy Team also supports the development of new models of care to deliver person-centred, coordinated patient care.
As part of the role, there will be the opportunity to access and complete NHS Englands accredited Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway, should you not already hold this qualification.
About us
Based in the Inner West of Gateshead our Primary Care Network serves over 45,000 patients across our five member Practices of: Whickham Medical Cottage, Chainbridge Medical Partnership, Glenpark Medical Practice, Teams Medical Practice & Sunniside Surgery.
We provide integrated services to our local population. Aiming to deliver more personalised, coordinated health and social care for people close to home.
The successful candidate will work as part of our Pharmacy Team which consists of Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians and led by our Senior Clinical Pharmacist.
Job description Job responsibilities
Core Responsibilities
a. 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
b. Be a prescriber, or completing training to become a prescriber, and work with and alongside the general practice team
c. Be 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 (frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism (through STOMP Stop Over Medication Programme)
d. 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 inequalities
e. 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
f. Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care
g. Have 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 workload
h. Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across the wider health and social care system
i. 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
j. The Clinical Pharmacist will have access to an assigned GP clinical supervisor for support and development
k. Act as the point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positive working relationships
l. Consult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medication
m. Receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians
n. Receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff
o. Provide medication review services for patients in practice and during domiciliary visits to the local nursing home
p. Manage a caseload of complex patients
q. Manage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high risk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs, etc.
r. Deliver long term condition clinics and home visits, particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes, and prescribe accordingly
s. Provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team
t. Review medications for newly registered patients
u. Improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medication
v. Maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation
w. Encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the organisation
x. Provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff
y. Organise and oversee the organisations medicines optimisation systems, including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems
z. Improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education, to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance.
aa. Develop yourself and your role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities
bb. Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines
cc. Provide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a system
dd. Support clinicians with the management of patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependencies
ee. Actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional
ff. Manage 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 care
gg. Review the latest guidance, ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc.
hh. Be aware of duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation and adhere to practice policies and procedures on Safeguarding Adults and Safeguarding Children
ii. Provide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care
jj. Handle prescription queries and requests directly
kk. Provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the organisation, patients and their carers
ll. Support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the organisation
mm. Participate 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 events
nn. Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes
oo. Contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance
pp. Attend 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 agreed
qq. Contribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct care
rr. Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area always
There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks, this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
GPhC Registered Pharmacist Proof of relevant professional and educational qualifications, coupled with details of any training To be enrolled in, or have qualified from, an approved 18-month training pathway or equivalent that equips them to be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a Primary Care setting (for example, the CPPE Clinical Pharmacist training pathways) Hold or be working towards an GPhC independent prescribing qualification
Desirable
Working towards faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Other requirements/wider responsibilities Essential
Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check Occupational Health clearance Evidence of continuing professional development Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality
Experience Essential
An appreciation of the nature of General Practice and the nature of Primary Care Prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing Minimum of two years working as a Pharmacist demonstrated within a Practice portfolio An appreciation of the new NHS Landscape, including the relationships between individual Practices, PCNs and Commissioners Experience of working autonomously
Desirable
Experience in managing Pharmacy services in Primary Care In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
Knowledge and Skills Essential
Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face Excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and organisational skills with the ability to constructively challenge the views and practices of Managers and Clinicians Plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions Understanding of safeguarding adults and children Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters Ability to work within own scope of practice and understand when to refer to GPs Ability to record accurate clinical notes
Desirable
Good clinical system IT knowledge Broad knowledge of clinical governance
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Gateshead Inner West Primary Care Network
Address Gateshead Inner West PCN
Whickham Cottage Medical Centre
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
NE16 4PD
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.gatesheadinnerwestpcn.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)