About this role
Job summary
As a Clinical Pharmacist, you will be an integral part of the PCN and practice teams. Working closely with the clinical teams and other primary care colleagues in the practice and within the primary care network (PCN) to support patient care, develop best practice and provide mutual support.
Our pharmacy team spend part of their time in one of our member practices (Rush Hill Surgery) and the remaining time at the Pharmacy Team Hub, which is based in our Beehive site.
Applications from candidates that have completed a Primary Care Pathway/CPPE are particularly welcome.
We are looking for a colleague to work 2-3 days per week (15/16 hours pw) for a maternity cover role that is expected to last apprx 12 months.
For informal enquiries, please contact our Senior Clinical Pharmacist [email protected]
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work as part of a practice multi-disciplinary team, primarily in a patient-facing role and support the team with:
Medicines optimization in the practice/PCNClinical medication reviews to proactively manage patients with complex polypharmacy, especially for older people, people in residential care homes and those with multiple co-morbidities.Provide primary support to general practice staff across the PCN regards to prescription and medication queries.Support the repeat prescriptions system through dealing with acute prescription requests, medicines reconciliation on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing.Provide expertise in clinical medicines advice while addressing both public and social care needs of patients in the GP practice/s.The post holder will provide clinical leadership on medicines optimisation and quality improvement.The postholder will be working towards or utilising their non-medical prescribing qualification.The role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and operational efficiencies so requires motivation and passion to deliver excellent service within general practice.
About us
Minerva Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of 4 GP practices located in Bath consisting of Combe Down Surgery, Newbridge Surgery, Rush Hill & Weston Surgery and St Michaels Surgery. We have a combined list size of 40,000 patients and we continue to grow.
We have a strong, happy and successful history of working collaboratively and have a number of staff successfully working across all our practices. Collectively we have a strong focus on high quality patient care.
We currently have a team of 7 Clinical Pharmacists (3.8 WTE) and 3 Pharmacy Technicians (2.76 WTE) and we are looking for a team member to cover a period of maternity leave.
Job description Job responsibilities
Patient facing long-term condition clinics
Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to clinically assess and review patients with single or multiple long-term conditions where medicines optimisation is required.
Responsibility for prescribing, or completing training to become a prescriber, for conditions where medicines have a large component.
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.
Make appropriate recommendations to Senior Pharmacists or GPs for medicines optimization.
Patient facing clinical medication review
Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and implement own prescribing changes (as an independent prescriber) and order relevant monitoring tests. Patient facing care home/residential clinical medication reviews
Be part of the MDT managing the caseload of care home residents. Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and implement own prescribing changes (as an independent prescriber) and order relevant monitoring tests.
Work with care home staff to improve safety of medicines ordering and administration.
Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments
Be part of the MDT managing the caseload and signposting where appropriate for patients presenting 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
Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice. Telephone medicines support
Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines.
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 test results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
Medicine information to practice staff and patients
Answer all medicine related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other Healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients. Suggest and recommend solutions.
Provide follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.
Unplanned hospital admissions
Work with practice teams to devise and implement practice searches to identify cohorts of patients most likely to be at risk of an unplanned admission, readmissions and harm from medicines.
Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.
Management of medicines at discharge from hospital
Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes, and manage these changes without referral to a GP.
Perform clinical medication reviews, produce post discharge medicines care plans including dose titration and booking of follow up tests, and work 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).
Where necessary, work in partnership with hospital colleagues (e.g. care of the elderly doctors and clinical pharmacists) to proactively manage patients at high risk of medicine related problems before they are discharged to ensure continuity of care.
Repeat prescribing
Manage the repeat prescribing re-authorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates; make necessary changes as an independent prescriber, and ensure patients are booked in for necessary monitoring tests where required.
Risk stratification
Design, develop and implement computer searches to identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines.
Utilising Ardens and where necessary identifying appropriate of risk stratification tools on behalf of the practice.
Working with patients and the primary care team to minimise risks through medicines.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent). Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining an independent prescribing qualification. In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence based healthcare. An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practices. An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing. Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients). Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long-term conditions. Good IT skills. Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information. Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate. Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines. Produce timely and informative reports. Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers. Work effectively independently and as a team member. Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision. Self-Motivation. Adaptable.
Desirable
Specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience. Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience. Completed a Primary Care Pharmacy Education pathway qualification/experience in primacy care. Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy. Full Driving Licence.
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 Minerva Primary Care Network
Address The Beehive Surgery
Mount Road
Southdown
Bath
BA2 1NH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://minervapcn.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)