Clinical Pharmacist

Worcester City PCN consists of 9 practices, based across South Worcestershire, serving over 130,000 patients. We aim to offer and deliver excellent, safe, coordinated, high quality patient care. Continuously learning, evolving and implementing new models of care, to create inclusion and reduce inequalities and improve outcomes. We work hard to promote a culture where staff feel engaged, valued and recognised by the organisation and the others they work with.

We have an Additional Roles team of over 70 healthcare professionals and are looking for an individual with a passion to join our PCN Pharmacy team to deliver excellent service to our patients.

JOB PURPOSE The post holder is a clinical pharmacist working within Worcester City PCN and its general practice teams. Acting within their professional boundaries, they will support the safe, effective and cost-effective prescribing of medicines, optimising medicines use, improving patient outcomes and lead medicines-related initiatives.

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role, the post holder will provide primary support to general practice staff on prescription and medication queries, undertake medicines reconciliation following transfer of care and implement systems for safer prescribing. They will conduct structured medication reviews (particularly for high-risk patients and those with complex polypharmacy) and run clinics to support chronic disease management. In addition, they will manage a caseload of patients with common, minor or self-limiting ailments while providing expert medicines advice to both healthcare colleagues and patients.

The pharmacist will take a lead role in prescription management, including oversight of the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process, contribute to quality improvement by implementing evidence-based prescribing changes. They will collaborate with commissioning organisations and wider PCN team to support the delivery of the Quality Prescribing and Medicines Service (QPMS), Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES), Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and Local Enhanced Service (LES) at both practice and PCN level.

This role will be reviewed at least annually, and the job description may be updated to reflect the evolving needs of the organisation.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Undertake structured medication reviews (face-to-face or remotely), focusing on high-risk groups such as care home residents, housebound patients and patients with polypharmacy or complex chronic conditions.
• Reconcile medicines following hospital discharge, ensuring continuity of therapy and safe handover with community pharmacists.
• Implement MHRA alerts, drug withdrawals and evidence-based guideline changes within the practice or across the PCN.
• Support chronic disease management clinics (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, asthma, COPD, osteoporosis, mental health).
• Contribute to multi-morbidity reviews - QOF domains and register improvements.
• Lead prescription management processes, including repeat prescribing authorisation (including reviewing requests for repeat prescriptions, medicines reaching review dates, ensuring drug monitoring is being done and prescribing clerks support).
• Provide medicines information, training and prescribing advice to practice staff.
• Collaborate with community and hospital pharmacy colleagues to align services (e.g. Discharge Medicines Service, New Medicine Service).
• Identify high-risk patient cohorts through computer searches (e.g. AnalyseRx) to reduce harm and prevent avoidable admissions.
• Participate in audits, quality improvement initiatives and local medicines optimisation schemes (e.g. QPMS, DSQS, QIPP).
• Manage a caseload of minor ailments within the scope of practice, referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals as required.
• Lead on where changes in evidence require changes in prescribing across the patient population, e.g. drug withdrawals and MHRA alerts, aimed at improving medicines safety.
• Review daily Pathology results for patients on known medicines.
• Provide primary support to general practice staff and patients with regards to prescription and medication queries, answering relevant medicine related enquiries (e.g. doses, side effects, adverse events, alternative formulation, out of stocks).

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Completion of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Minimum of 2 years post graduate experience in pharmacy as demonstrated within a practice portfolio.
• Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) - Desirable.
• Holder of Independent Prescribing qualification with demonstrated prescribing portfolio.
• May hold or be working towards a postgraduate pharmacy qualification or certification.
• Has an awareness of the breadth of common acute and chronic conditions that are likely to be seen in a general medical practice.

BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Demonstrates general pharmaceutical skills and knowledge in core areas.
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general pharmaceutical care programmes for patients in core areas, including disease states / long term conditions identified by local Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision as an individual.
• Demonstrates ability to use skills in a range of routine situations requiring analysis or comparison of a range of options.
• 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 follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct.
• Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE.

COLLABORATIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their roles in patient care.
• Demonstrates use of effective communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders including patients, senior and peer colleagues, other healthcare professionals and external organisations such as other NHS/private organisations and the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
• Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team.
• Able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.
• Actively develops and maintains strong working relationships both within and outside the PCN locality, fostering links across services and exploring opportunities for collaborative working.
• Liaises with PCN peers and ICB colleagues (including pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/Optimisation) on prescribing related matter to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit from peer support.
• Liaises with GPs, nurses, practice staff, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider healthcare professionals as needed for the collective benefit of patients.

LEADERSHIP

• Demonstrates understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.
• Demonstrates understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace / practice vision.
• Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service.
• Reviews last year's progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within set priorities.
• Demonstrates ability to motivate self to achieve goals.

MANAGEMENT

• Demonstrates understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service.
• Demonstrates understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation.
• Demonstrates understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice.
• Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol.
• Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management.
• Demonstrates ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Support pharmacists completing the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) programme. The programme includes familiarisation with general practice, leadership, medicines optimisation in practice, consultation skills and advanced clinical assessment skills.
• Ensures appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support self-development and development of others.
• Contribute to the education and training of pharmacy staff, medical staff, nursing staff and other health professionals, both on a one-to-one basis and through formal presentations.
• Influence local practice to ensure safe medication use and that practice effectively acknowledges good prescribing practice, patient safety and risk minimisation.
• Increase quality and safety of prescribing through mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles.
• Act as mentor to less experienced staff as delegated.
• Continually audit own practice and identify areas for CPD and continuing education as required by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Attend relevant courses and study days to maintain CPD and develop the service.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

• Demonstrates ability to critically evaluate and review literature.
• Demonstrates ability to identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice.
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