Clinical Pharmacist - Part-Time

As a Clinical Pharmacist, you will be an integral part of the PCN andpractice teams. Working closely with the clinical teams and other primary carecolleagues in the practice and within the primary care network (PCN) to supportpatient care, develop best practice and provide mutual support.

Our pharmacy team spend part of their time in one of our member practices (anticipated to be Rush Hill Surgery) and the remaining time at the Pharmacy Team Hub, which is based in our Beehivesite.

Applications from candidates that have completed a Primary Care Pathway/CPPEare particularly welcome.

We are looking for a colleague to work 2-3 days per week (15/16 hours pw), but may be able to offer more hours per week to the right candidate.

For informal enquiries, please contact our Senior Clinical Pharmacist -please note that Clare is on annual leave between 12th September and 21st September

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/PCN
• Clinical medicationreviews to proactively manage patients with complex polypharmacy, especially for older people, people inresidential care homes and those with multiple co-morbidities.
• Provide primarysupport 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 ontransfer of care and systems for safer prescribing.
• Provide expertise in clinical medicines advice whileaddressing both public and social care needs of patients in the GP practice/s.
• The post holder will provide clinical leadership on medicines optimisation andquality improvement.
• The postholder will be working towards or utilising their non-medical prescribing qualification.
• The role ispivotal to improving the quality of care and operational efficiencies so requires motivation and passion todeliver 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 6 Clinical Pharmacists (3.8 WTE) and 3 Pharmacy Technicians (2.76 WTE) and we are looking forward to welcoming a new member to the team.

Job responsibilities

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to clinically assess and review patientswith single or multiple long-term conditions where medicines optimisation is required.

Responsibility for prescribing, or completing training to become a prescriber, for conditions wheremedicines have a large component.

Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity tosupport patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines.

Makeappropriate recommendations to Senior Pharmacists or GPs for medicines optimization.

Patient facing clinical medication review

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy andimplement own prescribing changes (as an independent prescriber) and order relevant monitoringtests.Patient facing care home/residential clinical medication reviews

Be part of the MDT managing the caseload of care home residents. Undertake clinical medicationreviews with patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and implement own prescribingchanges (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 patientspresenting with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practiceand limits of competence.

Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals whereappropriate.

Patient facing medicines support

Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicinesin the practice.Telephone medicines support

Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about theirmedicines.

Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriatelevelof 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 ofpatients most likely to be at risk of an unplanned admission, readmissions and harm frommedicines.

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 withoutreferral to a GP.

Perform clinical medication reviews, produce post discharge medicines care plans including dosetitration and booking of follow up tests, and work with patients and community pharmacists toensure 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 andclinical pharmacists) to proactively manage patients at high risk of medicine related problemsbefore they are discharged to ensure continuity of care.

Repeat prescribing

Manage the repeat prescribing re-authorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeatprescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates; make necessary changes as anindependent prescriber, and ensure patients are booked in for necessary monitoring tests whererequired.

Design, develop and implement computer searches to identify cohorts of patients at high risk ofharm from medicines.

Utilising Ardens and where necessary identifying appropriate of risk stratification tools on behalfof the practice.

Working with patients and the primary care team to minimise risks through medicines.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining an independent prescribing qualification.
• Minimum of 4 years post qualification experience.
• 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.
• 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.
• Specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience.
• Completed a Primary Care Pharmacy Education pathway qualification.
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• 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.