General Practice Clinical Pharmacist

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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Pharmacist to join our friendly and diverse team at East Cliff Medical Practice within the Ramsgate Primary Care Network. The successful candidate will help shape the delivery of Pharmacy services to patients in a Practice of 16,000 patients and the wider network over the coming years. We already have a growing multi-disciplinary team including Focused Care team, pharmacy technicians, social prescribers and care navigators. You will be well supported in your role and work closely with others as we strive to provide the highest quality of care for our patients.

The role will support the wider practice team to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste and maximising patient outcomes. This is a patient-facing role and will include involvement in long term condition management, structured medication review, multidisciplinary case discussions, delivery of services to care homes and addressing needs of patients in their homes. You will also use your expertise to undertake clinical audit to improve quality of care.

The post holder will be registered with the GPhC and act within their professional boundaries, have good IT skills and a sound knowledge of medicines optimisation. Excellent communication skills are essential, along with enthusiasm to drive change and a passion for providing the best possible care.

Informal enquiries welcome: 01843 855804 - Amanda Hancox HR Adviser

Closing Date: Sunday 5th March 2023

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Job Description

Job Details

Job title: General Practice Clinical Pharmacist 
Salary: Dependent on qualifications and experience
Hours per week: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, 1.w.t.e. (Job share considered )
Duration of the post: Permanent
Location: East Cliff Medical Practice
Accountable to (Practice): GP Lead and Practice Manager

Job Summary

To work as part of East Cliff Medical Practice and the wider Ramsgate Primary Care Network team to improve the population / patients health outcomes by providing direct, accessible and timely medicines expertise.

To pro-actively transfer workload relating to medicines optimisation issues from other clinical staff to improve patient care, safety and free up scarce clinical staff to spend more time on clinical care.

Key Objectives

• Provide pro-active leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the practice multidisciplinary team, patients and their carers within the Thanet locality.
• Develop and deliver patient facing services and clinics which improve patient outcomes, reflect the needs of the population and shift workload from other disciplines
• Deliver direct patient consultations and prescribing as part of practices and cluster multidisciplinary team approach for acute illness
• Improve patient and carer understanding of, confidence in and compliance with their medicines
• Provide pharmaceutical consultations and home visits to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team
• Field medicines and prescribing queries from patients and staff
• Working with Thanet CCG Medicines Optimisation Pharmacists, organize and oversee the practices medicines optimisation systems including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems within own competencies.
• Deliver high quality medication reviews and develop bespoke medicines treatment plans for patients (particularly the elderly, complex patients and those at high risk of admission)
• Improve the safety and quality of prescribing following hospital admissions and attendance by conducting discharge medicines reconciliation activities.
• Improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards, prescribing guidance and other clinical standards
• Develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities
• Contribute to patient safety culture through reporting and investigation of medicines related incidents and through pro-active measures 
• Provide a clear and active link with community pharmacists and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage issues
• Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicines issues
• Contribute to the achievement and maintenance of good to outstanding CQC registration status

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

1. Patient Facing Clinical Services and Care

• Conduct face to face and other modes of medication reviews and agree medicines care plans in agreement with patients and carers
• Delivering long term conditions clinics and home visits particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes and prescribe accordingly
• Consult with patients for acute illnesses within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe medication
• Post assessment prescribe acute and repeat medication for patient need within areas of competency
• Receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians
• Provide targeted support and pro-active review for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care
• Receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff
• Contribute to public health campaigns (e.g. flu clinics) through advice or direct care
• Provide specific advice and support to patients in care homes and support staff
• Provide help and advice on medicines use to patients and their carers
• Promote self-management and develop patient support systems
• Manage therapeutic drug monitoring system and recall of patients taking high risk drugs i.e. anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs etc
• Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support including e-consultations, remote medication review and telehealth and telemedicine.

2. Medicines Optimisation Systems

• Organize and oversee repeat prescribing, repeat dispensing, electronic prescribing and medication review systems with area of competency and post clinical assessment of patient
• Provide leadership and support to prescription administrative staff
• Handle prescription queries and requests directly
• Oversee system for reconciliation of medicines from outpatient and discharge letters and support safe transfer of care through liaison with hospital and community colleagues
• Liaise with other stakeholders in the supply chain such as community pharmacists and appliance contractors to handle queries and manage supply problems
• Maintain and review a Medicines Handling Policy for the practice to ensure safe processes for self-administered medicines and controlled drugs
• Support the delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives
• Agree and review Prescribing Formularies and Protocols and monitor compliance levels
• Improve the data quality of medicines records and linking to conditions.

3. Safety

• Report medicines related incidents, contribute to investigations and root cause analyses
• Participate in serious incident investigations and multidisciplinary case reviews
• Report Adverse Drug Reactions and promote reporting by MDT
• Oversee use and monitoring of high risk drugs and drugs of abuse
• Action and response to Drug Safety Alerts and other safety cascades.

4. Training and education and information

• Participate in MDT learning activities
• Participate in and contribute to MDT clinical supervision sessions and case reviews
• Develop and deliver education sessions and training to clinical and non-clinical staff on medicines issues
• Deliver education and support to individual patients and patient support groups on medicines
• Provide ad-hoc medicines advice to doctors and other clinicians
• Assess emergent clinical evidence and develop strategies for implementation in practice
• Horizon scan for new drugs and provide information to the MDT on their introduction
• Provide advice on cost effective prescribing and supply issues
• Provide teaching and support to medical students, GP trainees and other trainee healthcare professionals
• Actively participate in Pilot scheme MDT meetings and monthly cluster pharmacist group clinical supervision and development sessions.
• Actively participate in National CPPE training scheme for clinical pharmacists if required.

5. Quality

• Ensure compliance with CQC and other professional standards
• Promote a culture of constant improvement and excellence
• Conduct regular clinical audits and other improvement activities
• Assess own performance regularly and make suggestions of how to improve personal and team performance
• Lead and participate in PDRs and other improvement activities
• Contribute to the achievement of KPIs and objectives of the pilot programme
• Understand a risk management approach and apply it to all activities.

6. Financial and physical resources

• Manage prescribing expenditure and monitor drug budget
• Prescribe cost effectively
• Reduce waste
• Ensure safe storage and security of medicines.

7. Governance

• Agree and maintain Medication Review Policies and procedures
• Agree and manage Repeat Prescribing Policy and Processes
• Maintain prescribing policies within the practice to manage risk including medicines storage, preparation, administration and disposal to comply with Medicines Act 1968 and Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and evolving legislation

Key Working Relationships and Communications

• Ramsgate Primary Care Network 
• Thanet CIC
• Thanet CCG
• Medicine Optimisation Pharmacists
• General Practitioners and other practice clinicians 
• Patients and carers 
• Practice Clinical Leads
• Practice Managers
• Senior Clinical Pharmacist 
• Local community Pharmacies
• Secondary care pharmacy departments
• NHS England and its local officers
• Patient & public stakeholders, including patient participation groups
• Secondary Care departments, including Doctors, Nurses
• Relevant representative committees (e.g. LMC, LDC, LOC, LPC)s
• Primary healthcare team e.g., community nurses
• Care Homes
• Healthcare providers including NHS, third sector and voluntary providers.

Person Specification