Advanced Pharmacist -General Practice

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust; Worksop; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Worksop seeks a Practice Pharmacist to assess and treat patients in a multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities include managing chronic diseases, conducting medication reviews, and leading clinical audits. The ideal candidate will have a pharmacy degree and an Independent Prescriber Qualification, with strong leadership skills. This role offers opportunities for professional development and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Ongoing professional support

Flexible working arrangements

Leadership development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in clinical pharmacy and patient care.
• Ability to manage chronic diseases and complex polypharmacy.
• Strong communication skills to work with healthcare teams.

Responsibilities

• Conduct medication reviews for patients.
• Manage repeat prescriptions and pharmacist-led clinics.
• Ensure adherence to clinical guidelines and medication management.

Skills

Clinical assessment

Medication management

Leadership

Pharmacology knowledge

Anticoagulation knowledge

Education

Pharmacy degree

Independent Prescriber Qualification

Job description

You will work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team in a patient‑facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using your expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas. Be a prescriber (or willing to complete training to become one) and work with and alongside the general practice team. You will be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and conduct clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially older people, people in care homes, those with multiple co‑morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD, asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism (through STOMP – Stop Over Medication Programme). Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the practices and to help tackle inequalities. 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, while contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services.

Role Summary

The Practice Pharmacist will support the General Practice colleagues across two practices – Castle Street and Creswell and Langwith Medical Centre – to deliver the Clinical Pharmacist ARRS role in line with the Primary Care Network Contract DES contract:

• Manage the repeat prescribing re‑authorisation process
• Develop pharmacist‑led clinics
• Lead on anticoagulation clinics
• Develop and run a pharmacist‑led minor illness clinic as a prescriber
• Deal with prescription queries from patients, pharmacies, community agencies and care homes
• Review and reconcile medicines changes from secondary care organisations; identify and rectify unexplained changes and ensure robust processes are in place in all practices
• Ensure practices adhere to the Joint Area Prescribing Committee
• Lead on medication‑related clinical audits to identify areas where improvement is needed, develop action plans and implement appropriate changes (e.g. monitoring of patients using high‑risk medicines such as DMARDs, lithium, warfarin, antipsychotics, opiates, benzodiazepines and psychostimulants)
• Lead, manage and act on MHRA alerts in response to any drug‑safety alerts, changes in clinical guidance or incidents
• Lead on the identification, implementation and monitoring of medicines management targets and initiatives including QOF and QIPP

Please refer to the job description and personal specification for full details. Our practices are situated in the rural villages of Bolsover, Creswell and Langwith on the borders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. We work collaboratively with Hardwick and Bolsover Primary Care Network, and with Derbyshire Community Health Service, to deliver high‑quality community healthcare services. We are GP Registrar Training Practices with a combined patient list size of 10 170 and have level 3 accreditation in research studies.

We have well‑established teams at each practice, including a Clinical Lead, Practice Manager and Lead Nurse at each site, five General Practitioners, one Advanced Clinical Practitioner, two Practice Nurses, one Nurse Associate and one Healthcare Assistant at Creswell and Langwith. At Castle Street Medical Centre we have four GPS, one Practice Nurse, one HCA, one Nurse Associate, all supported by dedicated reception and administration staff.

As the first PCN pharmacist employed to support the practices, there is an opportunity to shape and develop the role and potentially grow over future years. Excellent support is provided by Derbyshire Community Health Service for staff undertaking their independent prescriber qualification, or for those already qualified, including ongoing professional support, training, development and multiple leadership opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Act as Prescribing Lead within the practice and attend local area‑wide prescribing lead meetings with the Medicines Management Team to provide feedback to practice clinicians.

• Provide expert clinical and therapeutic advice to all members of the primary health care team and the public to promote safe and effective use of medicines (including clinical advice in areas where information is lacking or where medical or other opinion differs)
• Implement the medicines optimisation strategy at practice level through effective working relationships with individual prescribers, practice staff, ICB Medicine Management Team and other healthcare professionals
• Provide feedback to prescribers on progress with medicines management initiatives, prescribing targets and clinical audit
• Ensure effective communication with patients on appropriate use of medicines, including changes to medication following prescribing audits
• Ensure implementation of relevant NICE guidance
• Act as clinical lead for anticoagulation services
• Lead other clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians within DCHS GP practices as the service develops
• Lead on initiating and actioning medicine‑related audits within the practice

For a comprehensive range of responsibilities, please refer to the job description and personal specification.

About Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

DCHS is one of the largest providers of specialist community healthcare in England, employing around 4 500 staff and caring for nearly 1.8 million patients each year across 11 community hospitals, 4 minor injury units, 29 health centres and a learning disability centre. We provide community care through therapists, health visitors, district nurses and public‑health outreach, with a special focus on the needs of elderly people and the very young.

DCHS has been recognised as a top 10 NHS organisation to work for in the UK by the Health Service Journal and NHS Employers in their Best Places to Work 2015 campaign, and is a runner‑up in the category for the best NHS community trust employer.

Recruitment & Values

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @dchsjobs.

Our vision: “to be the best provider of local healthcare and to be a great place to work.”

Our values:

• To get the basics right
• To act with compassion and respect
• To make a difference
• To value and develop teamwork
• To value everyone's contribution because everyone matters

We are a flexible‑working friendly organisation and welcome discussions about job share, part‑time or other flexible arrangements.