Advanced Practice Pharmacist

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust; Worksop; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare provider in Worksop seeks a Practice Pharmacist to join a multi-disciplinary team. The role involves assessing and treating patients, managing chronic diseases, and leading clinical audits. Ideal candidates will hold a pharmacy degree and have leadership experience in clinical settings. Opportunities for professional development and clinical supervision are provided within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Excellent support for independent prescriber qualification

Clinical supervision from experienced staff

Qualifications

• Ability to clinically assess and treat patients.
• Experience in managing chronic diseases is essential.
• Must be able to provide leadership on medicines optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Manage repeat prescribing process.
• Develop pharmacist-led clinics for chronic conditions.
• Lead medication-related clinical audits.

Skills

Knowledge of medicines for chronic conditions

Leadership in clinical settings

Medication review and management

Ability to manage audits and safety alerts

Education

Pharmacy degree

Independent prescriber qualification (or willingness to obtain)

Job description

Role Overview

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 an independent prescriber) and work alongside the general practice team. You will be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake 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 and 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 in tackling 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, whilst contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services.

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.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the repeat prescribing reauthorisation 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.

The 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, as well as our service provider, Derbyshire Community Health Service, to deliver high‑quality community healthcare services. We are GP Registrar Training Practices and serve a combined patient list size of 10,170, with 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, 5 General Practitioners, 1 Advanced Clinical Practitioner, 2 Practice Nurses, 1 Nurse Associate and 1 Healthcare Assistant at Creswell and Langwith. At Castle Street Medical Centre we have 4 General Practitioners, 1 Practice Nurse, 1 Healthcare Assistant and 1 Nurse Associate, all supported by dedicated reception and administration staff.

Being 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. There is excellent support within DCHS for staff undertaking their independent prescriber qualification, or for those already qualified – to receive ongoing support. Excellent clinical supervision will be provided within the practices, as well as professional support from the wider DCHS pharmacy team, access to training and development and many leadership and development opportunities are available.