Clinical Pharmacist

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Cramlington; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Part time

Job summary

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board invites applications for a part-time Clinical Pharmacist (24 hours) to join the Cramlington & Seaton Valley Primary Care Network. You will collaborate with pharmacists and technicians across practices to optimise medicines, improve patient care and provide timely medicines information.

The role involves cross-practice work, clinical reviews, and leadership in medicines optimisation with opportunities to develop prescribing skills, participate in audits,

Qualifications

• Registered pharmacist with GPhC
• Experience in primary care medicine optimisation
• Prescribing qualification or training in progress

Responsibilities

• Conduct structured medication reviews in general practice
• Provide medicines information and expert advice to clinicians and patients
• Lead medicines optimisation across the PCN and support antibiotic stewardship

Skills

Clinical pharmacy

Interprofessional collaboration

Face-to-face consultations

Education

GPhC registration

Prescribing qualification

Tools

EMIS/SystmOne

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part-time (24 hours) Clinical Pharmacist to be part of our existing team of healthcare professionals supporting the Cramlington & Seaton Valley Primary Care Network (PCN)., The post holder is a Clinical Pharmacist who acts within their professional boundaries, working alongside a team of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in general practice and within the Primary Care Network (PCN). They will improve patients health outcomes and the efficiency of the primary care team by providing direct, accessible and timely medicines and expertise including face to face contact with patients. The post holder will be an integral part of the general practice team, working in each practice and across the PCN, as well as part of a wider pharmacist network and multidisciplinary team. This includes being a conduit of patient medicines information into and out of hospitals. They will work to optimise medication issues to improve patient care and safety and support clinical staff in the management of patients., Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas Be a prescriber, or completing training to become a prescriber, and work with and alongside the general practice team Be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism (through STOMP the 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 PCNs practice(s) and to help in tackling inequalities Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation (including ensuring prescribers in the organisation conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, whilst contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care Have a leadership role in supporting further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to help improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage general practice workload Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across PCNs and the wider health and social care system Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists (including mental health and reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic use in people with learning difficulties), liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision. Appropriate clinical supervision means: Each clinical pharmacist must receive a minimum of one supervision session per month by a senior clinical pharmacist The senior clinical pharmacist must receive a minimum of one supervision session every three months by a GP clinical supervisor Each clinical pharmacist will have access to an assigned GP clinical supervisor for support and development A ratio of one senior clinical pharmacist to no more than five junior clinical pharmacists, with appropriate peer support and supervision in place. To act as the PCN point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positive working relationships To liaise with the practices and, where practicable, to standardise the medicines management process across the PCN To consult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medication To receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians To receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff To provide medication review services for patients in the practice and during domiciliary visits to the local nursing home To manage a caseload of complex patients To manage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high risk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs etc. To deliver long term conditions clinics and home visits particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes and prescribe accordingly To provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team To review medications for newly registered patients To improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medication To encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the PCN To liaise with practices and implement and embed a robust repeat prescribing system for use across all practices To provide advice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff To organise and oversee the PCNs medicines optimisation systems including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems To improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance To develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities To ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. To apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines To provide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a system To support clinicians with the management of patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependencies To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional To manage a caseload of complex patients and potential care institutions and to provide advice for the GP management of more complex patients or areas such as addictive behaviours, severe mental illness or end of life care To review the latest guidance ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc. To provide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care To handle prescription queries and requests directly To provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the PCN multidisciplinary team, patients and their carers To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the PCN To participate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss events To undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes To contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance To attend a formal appraisal with your manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed To contribute to public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice or direct care To maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times. In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Clinical Pharmacist may be requested to: Support 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 Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues Working in partnership with pharmacists and clinicians in hospital(s), improve the safety and quality of prescribing after discharge from hospital admissions and attendance Provide leadership and support to prescription administrative/dispensary staff Produce pharmacy/prescribing newsletters or bulletins on a quarterly basis Develop a specialist area of interest Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support including e-consultations, remote medication review and telehealth and telemedicine Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility

• Hold or be working towards an GPhC independent prescribing qualification
• Minor ailments certification
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Working towards faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Medicines Management qualification
• MUR and repeat dispensing certification
• CPPE, Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills organisation skills with the ability to constructively challenge the view and practices of managers and clinicians
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
• Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Flexible and cooperative
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety
• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own home, Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term condition
• Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS/SystmOne/Vision, An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice and the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Experience and an awareness of common acute and chronic conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners, Minimum of two years working as a pharmacist demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• Experience in managing pharmacy services in primary care
• In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
• Understanding of the mentorship process
• Broad knowledge of general practice
• Our PCN comprises of 4 GP practices who work together to deliver services that improve outcomes for our combined population of around 32,000 registered patients. You will be at the forefront of driving this valuable expansion and collaboration of the primary care services across the four practices in the Network.