Clinical Pharmacist

Holmes Chapel Health Centre; Crewe; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Holmes Chapel Health Centre is seeking a qualified Clinical Pharmacist to lead the Practice Dispensary Team and work with GPs to optimise medicines and prescribing practices. You will provide specialist pharmaceutical knowledge, mentor staff, and support safe, cost-effective care across patient pathways.

The role involves structured medication reviews, transfer-of-care management, and developing systems for safer prescribing within a dynamic, multidisciplinary primary care setting.

Qualifications

• Qualified pharmacist with UK registration and ongoing CPD commitment.
• Experience as an independent prescriber in primary care or hospital settings.
• Proven ability to lead a dispensary team and work within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Strong knowledge of cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the dispensary and manage the dispensary team.
• Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters and disease treatment guidelines.
• Undertake structured medication reviews and medicines optimisation.
• Lead on safe and efficient prescribing systems and contribute to QOF targets.

Skills

Independent prescriber

Clinical knowledge

Leadership

Cost-effective prescribing

Education

Masters degree in pharmacy (MPham) or equivalent

GPhC registration

Tools

EMIS

MS Office

Job description

Job summary

We're recruiting a qualified and experienced Clinical Pharmacist to join our enthusiastic and proactive Practice Dispensary Team. You will be managing the Dispensary Team directly so you will be working alongside our dispensers and administrators to ensure a safe and effective service.

You'll be part of a multi-disciplinary team providing specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment.

The role will also involve providing structured medication reviews, management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing, providing specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters while addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients.

You will also work alongside our GPs to help achieve our QOF targets.

Main duties of the job

• To practice as an independent prescriber
• To manage the dispensary and the staff within it
• To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions
• To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers
• To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing systems

This job description is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the GP Practice.

About us

Holmes Chapel Health Centre has a skilled and experienced team of 5 GP Partners leading a Clinical Team of Salaried GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Nurses and HCAs.

Our current patient list is circa 13,000 and the practice is well placed to be at the forefront of general practice, provide innovative and robust services, as well as provide development opportunities for the staff.

We are based in a modern purpose-built surgery, with an good CQC grading, and our ethos is to deliver high-quality medical care through our comprehensive, highly skilled team members.

Job responsibilities

• Main purpose of job
• To oversea the dispensary and manage the dispensary team
• To provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment, and to also provide evidence-based education and training for colleagues in partnership with the practice
• To practice as an independent prescriber
• To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions
• To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers
• To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing systems
• Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions
• Support patients to manage their long term conditions.
• Medication review / medicines optimisation
• Review if prescribing is appropriate in line with current guidance, cost-effective and safe; identify unmet need, stop unnecessary/ineffective medicines. Implement own prescribing changes as an independent prescriber.
• Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes
• Review patients that are on nomad trays and decide if required or not
• Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters
• Review NICE and other evidence-based guidance as it is issued, to evaluate any impact on medicines and prescribing.
• Undertake regular clinical audit to support implementation of clinical guidance across the practice.
• Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the practice to discuss audit results and agree an action plan for improving standards within clinical areas.
• Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable.
• Encourage cost effective prescribing within the practice, including adherence to local formulary.
• Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members
• Review all safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken
• Improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and both the patient and other care providers
• To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital/ intermediate care; identify and rectify unexplained changes, manage these changes without referral to the GP; perform a clinical mediation review; produce a post-discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow-up test, and work with patients and community pharmacists to ensure 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).
• Reconcile medication from clinic appointment correspondence, identifying any unexplained changes and rectifying these by communication with the secondary care provider. Ensure patients are fully aware of any changes and that a plan for monitoring/dose titration is in place.
• Act as the practice lead contact for community pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.
• Act as the practice lead contact for hospital pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.
• Lead on implementation of safe and efficient prescribing systems
• To ensure the practice repeat prescribing system is safe, efficient and helps minimise waste.
• To answer queries from administration staff regarding medication requests where appropriate to save GP time
• To work with practice staff to ensure a robust medication review policy
• To identify patients suitable for repeat dispensing. Ensure this is implemented effectively by close working with patients, prescribers and community pharmacies.
• All employees should understand it is their personal responsibility to comply with all organisational and statutory requirements (e.g. health and safety, equality and diversity, confidentiality and clinical governance)

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPham) or equivalent Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council Demonstrate a commitment to Continuous Professional Development
• Independent prescriber Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Desirable

• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Specialist knowledge acquired through post-graduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience

Experience

Essential

• Significant post-qualification experience
• In depth experience of therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence based healthcare.
• Experience of working within a Primary Care GP surgery
• Experience of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing

Desirable

• Experience of planning, managing, monitoring, advising and reviewing general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Experience of using Patient Management Systems, e.g. EMIS and Microsoft packages for a range of different purposes
• Experience of managing people

Knowledge and Skills

Desirable

• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences, e.g. patients, carers, etc.
• Ability to be self-motivated and work co-operatively as part of a team.
• Managing ones own time with a minimum of supervision to meet agreed outcomes and deadlines
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
• Able to 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
• Understanding of how to develop and deliver a person centred approach and an ability to assess, plan and review an individuals needs
• Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and valuing patients perspectives and choices
• Motivated to work towards creating a safe, open and trusting environment

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).