Clinical Pharmacist

Claypath and University Medical Practice; North East; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Claypath and University Medical Practice in Durham seeks a Clinical Pharmacist to join a multi-disciplinary general practice team within the PCN. The post holder will optimise medicines, provide direct patient-facing clinical review, and work across hospital and community interfaces to improve patient care and safety.

The role involves leading medicines optimisation, supporting service delivery, and contributing to public health and governance within the practice and wider network.

Qualifications

• GPC registered Pharmacist
• Independent prescribing qualification (GPhC)
• CPPE training pathway or equivalent for primary care prescribing
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society membership in progress
• MUR and repeat dispensing certification

Responsibilities

• Undertake face-to-face medication reviews for patients with chronic disease and polypharmacy.
• Prescribe acutely and on a planned basis within professional boundaries.
• Lead medicines optimisation and contribute to antimicrobial stewardship.
• Support integration of general practice with wider health and social care services.
• Provide leadership on medicines optimisation and quality improvement.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Safeguarding

Clinical governance

Prescribing knowledge

Education

GPC registered Pharmacist

Independent prescribing (GPhC)

CPPE training pathway

Royal Pharmaceutical Society member

MUR and repeat dispensing cert

Job description

Claypath and University Medical Practice

Clinical Pharmacist

The closing date is 13 November 2026

Thepost-holder is a Clinical Pharmacist.

TheClinical Pharmacist acts within their professional boundaries, workingalongside a team of pharmacists in general practice within the PCN.

They will improve patients health outcomes and theefficiency of the primary care team by providing direct, accessible and timelymedicines and expertise including face to face contact with patients.

The post-holder will be an integral part of the generalpractice team, as well as part of a wider pharmacist network andmulti-disciplinary team. This includes being a conduit of patients medicineinformation into and out of hospitals. They will work to optimise medicationissues to improve patient care and safety, and support clinical staff in themanagement of patients.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job:Key responsibilities of the role include:

• undertakingface to face medication reviews and management of patients withchronic diseases and thosewith complex polypharmacy;
• managingmedicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing;
• clinicalassessment and treatment of patients using expert knowledge of medicines inspecific disease areas;
• workingwith patients and the primary care team to minimise risks through medicinesoptimisation;
• providing specialist expertise in the use of medicineswhilst helping to address publichealth and social care needsand tackling inequalities across the Primary Care Network
• developingrelationships and working closely with other pharmacy professionalsacross the wider health andsocial care economy;
• providingleadership on person centred medicines optimisation and qualityimprovement.

About us

We are a large, friendly, well organised, and forwardthinking GMS training practice located in the heart of the beautiful City ofDurham. With a list size of over 33,300 patients, half of which are studentsfrom the University, we are looking to recruit a clinical pharmacist.

The post-holder is a Clinical Pharmacist and is an integralpart of the general practice team, working within their professionalboundaries.

If you are friendly and enthusiastic with excellentcommunication skills, as well as the ability to work confidently andeffectively in a diverse and sometimes challenging environment, you could bejust the person we are looking for!

Our fantastic team includes:

GP Partners, Salaried GPs, Nurse Practitioners, PracticeNurses, HCAs, GP Assistants, CPNs, Physios, SPLWs and an experienced andproactive administrative and management team.

Job responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities ofthe Clinical Pharmacist delivering health services.

• a.Workas part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role to clinicallyassess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines forspecific disease areas
• b.Bea prescriber
• c.Beresponsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases andundertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complexpolypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multipleco-morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD and asthma) and people withlearning disabilities or autism (through STOMP Stop Over MedicationProgramme)
• d.Providespecialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both thepublic health and social care needs of patients at the organisation and to helpin tackling inequalities
• e.Provideleadership on person-centred medicines optimisation (including ensuringprescribers in the practice conserve antibiotics in line with localantimicrobial stewardship guidance) and quality improvement, whilstcontributing to the Quality and Outcomes Framework and enhanced services
• f.Throughstructured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications toget the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care
• g.Havea leadership role in supporting further integration of general practice withthe wider healthcare teams (including community and hospital pharmacy) to helpto improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help to managegeneral practice workload
• h.Developrelationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across thewider health and social care system
• i.Takea central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinicalresearch with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists (including mentalhealth and reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic use in people with learningdifficulties), liaison with community pharmacists, and anticoagulation
• i.EachClinical Pharmacist will have access to an assigned GP clinical supervisor forsupport and development
• j.Actas the point of contact for all medicine related matters, establishing positiveworking relationships
• k.Consultpatients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acuteand repeat medication
• l.Receivereferrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians
• m.Receiveand resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff
• n.Providemedication review services for patients in the practice and during domiciliaryvisits to the local nursing home
• o.Managea caseload of complex patients
• p.Managea therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking highrisk drugs, i.e., anticoagulants, anticonvulsants and DMARDs, etc.
• q.Deliverlong term condition clinics and home visits, particularly for patients withcomplicated medication regimes, and prescribe accordingly
• r.Providepharmaceutical consultations to patients with long term conditions as anintegral part of the multidisciplinary team
• s.Reviewmedications for newly registered patients
• t.Improvepatient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with theirmedication
• u.Maintainaccurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation

1. 1.Encouragecost-effective prescribing throughout the organisation
2. 2.Implementand embed a robust repeat prescribing system
3. 3.Provideadvice and answer medication related queries from patients and staff
4. 4.Organiseand oversee the organisations medicines optimisation systems, including therepeat prescribing and medication review systems
5. 5.Improvethe quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit andeducation, to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical andprescribing guidance.
6. 6.Developyourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, trainingand service redesign activities
7. 7.Providesubject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding asystem
8. 8. Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines
9. 9.Activelysignpost patients to the correct healthcare professional
10. 10.Managea caseload of complex patients and potential care institutions and to provideadvice for the GP management of more complex patients or areas such asaddictive behaviours, severe mental illness or end of life care
11. 11.Reviewthe latest guidance, ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc.
12. 12.Beaware of duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation and adhereto practice policies and procedures for safeguarding adults and safeguarding children
13. 13.Providetargeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients andthose at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care
14. 14.Handleprescription queries and requests directly
15. 15.Provideproactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the organisation,patients and their carers
16. 16.Supportin the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalfof the organisation
17. 17.Participatein the management of patient complaints when requested to do so, andparticipate in the identification of any necessary learning brought aboutthrough clinical incidents and near-miss events
18. 18.Undertakeall mandatory training and induction programmes
19. 19.Contributeto and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance
20. 20.Attenda formal appraisal with your manager at least every 12 months. Once aperformance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on aregular basis so that new objectives can be agreed
21. 21.Contributeto public health campaigns (e.g., COVID-19 or flu clinics) through advice ordirect care
22. 22.Maintaina clean, tidy, effective working area at all times

Theremay be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks, this will bedependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels

Person Specification

Clinical Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and organisational skills with the ability to constructively challenge the views and practices of managers and clinicians
• Understanding of safeguarding adults and children
• Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understand when to refer to GPs
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Good clinical system IT knowledge
• Plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance

Qualifications

• GPC registered Pharmacist
• Proof of relevant professional and educational qualifications, coupled with details of any training
• To be enrolled in, or have qualified from, an approved 18-month training pathway or equivalent that equips them to be able to practice and prescribe safely and effectively in a primary care setting (for example, the CPPE clinical pharmacist training pathways)
• Hold an GPhC independent prescribing qualification
• Working towards faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Minor ailments certification
• MUR and repeat dispensing certification

Personal Qualities

• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Ability to follow legal, ethical and professional policies/local policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion, and sensitivity
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
• Knowledge of IT systems including the ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Knowledge of and ability to work to key policies and procedures
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Good interpersonal and organisational skills
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Clear, polite telephone manner

Experience

• An appreciation of the nature of general practice and the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Minimum of two years working as a pharmacist demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape, including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners
• 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
• Experience of working autonomously

Other Requirements/Wider Responsibilities

• Occupational Health clearance
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Flexibility to work outside core office hours
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Claypath and University Medical Practice