Pharmacist

Job summary

Are you a registered Pharmacist looking for your next career move? Thirsk Doctors Surgery in conjunction with Hambleton South Primary Care Network have an exciting opportunity for a skilled, enthusiastic and innovative Pharmacist to join our supportive and established team. The hours per week will be between 16 to 24 and confirmed on offer.

The role will offer you the opportunity to build on your experience and professional development of working effectively within a multi-disciplinary healthcare team, as you will work alongside fellow professionals within the practice and PCN.

The role can offer:

Competitive Salary - depending on skills and experience.

Flexible work patterns

Enrolment on the NHS Pension Scheme

If you are interested in progressing your development and contributing to the development of innovative models of primary healthcare in North Yorkshire, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will work in a patient facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas.

Be involved in the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially older people and those with multiple co-morbidities.

Deliver structured medication reviews and support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote selfcare.

Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists and liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation.

Be a prescriber, or completing training to become prescribers, and work with and alongside the general practice team.

Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the practice.

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.

About us

The post holder will be based at Thirsk Doctors Surgery supported by the PCN Senior Clinical Pharmacist, existing employed pharmacists within the Practice & PCN and a GP clinical supervisor.

We are committed to providing high quality primary care services through an ethos of continuous learning and reflection, while ensuring all staff and patients are treated with dignity, honesty and respect.

We aim to be innovative and adaptable to the changing face of General Practice and to balance the needs of individual patients with those of the wider practice population. We are dedicated to promoting the aims and values of our Primary Care Network and the wider NHS and strive to improve the health of our population and encourage self-care.

Date posted

01 May 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

A0933-25-0001

Job locations

Chapel Street

Thirsk

YO7 1LG

Job description Job responsibilities

The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines optimisation. This will include structured medication reviews with direct patient contact and may include contributing to:

• Management of long-term conditions
• Minor illness
• Management of medicines on transfer of care
• Reviewing systems for safer prescribing
• Contributing to repeat prescription authorisations and reauthorisation
• Actioning acute prescription requests
• Addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients
• Achievement of QOF and locally commissioned quality improvement schemes
• Clinical audit

The post holder will be supported to develop their role to become a non-medical prescriber, if that qualification is not already held, and will be required to enrol on the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway from CPPE, unless an equivalent qualification is already held or exemption is agreed by CPPE.

Key duties and responsibilities

(Please note this is a list of options, it is not exhaustive, which options are deployed will be decided by the Practice/PCN). It is however mandated by NHS England that this role is patient-facing in nature.

1.Patient facing Clinical Medication Review

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and work within your scope of practice as a non-medical prescriber to implement any necessary changes (or produce recommendations for/refer to other prescribing pharmacists, nurses and/or GPs to implement if outside your scope). These reviews could be cohort based, in care homes, polypharmacy or any other area required by the PCN, within the pharmacists competence. Home visits may be required.

2.Medicines quality improvement

Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the Practice/PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.

Identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related, or both. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups

3.Medicines safety

Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance.

4.Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments

Managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate.

5.Patient facing medicines support

Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice.

6.Telephone medicines support

Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines.

7.Management of medicines at change of care setting

Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital or admission to intermediate care or care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working 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 or those in Care Homes).

8.Medicine information to practice staff and patients

Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other network staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. Suggest and recommend solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.

9.Drug monitoring

Ensure robust systems are in place for drug monitoring at the practice, streamlining these where possible.

10.Signposting

Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.

11.Repeat prescribing

Ensure the practice has a robust repeat prescribing policy. You may be asked to contribute to the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring in place when required.

12.Service development

Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets).

13.Information management

Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.

14.Education and Training

Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation.

Support pharmacist and pharmacy technician colleagues in their development.

15.Care Quality Commission

Work with the general practice teams to ensure the practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved.

16.Public health

Support public health campaigns. Provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public.

17.Collaborative working arrangements

Work collaboratively with the PCN & Practice Senior Clinical Pharmacists.

Participate in the PCN MDT.

Liaise with the other local PCN and Practice Clinical Pharmacy teams to benefit from peer support.

Liaise with Medicines Commissioning colleagues on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit

Engage with the Leeds Practice Pharmacist and Technician Network and with the other SEL GP-employed pharmacists for peer support.

Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks.

Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships.

Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients, including but not limited to :

Patients and their representatives

GP, nurses and other practice staff

Social prescribers, first contact physiotherapists, physicians associates and paramedics.

Community pharmacists and support staff

Locality / GP prescribing lead

Locality managers

Community nurses and other allied health professionals

Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation

18.Professional development

Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities.

Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.

Work with your GP clinical mentor to access regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present.

Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others. Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes.

Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keep up to date with relevant clinical practice.

19.Research and Evaluation

Critically evaluate and review literature.

Identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice.

Generate evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local level.

Apply research evidence base into the workplace.

20.Health and Safety/Risk Management

Must comply at all times with the Health and Safety policies, in particular following safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting Systems

Comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

21.Special working conditions

The post holder is required to travel independently between work sites and to attend meetings etc hosted by other agencies.

The post-holder will have contact with body fluids, i.e. wound exudates, urine etc while in clinical practice.

The post-holder is likely to need to visit patients in their own home.

22.Miscellaneous

Work as part of the team to seek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to business planning.

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.

23.Equality and Diversity

The post-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc

24.Respect for Patient Confidentiality

The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Job description Job responsibilities

The post holder will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines optimisation. This will include structured medication reviews with direct patient contact and may include contributing to:

• Management of long-term conditions
• Minor illness
• Management of medicines on transfer of care
• Reviewing systems for safer prescribing
• Contributing to repeat prescription authorisations and reauthorisation
• Actioning acute prescription requests
• Addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients
• Achievement of QOF and locally commissioned quality improvement schemes
• Clinical audit

The post holder will be supported to develop their role to become a non-medical prescriber, if that qualification is not already held, and will be required to enrol on the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway from CPPE, unless an equivalent qualification is already held or exemption is agreed by CPPE.

Key duties and responsibilities

(Please note this is a list of options, it is not exhaustive, which options are deployed will be decided by the Practice/PCN). It is however mandated by NHS England that this role is patient-facing in nature.

1.Patient facing Clinical Medication Review

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients and work within your scope of practice as a non-medical prescriber to implement any necessary changes (or produce recommendations for/refer to other prescribing pharmacists, nurses and/or GPs to implement if outside your scope). These reviews could be cohort based, in care homes, polypharmacy or any other area required by the PCN, within the pharmacists competence. Home visits may be required.

2.Medicines quality improvement

Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the Practice/PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.

Identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through computer searches. This might include risks that are patient related, medicine related, or both. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups

3.Medicines safety

Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance.

4.Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments

Managing caseload of patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate.

5.Patient facing medicines support

Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice.

6.Telephone medicines support

Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines.

7.Management of medicines at change of care setting

Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital or admission to intermediate care or care homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working 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 or those in Care Homes).

8.Medicine information to practice staff and patients

Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other network staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. Suggest and recommend solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.

9.Drug monitoring

Ensure robust systems are in place for drug monitoring at the practice, streamlining these where possible.

10.Signposting

Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.

11.Repeat prescribing

Ensure the practice has a robust repeat prescribing policy. You may be asked to contribute to the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring in place when required.

12.Service development

Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets).

13.Information management

Analyse, interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision making.

14.Education and Training

Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation.

Support pharmacist and pharmacy technician colleagues in their development.

15.Care Quality Commission

Work with the general practice teams to ensure the practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved.

16.Public health

Support public health campaigns. Provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public.

17.Collaborative working arrangements

Work collaboratively with the PCN & Practice Senior Clinical Pharmacists.

Participate in the PCN MDT.

Liaise with the other local PCN and Practice Clinical Pharmacy teams to benefit from peer support.

Liaise with Medicines Commissioning colleagues on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit

Engage with the Leeds Practice Pharmacist and Technician Network and with the other SEL GP-employed pharmacists for peer support.

Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks.

Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships.

Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients, including but not limited to :

Patients and their representatives

GP, nurses and other practice staff

Social prescribers, first contact physiotherapists, physicians associates and paramedics.

Community pharmacists and support staff

Locality / GP prescribing lead

Locality managers

Community nurses and other allied health professionals

Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation

18.Professional development

Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities.

Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.

Work with your GP clinical mentor to access regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present.

Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others. Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes.

Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keep up to date with relevant clinical practice.

19.Research and Evaluation

Critically evaluate and review literature.

Identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice.

Generate evidence suitable for presentations at practice and local level.

Apply research evidence base into the workplace.

20.Health and Safety/Risk Management

Must comply at all times with the Health and Safety policies, in particular following safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting Systems

Comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

21.Special working conditions

The post holder is required to travel independently between work sites and to attend meetings etc hosted by other agencies.

The post-holder will have contact with body fluids, i.e. wound exudates, urine etc while in clinical practice.

The post-holder is likely to need to visit patients in their own home.

22.Miscellaneous

Work as part of the team to seek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to business planning.

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.

23.Equality and Diversity

The post-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc

24.Respect for Patient Confidentiality

The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Person Specification Professional Registration Essential

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Experience Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience, demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients)
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Produce timely and informative reports. Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action when there may be significant barriers
• Work effectively independently and as a team member
• Demonstrate accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision

Desirable

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence based healthcare
• Experience of working within general practice and ability to use GP clinical systems, Systm1 and EMIS

Qualifications Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)

Desirable

• Appropriate specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience
• Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining independent prescribing qualification

Person Specification Professional Registration Essential

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Experience Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience, demonstrated within a practice portfolio
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients)
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Produce timely and informative reports. Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action when there may be significant barriers
• Work effectively independently and as a team member
• Demonstrate accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision

Desirable

• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence based healthcare
• Experience of working within general practice and ability to use GP clinical systems, Systm1 and EMIS

Qualifications Essential

• Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent)

Desirable

• Appropriate specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience
• Independent prescriber or working towards/intent of gaining independent prescribing qualification

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.

UK Registration

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

Additional information 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.

UK Registration

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

Employer details Employer name

Thirsk Doctors Surgery

Address

Chapel Street

Thirsk

YO7 1LG

Employer's website

https://www.thirskdoctorssurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Thirsk Doctors Surgery

Address

Chapel Street

Thirsk

YO7 1LG

Employer's website

https://www.thirskdoctorssurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)