Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Medicines Optimisation for Care Homes

NHS; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider based in Eastbourne is seeking a Senior Clinical Pharmacist for their Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes Team. In this role, you'll conduct Structured Medication Reviews and collaborate with healthcare professionals to enhance patient care for individuals in care homes. Applicants must have a Master's degree in Pharmacy and be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. The position offers numerous professional development opportunities and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Access to continuing professional development opportunities

Flexible working options

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Accredited Living Wage Employer

Qualifications

• Passionate about working with frail elderly patients.
• Proficient in digital technology systems like Outlook and MS Teams.
• Strong clinical and technical knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Deliver person-centred Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs).
• Review prescribing and make expert recommendations.
• Build strong relationships with healthcare stakeholders.

Skills

Advanced pharmaceutical care knowledge

Excellent organisational skills

Critical appraisal skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Education

Master's degree MPharm

Registered pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent

Tools

EMIS

SystmOne

Job description

Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Medicines Optimisation for Care Homes

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Senior Clinical Pharmacist to join our Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) Team in East Sussex. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a well-established team dedicated to improving medicines use and patient outcomes for people living in care homes.

Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust (SCFT) is the largest provider of community NHS health services across Sussex. Our Medicines Management Team, led by our Chief Pharmacist, is passionate about delivering excellence and investing in our people. We offer a supportive environment where you can develop your skills, gain qualifications and progress your career.

Our established MOCH Sussex-wide team (subdivided into East, West and Brighton & Hove regions) consist of specialist pharmacy staff who support care homes and their residents to achieve best outcomes from medications. They do this by reviewing medicines with people living in care home and those that support them and providing guidance on medicines use and medicines management in care homes.

Our MOCH Team are core members of the Enhanced Health in Care Home Multi-Disciplinary Teams, working at Primary Care Network (PCN) level with care homes, care home matrons, GP practice teams, community pharmacies, social services, acute hospitals, CQC, and many others involved with care home residents and their medicines.

Main duties of the job

Based at Hampden Park working with MOCH East Sussex, you will be delivering structured medication reviews (SMR) with care home residents, review prescribing and make changes or recommendations to GPs to improve patient outcomes focusing on quality and safety. You will establish and maintain effective working relationships and networks across a defined PCN locality.

• Deliver person-centred Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for care home residents through holistic consultations with patients and their support networks (carers, nurses, family members).
• Review prescribing and make expert recommendations to GPs, advanced clinical practitioners, focusing on quality, safety, and improved outcomes.
• Build strong relationships GPs, PCN teams, community pharmacies, care home managers, social services, and other stakeholders.
• Use clinical systems such as EMIS to document reviews and utilise digital technology for remote meetings and supervision.
• Contribute to quality improvement and research projects to enhance service delivery.
• Potentially line manage a senior pharmacy technician.
• Collaborate on projects and share your expertise across a range of medicines optimisation services, including Rheumatology, Children and Young People, Proactive Care, Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes, and Virtual Wards, offering variety and scope for career progression.

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full description of the role and essential criteria.

Main Duties

• Deliver person-centred Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for care home residents through holistic consultations with patients and their support networks (carers, nurses, family members).
• Review prescribing and make expert recommendations to GPs and advanced clinical practitioners, focusing on quality, safety, and improved outcomes.
• Build strong relationships with GPs, PCN teams, community pharmacies, care home managers, social services, and other stakeholders.
• Use clinical systems such as EMIS to document reviews and utilise digital technology for remote meetings and supervision.
• Contribute to quality improvement and research projects to enhance service delivery.
• Potentially line manage a senior pharmacy technician.
• Collaborate on projects and share your expertise across a range of medicines optimisation services, including Rheumatology, Children and Young People, Proactive Care, Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes, and Virtual Wards, offering variety and scope for career progression.

About You

We are looking for someone who is: Passionate about working with frail elderly patients and individuals with learning disabilities. Warm, empathetic, and an excellent communicator. Skilled in medicines optimisation with strong clinical and technical knowledge. Self-motivated, organised, and committed to continuous learning. Proficient in digital technology systems such as Outlook for diary management and MS Teams for video conferencing, team meetings and clinical supervision.

Essential skills

Robust CPD in areas such as chronic conditions in older people.

Desirable skills

Post qualification experience and a proven track record in medicines optimisation.

Applicants from all branches of pharmacy practice are welcome.

Benefits

Access to continuing professional development opportunities, including Independent Prescribing and management qualifications. Depending on experience, the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (18 months will be offered, which includes independent prescribing). Embedded within a large NHS Trust with access to organisational development, training, and staff benefits.

Working Arrangements

Base: Hampden Park, Eastbourne
Hours: Monday – Friday, business hours (no weekends, bank holidays, or on-call). Flexible and hybrid working supported laptop and mobile provided. Travel across West Sussex required, including to locations that may be served poorly by public transport.

Interviews will be held: two weeks after advert closing date.

Join us

Person Specification

Other requirements

• Requirement to travel cost effectively across the area covered by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
• Requirement to attend CPPE training events or similar including residentials, and any other requirements in relation to MOCH role.

Qualifications and/or professional registration

• Master's degree MPharm
• Registered pharmacist (1 year competency assessed and examined) professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) UK
• Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice in line with GPhC UK requirements
• Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• Train the trainer course or similar
• Non-Medical Prescriber

Experience

• Extensive post-registration experience with a significant relevant experience as a clinical pharmacist
• Providing clinical pharmacy services within an acute setting or similar setting with direct patient contact.
• Delivering training to healthcare professionals
• Clinical audits/quality improvement cycle. Plan, organise the collection of data, analyse data, findings, recommendations and audit report writing, then next steps.
• Experience of writing policies, procedures and protocols
• Broad specialist clinical pharmacy knowledge of care homes and frailty
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of working in multi-disciplinary team
• Knowledge of primary/secondary care interface issues Working with a community health services setting
• Previous experience of working as a clinical pharmacist in care home and a good understanding of this care setting
• Previous experience of working in GP practices and familiar with some of the GP computer systems used.
• Previous experience of accessing and analysing prescribing data

Skills and knowledge

• Advanced pharmaceutical care knowledge and skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to assimilate, analyse and interpret complex data to assess risks and improve patient safety
• Critical appraisal skills
• Ability to develop effective working relationships at all levels
• Demonstrate ability to identify and implement best practice
• Ability to work independently and within a team
• Ability to challenge
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to prioritise and manage own work
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Teaching and training skills
• Accountable for own professional actions
• Ability to make important decisions in pressured situations
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty
• Good understanding of drug budgets and drug costs and how to monitor these
• Ability to apply sound professional judgement to legal and ethical issues
• Expertise on legal issues related to medicines in different care settings
• Familiarity with the concepts of evidence-based medicine
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills and ability to persuade others
• Ability to influence and effectively communicate with medical prescribers and non‑medical prescribers, where these may be from external organisations.
• The ability to research and analyse complex information, judging the input required to arrive at robust and accurate conclusions and using these conclusions to inform decision-making
• Computer skills including word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations and GP systems e.g. EMIS or SystmOne

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.

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working,Home or remote working