Clinical Pharmacist/Independent Prescriber-Fairford-Part time-21 hours

Job overview

Hilary Cottage Surgery is nestled in the South Cotswolds. A small surgery with around 40 staff, this part time role is a great opportunity to work in a primary care setting as an independent prescriber.

If you want to work in a General Practice, where we enjoy what we do, work well together, and work hard for our patients - as well as having a nice drive through the countryside to get to work, Hilary Cottage Surgery is the place to be!

Your role here will be to work alongside the GPs and other healthcare professionals to provide expertise in clinical pharmacy, medicines optimisation and safety which will include undertaking structured medication reviews. You will provide leadership for medicines use to ensure patients experience high quality patient care that will improve health outcomes and efficiency of the primary care team by providing direct, accessible and timely expertise including telephone contact with patients.

The main duties and responsibilities will include performing remote medication reviews, support management of patients with long-term conditions, undertake medicines reconciliation, provide telephone consultations, repeat prescription standardisation, implementation and management, drug monitoring management, and clinical audits.

Job description

Duties include:

Action medication adjustments following hospital discharge summaries and identifying and rectifying unexplained changes to ensure patients are supported and receive correct medications and deal with any queries.

Manage medication reviews with patients by telephone and make recommendations for prescribing and monitoring. Through structured medical reviews the post holder will support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care. Medication reviews for patients who are regular A+E, Urgent Care Centre or hospital attenders.

Carry out clinical audits to review patients on high-risk medications and monitor prescribing against local and national guidelines.

Make recommendations for medicine switches and support staff with medicine related queries.

Work with the prescribing lead to review repeat prescribing policy. Make necessary changes and interventions for re-authorisation of long-term medications.

Management of repeat prescribing and management of patients with chronic diseases where medicine optimisation is required.

Promote and increase uptake and utilisation of electronic repeat Dispensing (eRD) and Electronic Prescribing (EPS) in line with defined targets.

Assist the practice to achieve QOF and Enhances Service objectives/ targets.

Provide advice and support to patients in the use of medicines.

Job responsibilities

Job summary:

To work alongside the GPs and other healthcare professionals to provide expertise in clinical pharmacy, medicines optimisation and safety which will include undertaking structured medication reviews. You will provide leadership for medicines use to ensure patients experience high quality patient care that will improve health outcomes and efficiency of the primary care team by providing direct, accessible and timely expertise including telephone contact with patients.

The main duties and responsibilities will include performing face-to-face and remote medication reviews, support management of patients with long-term conditions, undertake medicines reconciliation, provide telephone consultations, repeat prescription standardization, implementation and management, drug monitoring management, and clinical audits.

Job Responsibilities:

Clinical Practice

Action medication adjustments following receipt of hospital discharge summaries and identifying and rectifying unexplained changes to ensure that patients are supported and receive the correct medications and deal with any queries as they arise.

Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients by telephone and make appropriate recommendations for the clinical team on prescribing and monitoring. Through structured medical reviews the post holder will support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care. Medication reviews for patients who are regular A+E, Urgent Care Centre or hospital attenders.

Carry out clinical audits to review patients on high-risk medications and monitor prescribing against local and national guidelines. Analyse and present results to highlight areas for improvement.

Make recommendations for medicine switches and support clinical & dispensary staff with medicine related queries.

Work with the prescribing lead to review repeat prescribing policy. Make necessary changes and interventions for re-authorisation of long-term medications.

Management of repeat prescribing and management of patients with chronic diseases where medicine optimisation is required. E.g., COPD, asthma, mental health and diabetes.

Promote and increase uptake and utilisation of electronic repeat Dispensing (eRD) and Electronic Prescribing (EPS) in line with local & National targets.

Assist the practice to achieve QOF and Enhances Service objectives/ targets.

Provide advice and support to patients in the use of medicines.

Knowledge, skills and experience required

Completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Must be a qualified independent prescriber or working towards

Have experience and an awareness of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice.

Recognise priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from normal pattern and is able to refer as appropriate.

Able to follow legal, ethical, professional, and organisational policies and procedures and codes of conduct.

Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidelines.

Administration and professional responsibilities

Lead on and develop elements of the clinical pharmacy service to improve the patient experience.

Contribute proactively to ensure optimal medicines usage by patients and healthcare professionals.

Contribute to ongoing development and service improvements in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team.

Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the Practice Team

Ensure accurate and legible notes are recorded in the patients computer record

Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient care

Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad-hoc reports and audits

Attend and participate in Practice meetings as requested

PCN objective such as IIF and practice priorities such as QoF and CQC requirements

Delivering a quality service

• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct
• Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
• Deliver care according to NICE guidelines and evidence-based care
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking, audit and formal evaluation
• Participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes
• Support and participate in shared learning across the practice
• Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory requirements

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Be punctual and professional in manner

Communication

Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background, and preferred ways of communicating

Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication

Maintain effective communication within the practice and with external stakeholders

Personal/Professional Development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual appraisal
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Confidentiality

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health or other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately

In the performance of the duties outlined in the job description, the post holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff, and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a

business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorized persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Any breach of confidentiality may result in disciplinary proceedings

Health & Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Reporting potential risks identified
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
• Reporting potential risks identified
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Safeguarding

You have a responsibility to follow the principles of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children in accordance with Practice policy.

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit. Undertake distribution of results of investigations, and workflow correspondence as appropriate, when required

General

To cooperate in all matters with the other members of the Practice Team with a view to ensuring a productive and happy atmosphere, greater job satisfaction for all concerned and, above all, ever-improving patient care.

This list is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. There may be other duties and requirements associated with your post and you will be expected to comply with any reasonable requests made by the Partners or the Practice Manager.

About the organisation

Our practice team are here to provide patients with a professional and caring healthcare experience. We run many clinics and offer a wide variety of other medical services such as antenatal and postnatal care, childhood vaccinations and minor surgery.

We are continually monitoring our standards of service and striving to improve them.

To find out more about the practice, the people, and the services we offer, please visit www.fairfordsurgery.co.uk

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor of Pharmacy. Independent Prescriber

Experience

Desirable

• Previously worked in a patient facing role
• Previous experience of Primary Care