The post holder is a clinical pharmacist working within Worcester City PCN and its general practice teams. They will support the safe, effective and cost-effective use of medicines, optimise medicines use, improve patient outcomes and contribute to medicines-related initiatives. A key focus of the role will be delivering local prescribing and medicines optimisation priorities, including the Quality Prescribing and Medicines Service (QPMS), alongside national contractual priorities such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role, the post holder will provide primary support to general practice staff on prescription and medication queries, undertake medicines reconciliation following transfer of care and implement systems for safer prescribing. They will conduct structured medication reviews (particularly for high-risk patients and those with complex polypharmacy) and run clinics to support chronic disease management.
The pharmacist will take a lead role in prescription management, including oversight of the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process, contribute to quality improvement by implementing evidence-based prescribing changes. They will collaborate with commissioning organisations and wider PCN team to support the delivery of the Quality Prescribing and Medicines Service (QPMS), Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES), Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and Local Enhanced Service (LES) at both practice and PCN level.
The job description may be updated to reflect the evolving needs of the organisation.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Undertake structured medication reviews (face-to-face or remotely), focusing on high-risk groups such as care home residents, housebound patients and patients with polypharmacy or complex chronic conditions
- Reconcile medicines following hospital discharge, ensuring continuity of therapy and safe handover with community pharmacists
- Implement MHRA alerts, drug withdrawals and evidence-based guideline changes within the practice or across the PCN
- Support chronic disease management clinics (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, asthma, COPD, osteoporosis, mental health)
- Contribute to multi-morbidity reviews - QOF domains and register improvements
- Lead prescription management processes, including repeat prescribing authorisation (including reviewing requests for repeat prescriptions, medicines reaching review dates, ensuring drug monitoring is being done and prescribing clerks support)
- Provide medicines information, training and prescribing advice to practice staff
- Collaborate with community and hospital pharmacy colleagues to align services (e.g. Discharge Medicines Service, New Medicine Service)
- Identify high-risk patient cohorts through computer searches (e.g. AnalyseRx) to reduce harm and prevent avoidable admissions
- Participate in audits, quality improvement initiatives and local medicines optimisation schemes (e.g. QPMS, DSQS, QIPP)
- Lead on where changes in evidence require changes in prescribing across the patient population, e.g. drug withdrawals and MHRA alerts, aimed at improving medicines safety
- Provide primary support to general practice staff and patients with regards to prescription and medication queries, answering relevant medicine related enquiries (e.g. doses, side effects, adverse events, alternative formulation, out of stocks)
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Completion of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council - Essential
- Completion of CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP), or an equivalent recognised pathway – Essential
- Substantial experience working in primary care/general practice, with a good understanding of the general practice environment, systems and multidisciplinary working - Essential
- Minimum of 2 years post graduate experience in pharmacy as demonstrated within a practice portfolio - Essential
- Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) – Desirable
- Independent Prescribing qualification with demonstrated prescribing portfolio – Desirable
- Experience of working with QOF, QPMS, DES, LES or other primary care prescribing and medicines optimisation initiatives - Desirable
BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS
- Demonstrates general pharmaceutical skills and knowledge in core areas
- Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general pharmaceutical care programmes for patients in core areas, including disease states / long term conditions identified by local Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment
- Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision as an individual
- Demonstrates ability to use skills in a range of routine situations requiring analysis or comparison of a range of options
- 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 follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct
- Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE
COLLABORATIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
- Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their roles in patient care
- Demonstrates use of effective communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders including patients, senior and peer colleagues, other healthcare professionals and external organisations such as other NHS/private organisations and the Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team
- Able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary
- Actively develops and maintains strong working relationships both within and outside the PCN locality, fostering links across services and exploring opportunities for collaborative working
- Liaises with PCN peers and ICB colleagues (including pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/Optimisation) on prescribing related matter to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit from peer support
- Liaises with GPs, nurses, practice staff, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider healthcare professionals as needed for the collective benefit of patients
LEADERSHIP
- Demonstrates understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace
- Demonstrates understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace / practice vision
- Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service
- Reviews last year’s progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within set priorities
- Demonstrates ability to motivate self to achieve goals
MANAGEMENT
- Demonstrates understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service
- Demonstrates understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation
- Demonstrates understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice
- Demonstrates ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol
- Follows professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management
- Demonstrates ability to extend boundaries of service delivery within the team
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
- Support pharmacists completing the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) programme. The programme includes familiarisation with general practice, leadership, medicines optimisation in practice, consultation skills and advanced clinical assessment skills
- Ensures appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support self-development and development of others
- Contribute to the education and training of pharmacy staff, medical staff, nursing staff and other health professionals, both on a one-to-one basis and through formal presentations.
- Influence local practice to ensure safe medication use and that practice effectively acknowledges good prescribing practice, patient safety and risk minimization
- Increase quality and safety of prescribing through mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles
- Act as mentor to less experienced staff as delegated
- Continually audit own practice and identify areas for CPD and continuing education as required by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- Attend relevant courses and study days to maintain CPD and develop the service
RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
- Demonstrates ability to critically evaluate and review literature
- Demonstrates ability to identify where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice
- Demonstrates ability to generate evidence suitable for presentation at local level
- Demonstrates ability to apply the research evidence base into working practice
- Demonstrates understanding of the principles of research governance
CONFIDENTIALITY
- In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and 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 this job description, the post-holder will 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, and held in any format, 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 authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data
COMMUNICATION
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers
- Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
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, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will 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
- 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 holder’s role
- Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
- Reporting potential risks identified
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS
The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies. The post-holder may have contact with body fluids i.e. wound exudates, urine etc. while in clinical practice.
Pay: £47,751.92-£54,644.43 per year
Application question(s):
- Do you hold their CPPE qualification and have Primary Care experience?
Work Location: In person
