Clinical Pharmacist in Cramlington

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part-time (24 hours) Clinical Pharmacist to be part of our existing team of healthcare professionals supporting the Cramlington & Seaton Valley Primary Care Network (PCN).

The post holder is a Clinical Pharmacist who acts within their professional boundaries, working alongside a team of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in general practice and within the Primary Care Network (PCN). They will improve patients' health outcomes and the efficiency of the primary care team by providing direct, accessible and timely medicines and expertise including face-to-face contact with patients.

The post holder will be an integral part of the general practice team, working in each practice and across the PCN, as well as part of a wider pharmacist network and multidisciplinary team. This includes being a conduit of patient medicines information into and out of hospitals. They will work to optimise medication issues to improve patient care and safety and support clinical staff in the management of patients.

• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines for specific disease areas.
• Be a prescriber, or completing training to become a prescriber, and work with and alongside the general practice team.
• Be responsible for the care management of patients with chronic diseases and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy, especially the elderly, people in care homes, those with multiple co-morbidities (in particular frailty, COPD and asthma) and people with learning disabilities or autism.
• Provide specialist expertise in the use of medicines whilst helping to address both the public health and social care needs of patients at the PCNs practice(s) and to help in tackling inequalities.
• Provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation and quality improvement, whilst contributing to the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services.
• Through structured medication reviews, support patients to take their medications to get the best from them, reduce waste and promote self-care.
• Have a leadership role in supporting further integration of general practice with the wider healthcare teams to help improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage general practice workload.
• Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across PCNs and the wider health and social care system.
• Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, clinical research with medicines, liaison with specialist pharmacists, and community pharmacists.
• Be part of a professional clinical network and have access to appropriate clinical supervision.

To act as the PCN point of contact for all medicine-related matters, establishing positive working relationships. To liaise with the practices and, where practicable, to standardise the medicines management process across the PCN. To consult patients within defined levels of competence and independently prescribe acute and repeat medication.

To receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians. To receive and resolve medicines queries from patients and other staff. To provide medication review services for patients in the practice and during domiciliary visits to the local nursing home. To manage a caseload of complex patients.

To manage a therapeutic drug monitoring system and the recall of patients taking high-risk drugs. To deliver long-term conditions clinics and home visits particularly for patients with complicated medication regimes and prescribe accordingly. To provide pharmaceutical consultations to patients with long-term conditions as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team.

To review medications for newly registered patients. To improve patient and carer understanding of confidence in and compliance with their medication. To encourage cost-effective prescribing throughout the PCN.

To liaise with practices and implement and embed a robust repeat prescribing system for use across all practices. To provide advice and answer medication-related queries from patients and staff. To organise and oversee the PCNs medicines optimisation systems including the repeat prescribing and medication review systems.

To improve the quality and effectiveness of prescribing through clinical audit and education to improve performance against NICE standards and clinical and prescribing guidance. To develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities.

To ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. To apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines. To provide subject matter expertise on medication monitoring, implementing and embedding a system.

To support clinicians with the management of patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependencies. To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional. To manage a caseload of complex patients and potential care institutions and to provide advice for the GP management of more complex patients.

To review the latest guidance ensuring the organisation conforms to NICE, CQC etc. To provide targeted support and proactive reviews for vulnerable, complex patients and those at risk of admission and re-admission to secondary care.

To handle prescription queries and requests directly. To provide proactive leadership on medicines and prescribing systems to the PCN multidisciplinary team, patients and their carers. To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the PCN.

To participate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss events. To undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes.

To contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance. To attend a formal appraisal with your manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed.

To contribute to public health campaigns through advice or direct care. To maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Clinical Pharmacist may be requested to:

• Support delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost-effectiveness initiatives.
• Agree and review prescribing formularies and protocols and monitor compliance levels.
• Improve the data quality of medicines records and linking to conditions.
• Deliver training, mentoring and guidance to other clinicians and staff on medicine issues.
• Working in partnership with pharmacists and clinicians in hospital(s), improve the safety and quality of prescribing after discharge from hospital admissions and attendance.
• Provide leadership and support to prescription administrative/dispensary staff.
• Produce pharmacy/prescribing newsletters or bulletins on a quarterly basis.
• Develop a specialist area of interest.
• Work with community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and other stakeholders in the medicines supply chain to improve patient experience and manage incidents.
• Support virtual and remote models of consultation and support including e-consultations, remote medication review and telehealth and telemedicine.
• 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.

Hold or be working towards a GPhC independent prescribing qualification, Minor ailments certification, Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Working towards faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Medicines Management qualification, MUR and repeat dispensing certification, CPPE.

Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face. Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills, organisation skills with the ability to constructively challenge the view and practices of managers and clinicians.

Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports. Clear, polite telephone manner. Ability to promote best practice regarding all pharmaceutical matters.

Effective time management (planning and organising). Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure. Ability to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct.

Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity. Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity. Flexible and cooperative.

Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals. Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations. Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks. Problem-solving and analytical skills.

Ability to maintain confidentiality. Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety. Flexibility to work outside of core office hours.

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check. Evidence of continuing professional development. Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own home.

Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long-term condition. Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS/SystmOne/Vision.

An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice and the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing. Experience and an awareness of common acute and chronic conditions that are likely to be seen in general practice.

An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners. Minimum of two years working as a pharmacist demonstrated within a practice portfolio. 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. Broad knowledge of general practice.

Our PCN comprises of 4 GP practices who work together to deliver services that improve outcomes for our combined population of around 32,000 registered patients. You will be at the forefront of driving this valuable expansion and collaboration of the primary care services across the four practices in the Network.