Practice Pharmacist in St Helens

Managerial responsibilities include initiating and developing protocols in specialist areas appropriate for a practice pharmacist and leading their implementation. Manage own workload to meet the needs of the practice. Support the Medicines Management Receptionist to undertake their duties efficiently and effectively, offering advice, support, and training as identified. Manage available resources (time, manpower) to ensure an efficient and effective service.

Undertake and provide expertise in clinical medication reviews as deemed appropriate via one-off appointments or other means, addressing public health and social needs of patients as necessary, particularly focusing on high-risk groups such as:

• Poly-pharmacy
• Renal impairment
• Hepatic impairment
• Substance misuse
• Patients on high-risk medicines
• Revolving door hospital admissions

Manage practice formularies to improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of prescribing. With the agreement and support of practice GP partners, develop, lead, and manage clinics which would improve patient healthcare and access. Implement drug withdrawals and alerts in liaison with the Integrated Commissioning Board (ICB) Medicines Management, e.g., MHRA aimed at improving medicines safety. Provide prescribing advice to the practice team for temporarily unavailable medications, suggesting alternatives. Responsible for keeping accurate documentation in patient records. Supervise and manage other staff as appropriate.

Leadership involves identifying and supporting practice development plans, advising the practice team of any circumstances that give cause for concern in relation to patient care, and influencing and implementing changes to clinical practice. Improve prescribing practice through educational support for all prescribers within the practice. Work autonomously, managing own work within agreed national and local guidelines. Provide medicines information and training to practice healthcare professionals and admin staff. Support the educational process for specialist practitioner students and assist with GP registrars, student nurses, and other students who require experience in General Practice. Work as part of the practice team, supporting practice colleagues as appropriate.

Clinical work includes providing pharmacist support in the management of patients' medication autonomously. Review pathology results for patients on known medicines and initiate investigations as required, e.g., bloods and urine samples, using national and local guidelines/protocols within your area of expertise, liaising with GPs and nurses as required. Support the practice in undertaking medication reviews as appropriate, supporting targets for these reviews in the practice. Review and manage High Risk Drug Monitoring and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring processes within the practice. Contribute to reductions in medicine-related patient incidents and significant events and work to ensure patients obtain the best outcome from their medication. Encourage the use of electronic patient medication facilities including the use of the electronic prescription service and patients ordering medications online. Conform to health and safety and control of infection regulations. Contribute to multimorbidity reviews and multidisciplinary reviews. Act in accordance with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPHC) Code of Professional Conduct. Act as a source of medicines information for all of the practice team and patients (e.g., around doses, side effects, adverse events, possible alternatives). Maintain legible, timely, and concise documentation and input clinical information to the practice computer database. Recognise own limitations and seek advice from General Practitioners and others as required. Work closely with Primary Care Network (PCN) colleagues, especially members of the Medicines Management Team, seeking peer support as required and ensuring work is apportioned appropriately and duplication minimised. Be the point of contact in the practice to liaise with the Primary Care Network (PCN) Pharmacy Team to plan workload together. Be alert to potential child or adult abuse and undertake training as directed/required.

Training and education involve maintaining own specialist practitioner competencies by undertaking specialist courses and education. Keep up to date with current developments in primary care prescribing and ensure changes recommended by NICE and other organisations are discussed in the practice and changes are implemented as required. Undertake risk management in clinical practice. Provide education to patients and carers either with individuals or in groups. Identify training needs to line manager. Keep up to date with informatics developments relating to the position, especially those affecting the clinical information system. Take part in performance appraisal and compilation of personal development plans as required by the practice and the GPHC.

Research and audit include identifying, applying, and disseminating research findings relating to professional role and working environment. Audit own practice for individual quality assurance purposes and ensure all relevant targets are met. Increase quality and safety of prescribing through mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles. Identify and undertake audit and research projects to evaluate and enhance current service provision.

Communication involves communicating sensitively and appropriately with patients and/or their carers, involving patients and their carers in decision making. Liaise with colleagues in community pharmacy to align support for medicines adherence such as MUR and NMS. Communicate with all members of the wider healthcare team; primary, secondary, community, and voluntary. Work to identify and initiate changes to clinical practice. Discuss with the practice team any circumstances that give cause for concern in relation to patient care, i.e., significant events. Initiate and lead general and individual specialist team meetings.

Knowledge, training, and experience: The post holder will be registered with the GPHC and hold qualifications required of a pharmacist working in a primary care environment. A prescriber or on a prescribing course. Experience of multi-disciplinary team working. Evidence of professional updating.

Other responsibilities include responding to critical alert messages where appropriate, being able to travel to both Sutton and Thatto Heath sites and patient homes as needed, attending practice-based and external meetings as appropriate to the job and to facilitate professional development, working to practice non-clinical and clinical staffing policies and procedures, providing a chaperoning service if requested, and undertaking practice-based training as required.