PCN Senior Clinical Pharmacist

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Clinical Pharmacist with proven leadership and management skills to join our Primary Care Network in North East London. The ideal candidate will bring expertise from working in general practice, with a passion for improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care across the Network. Working collaboratively with our team of Pharmacists, you will contribute to delivering a high-quality, patient-focused service and support the Network DES and Supplementary Network Specifications, working closely with the Clinical Director, Board, and ARRS team to standardise and optimise processes across member practices.

Within your scope of clinical competence, you will provide specialist input into medicines optimisation and management, including structured medication reviews, supporting long-term condition management, ensuring safe transfer of care through medicines reconciliation, and implementing systems to promote safer prescribing. This is an exciting opportunity to make a measurable impact on patient outcomes while helping drive innovation and excellence across our Network.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will have at least one year's experience as an Independent Prescriber and must have completed the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP). With strong leadership and management skills, the post holder will bring proven experience in general practice to support the continuous improvement of care quality, safety, and efficiency across our Network. You will deliver a high-quality service that supports the Network DES and Supplementary Specifications and collaborate with the Clinical Director, Board, and ARRS team to standardise and optimise processes across member practices, embedding efficient clinical pathways and best practice.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting structured medication reviews (SMRs) and prescribing independently where appropriate.
• Supporting long-term condition management through safe, evidence-based prescribing.
• Undertaking medicines reconciliation on transfer of care to ensure patient safety and continuity.
• Implementing and monitoring systems to promote safer prescribing across practices.

Structured Medication Reviews & Prescribing

• Hold clinics (face-to-face and remote) to deliver structured medication reviews, addressing the ongoing need for medicines, monitoring requirements, adherence, and optimisation.
• Manage patients with long-term conditions and polypharmacy, independently prescribing and deprescribing where clinically appropriate.
• Order and interpret monitoring tests as part of ongoing medication management.
• Provide telephone support and follow-up for patients with queries about medicines.

Case Management & Long-Term Conditions

• Manage own caseload of patients, running long-term condition clinics where medicines form a significant component of care (e.g. angina, anticoagulation, respiratory conditions).
• Identify and proactively manage patients at risk of hospital admissions or medicines-related harm.
• Attend multidisciplinary meetings and contribute to case management discussions.
• Work with care home staff to improve medicines safety, ordering, and administration.

Repeat Prescribing & Medicines Safety

• Develop and implement repeat prescribing policies and protocols.
• Manage the repeat prescription reauthorisation process, reviewing requests and making prescribing changes as an Independent Prescriber.
• Ensure patients are recalled for appropriate monitoring in line with clinical guidelines.
• Conduct practice system searches to identify patients at risk of medicines-related harm or unplanned admission.
• Use risk stratification tools to support proactive medicines management.

Hospital Discharge & Transfer of Care

• Reconcile medicines following hospital discharge or transfer into care homes, resolving discrepancies without GP referral where appropriate.
• Produce post-discharge medicines care plans, arrange follow-up monitoring, and liaise with patients and community pharmacists to ensure continuity of supply.
• Collaborate with hospital colleagues to manage high-risk patients prior to discharge and ensure seamless transfer of care.

Medicines Optimisation & Governance

• Review and act on national and local medicines safety alerts (e.g. MHRA), product withdrawals, and emerging clinical evidence.
• Support the implementation of formulary and guideline changes across practices.
• Develop and embed protocols for managing high-risk medicines, training administrative and clinical staff as required.
• Design and run clinical searches to monitor prescribing safety and identify patients for review.
• Provide expert medicines advice to GPs, nurses, and other practice staff.

Public Health & Specialist Support

• Support and promote local and national public health campaigns.
• Provide specialist clinical knowledge in areas such as immunisation and long-term condition management.

Collaborative Working

• Recognise and respect the roles of colleagues within the organisation and wider health system, contributing effectively to patient care.
• Use appropriate communication skills to gain cooperation of stakeholders, including patients, senior colleagues, and external organisations (e.g. ICB/CCG, NHS/private providers).
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team, recognising personal limitations and seeking input from colleagues when necessary.
• Develop and sustain effective working relationships across the PCN, borough, and wider health and social care system.
• Foster integration between general practice, community pharmacy, and hospital teams to improve continuity of care.
• Liaise with ICB/CCG pharmacists and Medicines Optimisation teams to ensure consistent approaches to prescribing and peer support.
• Build collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including GPs, nurses, practice staff, optometrists, dentists, dieticians, community teams, and hospital colleagues.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership of the PCN Pharmacy team, including supervision, performance management, and supporting career development.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with community pharmacists, local providers, and wider healthcare partners.
• Plan and organise own workload effectively, including clinical duties, audit, project work, and delivery of training for practice teams, patients, and carers.
• Maintain full registration as a pharmacist, complying with relevant professional codes and standards.
• Keep up to date with clinical, therapeutic, and policy developments, maintaining professional competence and engaging in CPD activities.
• Participate in annual appraisals, agree personal development plans, and align practice with organisational objectives.
• Attend local, regional, and national meetings relevant to the role as agreed with the Clinical Director.
• Adhere to all organisational and statutory requirements, including health and safety, equality, diversity, confidentiality, and clinical governance.

Professional Development

• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge base in line with current evidence and guidance.
• Participate in CPD and professional supervision.
• Engage in peer support and mentoring within the Pharmacist team.
• Support training and education of practice staff, patients, and carers.

Qualifications

• Mandatory registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience.
• Completion of CPPE Clinical Pharmacist in General Practice Education Pathway.
• Independent prescriber (Minimum one year as a prescriber).
• Clinical Diploma.

Experience

• In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare.
• An understanding of general practices and primary care prescribing with at least two years of recent General Practice/PCN experience.
• Experience of SystmOne and/or EMIS.
• Leadership/Management Experience.
• Membership Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA) and Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975; a Disclosure check will be required.

Salary: Depending on experience - £61,620 Including Outer London HCAS