Practice Pharmacist

We are looking for a Practice Pharmacist to join the clinical team at Palace Surgery, part of the South Fulham PCN and caring for around 5500 patients in Fulham, London. This is a varied, patient-facing role with real autonomy. You will lead on medicines optimisation across the practice, working alongside our GPs, nurses and PCN paramedics as a valued member of the clinical team rather than a back-office function. You will have your own clinical caseload, protected time for reviews, and the support of colleagues who are used to working with a pharmacist and understand what the role can achieve. The post has arisen because our previous pharmacist has emigrated for family reasons. The role is well established and the groundwork is done; we are looking for someone to build on it. We welcome applications from independent prescribers and from pharmacists working towards prescribing status; we are happy to support the right candidate through training.

Main duties of the job

• Structured medication reviews, with a focus on polypharmacy, frailty and long-term conditions
• Medicines reconciliation following hospital discharge and outpatient correspondence
• Running your own clinics in hypertension/lipids/asthma/diabetes if you are an independent prescriber
• Managing and improving the repeat prescribing system, including protocols and authorisation
• Answering medicines queries from patients, community pharmacy colleagues and the wider practice team
• Acting on MHRA alerts, drug safety updates and ICB prescribing guidance
• Supporting safe, cost-effective prescribing and contributing to QOF and IIF targets
• Clinical audit and quality improvement, with time protected to do it properly

You will be supported by a named GP mentor, with regular clinical supervision and an agreed induction period. We do not expect you to arrive knowing everything about general practice, and we will give you time to settle in.

About us

GP practice with 2 Partners and 2 Salaried GPs. The Practice has a Nurse, Nurse Associate and 2 HCAs. We are further supported by PCN Pharmacists, Social Prescribing Link Workers and Health & Wellbeing Coaches.

Job responsibilities

The post holder is the practice's professional lead for medicines, responsible for the safety, clinical appropriateness and cost-effectiveness of prescribing across our registered population and for the systems behind it. They will work autonomously within an agreed scope of practice, exercising independent clinical judgement.

Clinical practice

• Hold a defined caseload, consulting face to face and remotely.
• Agree management plans in partnership with patients, record valid consent, recognise the limits of competence and escalate promptly where clinically indicated.

Prescribing and governance

• Prescribe within a documented scope of practice agreed with the supervising GP, where qualified as an independent prescriber.
• Ensure compliance with the NHS North West London formulary, ICB policy and shared care arrangements.
• Maintain systems for high-risk drug monitoring and controlled drugs, and keep prescribing protocols current.

Safety and quality

• Act on drug safety alerts and recalls, run and act on clinical safety searches, and investigate medicines-related significant events, embedding the learning.
• Plan and complete clinical audit and contribute to QOF, IIF and local targets.
• Maintain accurate contemporaneous records with consistent SNOMED coding.

Education and development

• Act as a source of pharmaceutical advice to clinical and administrative colleagues and deliver in-house training.
• Attend clinical supervision and appraisal, and maintain CPD and GPhC registration.

The post holder will comply with practice policies on confidentiality, health and safety, safeguarding, and equality and diversity. This job description is not exhaustive and will be reviewed with the post holder. Subject to enhanced DBS check. A full job description is available as a supporting document.

Person Specification

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, with no restrictions on practice.
• Confident working independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Excellent communication skills with patients and colleagues
• Previous experience in General Practice or Primary Care
• Experience with SystmOne
• Clinical diploma or equivalent

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.