Frailty clinical pharmacist

Worcester City PCN consists of 9 practices, based across South Worcestershire, serving over 130,000 patients. We aim to offer and deliver excellent, safe, coordinated, high quality patient care. Continuously learning, evolving and implementing new models of care, to create inclusion and reduce inequalities and improve outcomes. We work hard to promote a culture where staff feel engaged, valued and recognised by the organisation and the others they work with.

We have an Additional Roles team of over 70 healthcare professionals and are looking for an individual with a passion to join our PCN Pharmacy team to deliver excellent service to our patients.

Job Summary

Worcester City PCN has an exciting opportunity for an experienced clinical pharmacist to join our established multidisciplinary care home team working across the care homes within our PCN. We are looking for someone to take responsibility for leading on all of the pharmacy and medication related aspects of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Network Direct Enhanced Service Specification and to support in delivering the highest quality of care to this complex set of patients. You will need to work closely with the care homes multidisciplinary team (MDT), comprising GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs)/Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Paramedics, Physician Associates, Care Coordinators and other local stake holders to provide high quality and efficient pharmacy care home support.

Job Description

You will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team, to provide advice and support on all prescribing and medication related issues for our care home residents. When clinically appropriate, you will be expected to implement and action changes to the patients’ medical prescribing record as directed by primary, secondary or community care; working at all times within professional limits. Provide expertise in clinical medicines review and address public health and social needs of these patients.

• Lead, deliver and evaluate a specialist care home pharmacy service by providing in-depth, patient focused Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) to the care home residents under the care of our PCN care home team.
• Support with care home visits and ward rounds as required by the care home team and in line with local need.
• Promote the safe, high quality and cost-effective use of medicines in care homes.
• Provide specialist pharmaceutical advice in complex situations (where advice may be challenged) to health care professionals across the PCN and to care home staff.
• Communicate highly complex medicines related information with residents and/or their carers who may have complex care and communication needs.
• Work with the care home team to develop and co-ordinate discharge pathways for our care home residents to ensure all patients have appropriate and timely medicines optimisation post-discharge and suitable pharmaceutical management plans moving forwards.
• Contribute to reductions in medicine related hospital admissions and readmissions by supporting patients to get the best outcomes from their medicines and identifying and addressing medicines related issues.
• Ensure prescribing and administration of medicines and disposal of medicinal waste follows appropriate legislation and health and safety policies
• To support the PCN in ensuring the Network Impact and investment Fund (IIF) and Quality Prescribing and Medicines Service (QPMS) targets are met and maximum reimbursable achieved where possible.
• Reduce inappropriate polypharmacy and wasteful prescribing through structured medication review.
• Interface with community and hospital pharmacy colleagues across the network to foster good working relationships and improve their understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the care home team as needed
• Oversee the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process, including reviewing requests for repeat prescriptions and medicines reaching review dates
• Ensure adherence to the Hereford & Worcestershire formulary and the optimizeRx prescribing support software to improve the quality, safety, and cost effectiveness of prescribing
• Action any relevant medication safety alerts (e.g., MHRA alerts, NPSA alerts, Supply Disruption Alerts, CAS alerts) for care home residents in line with local guidance and in liaison with the practice pharmacy teams
• Lead on supporting the care homes in the safe and timely monitoring of any high-risk medications in line with appropriate local and national guidance
• Lead and develop clinical audit relating to the use of medicines in care homes and for care home SMRs
• Work with primary care professionals and patients to implement NICE and other evidence-based guidelines
• Work with Commissioning organisations and the PCN to comply with local medicines optimisation schemes and projects
• Deliver medicines information and training to members of the care home team, local practices within the PCN, care home team members and other local stakeholders as needed.

Qualifications and Training for the Role

It is anticipated that the level of qualification held may vary according to the level of position and the components of the role being undertaken

• Completion of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy, and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

• Minimum of 2 years post graduate experience in pharmacy, as demonstrated within a practice portfolio

• Completed CPPE pathway

• Independent Prescriber qualification - Desirable

• Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) – Desirable
• May hold or be working towards a postgraduate pharmacy qualification
• Has an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in a general medical practice

Behavioral Competencies and Skills for this Job – Expert Professional Practice

• 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
• Is 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 role to patient care. Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals, other NHS/private organisations e.g. ICBs)

Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team

Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary

Liaises with PCN colleagues including GPs, Advanced practitioners, Paramedics and Pharmacy Technicians to ensure continuity of care and a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care.

Liaises with ICB colleagues including ICB pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit

Liaises with ICB pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management/ Optimisation to benefit from peer support

Liaises with other GP Practices and staff 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

Education, Training and Development

• Understands and demonstrates the characteristics of role model to members of their team
• Demonstrates understanding of the mentorship process
• Demonstrates ability to conduct teaching and assessment effectively according to a learning plan with supervision from a more experienced colleague
• Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity
• Participates in the delivery of formal education programmes
• Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice

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
• Demonstrates ability to work as a member of the research team

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.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge

Master’s degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent) - Essential

Specialist knowledge acquired through post- graduate diploma level or equivalent training/experience -Desirable

Independent prescriber -Desirable

Registered with the GPhC - Essential

Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - Desirable

Membership Number

Skills and Behaviours

In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence- based healthcare. - Essential

Application, Interview exercise

or An appreciation of the nature of GPS and general practices -Essential

An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing -Essential

Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills - Essential

Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Essential

Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients) - Essential

Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions. - Essential

Good IT skills -Essential

Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information - Essential

Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate -Essential

Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines - Essential

Produce timely and informative reports - Essential

Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence /motivate / persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/ agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers - Essential

Work effectively independently and as a team member - Essential

Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision - Essential

Other information

Enhanced Disclosure Essential

Self-Motivation Essential

Adaptable Essential

Safeguarding adult and children level three Essential

Immunisation status Essential

Basic life support training Essential

Full UK Driving Licence Essential