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.
Vertis Health is a fast-growing provider of community-based healthcare services to NHS patients within South Worcestershire. The organisation utilises the excellent clinical expertise that already resides within the local NHS environment and harnesses it with efficient administration pathways to provide patients with more convenient and accessible services. We hope that by doing this we will not only deliver pathway improvements to patients but also go some way to relieving the growing volume pressures that are being experienced within local hospitals and GP practices.
DOR PCN is a member of Vertis Health.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key duties and responsibilities
Lead, deliver and evaluate a specialist care home pharmacy service by providing in-depth, patient focused Structured Medication Reviews 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 and Clinical Excellence Investment Framework 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 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.
