Clinical Pharmacist - Care Homes & Frailty

Clinical Pharmacist - Care Homes & Frailty

Reference: HW-2177

Key Responsibilities

You will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team, to provide advice and support on all prescribing and medication related issues for care home residents, and those living with moderate to severe frailty. 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; always working within professional limits. Provide expertise in clinical medicines, review and address public health and social needs of these patients.

Clinical Responsibilities

·       Undertake structured medication reviews (SMRs) for patients living with moderate to severe frailty, including those:

§  At risk of falls

§  With polypharmacy

§  In care homes

§  Approaching end of life

 

·       Apply frailty-specific prescribing principles, including:

§  Deprescribing inappropriate medicines

§  Optimising treatment in line with patient goals and quality of life

 

·       Support medicines optimisation aligned to:

§  NICE guidance

§  STOPP/START criteria.

§  Anticholinergic burden reduction

 

·       Conduct clinical assessments within scope of practice, including:

§  Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)

§  Undertaking appropriate clinical assessments to support care planning and management of acute presentations alongside long term chronic disease management

§  Falls assessment and frailty scoring

 

·       Support anticipatory care planning and shared decision-making with patients and carers.

 

Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Working

 

·       Act as a core member of the PCN frailty MDT, working alongside:

§  GPs and Advanced Practitioners

§  Frailty nurses

§  Social prescribing link workers

§  Community geriatric services

§  Care coordinators

 

·       Participate in MDT meetings, case conferences, and proactive frailty reviews.

·       Contribute to personalised care plans and escalation planning.

 

Care Home and Community Support

 

·       Provide regular clinical pharmacy support to care homes within the PCN.

·       Support medicines reconciliation following hospital discharge.

·       Reduce medicine-related admissions and prescribing risks in care home residents.

·       Work collaboratively with community pharmacists and care home staff.

 

Patient and Carer Engagement

 

·       Communicate complex medication information clearly and compassionately.

·       Support shared decision-making and personalised goals of care.

·       Provide education to patients and carers about medicines, side effects, and safe use.

 

Service Development and Quality Improvement

 

·       Support the development and delivery of PCN frailty pathways.

·       Contribute to audits, quality improvement projects, and prescribing safety initiatives.

·       Support training and education for the wider PCN workforce on frailty and medicines optimization.

·       Use population health data to identify patients at risk of medicine-related harm.

 

PCN Contract Responsibilities

Support the delivery of the Network Direct Enhanced Services (DES) contract requirements, service specifications, and any other relevant PCN contract.

 

Professional Responsibilities

 

·       Maintain professional registration and revalidation requirements.

·       Work within clinical governance frameworks and PCN policies.

·       Participating in supervision, appraisal, and continued professional development.

 

Qualifications and Training for the Role

 

Essential

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

·       Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

·       Completed CPPE PCPEP pathway or equivalent.

·       Independent Prescriber

·       Experience in primary care, community, or hospital pharmacy

·       Experience of medication reviews and polypharmacy management

·       Strong understanding of frailty, long-term conditions, and older adult care

·       Excellent communication and MDT working skills.

 

Desirable

·       Experience working with frail older adults or care homes.

·       Knowledge of social prescribing and personalised care models

·       Experience contributing to service development or quality improvement.

·       Experience using GP clinical systems (e.g., EMIS, SystmOne)

·       Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)

·       Has an awareness of the breadth of common acute and long-term conditions that are likely to be seen in general medical practice.

·       May hold or be working towards a postgraduate pharmacy qualification.

Key Values and Behaviours

·       Person-centred and compassionate approach

·       Commitment to reducing health inequalities.

·       Proactive, adaptable, and collaborative

·       Strong professional judgement and accountability

·       Demonstrates general pharmaceutical skills and knowledge in core areas.

·       Can 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 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 can refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.

·       Can 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

·       Can recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.

·       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.

Confidentiality:

 

·       While 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

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