JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB DETAILS
Job Title:
Primary Care Pharmacist
Department:
Prescribing Support Team
Reports to:
Service Director
Accountable To:
Service Director
Location:
York
Job type
Fixed term (with a view to renewal after end
of term)
Working pattern
20 hours/week
Salary
£26/hr
JOB PURPOSE
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To act as the first port of call for all medicines related issues and contribute expertise
To contribute to workflow redesign
To contribute to discharge advice note reconciliation, medication reviews/reauthorisations
Provide professional specialist medicines management advice to GPs, practice nurses, community pharmacists, community nurses and other health professionals to
promote the safe, effective and high quality, cost effective use of medicines in all
prescribing decisions.
To identify, develop and promote quality improvements in medicines management
across community pharmacy & GP practices ensuring that best practice is adopted
Provide support for the medicines management technician(s)/facilitator(s) to deliver
the medicines management goals of the CCG
To contribute to the development and implementation of the CCG prescribing strategy and medicines management initiatives across the CCG
To encourage better pharmaceutical understanding throughout the primary health
care team, including training of GP’s practice nurses, practice staff, attached staff,
community pharmacists and pharmacy staff
Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines
legislation
Liaise with prescribing colleagues primary and secondary care to ensure consistency
with District-wide prescribing strategies
To contribute to the development & implementation of new medicines
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
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management initiatives and services within GP practices, community pharmacies and
community providers
Contribute to the clinical medication review service to care homes and other
workstreams as required.
Key Working Relationships
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GP, nurses and other practice staff
Other members of the Medicines Management (MM) team including pharmacists,
technicians and dieticians
Locality/ GP prescribing lead
Locality managers
Community nurses and other allied health professionals
Community pharmacists and support staff
Overview of Responsibilities
 To provide and receive complex information relating to medicines and medicines
management
o this includes clinical information regarding patient care, technical medicines
management/therapeutics information and prescribing activity data derived
from audit data, ePACT and similar sources
o the post holder will need to receive this from and provide it to patients, carers and other health professionals. He/she may need to persuade the recipients of the validity and relevance of the information/argument, and negotiate actions in line with Medicines Management goals
o the post holder may have to adjust his/her communication style and content
to take account of the other person’s language difficulties, intellectual abilities, background knowledge, etc
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To analyse, interpret and compare complex information and/or a range of options
o this will usually, but not always, relate the topics outlined above
o the post holder will apply his/her technical knowledge to complex clinical
and/or medicines management situations
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To provide highly specialised advice concerning care of individual patients and
groups of patients
o this includes advice on choice of drug treatment, including choice of drug(s),
side effects and doses
o this advice will be in response to review and analysis of patient prescriptions
and ePACT data
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
o this will also involve ensuring compliance with medicines legislation, National
Patient Safety Agency advisory notices and other established good practice to
manage and minimise risk.
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To propose and implement policy or service changes that impact within and beyond
the post holder’s own role, including work within the practice, community pharmacies and by community nurses. This includes the development of prescribing / medicines management guidelines and protocols.
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To plan and organise the postholder’s own workload, including audit and project
work and training sessions for members of the medicines management team, practice team, community pharmacy team, community nurse team, patients, carers, etc
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To prioritise, supervise and support the day to day work of medicines management
technician(s)/facilitators(s) working under the direction of the post-holder. This includes any agreed HR-related activity and any formal and informal teaching of Medicines management colleagues as required
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To work to ensure best value for money and avoidance of waste in relation to medicines and contribute to the reduction in fraud related to medicines and pharmacy
consistent with the post holder’s position in the organisation
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To record personally generated information and maintain a database of information
relating to the work done in the practice(s)
o personally generated information includes information and records relating
to audit and clinical work undertaken by the post holder, reference notes relating to clinical/technical information, etc
o the data base includes maintaining up-to-date, detailed records of all work
done in the practices for which the post holder is accountable (done by the
post holder or others)
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To participate in clinical trials, audits, etc as appropriate. This is an integral part of
the job and will take place at least monthly.
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The post holder act as a lead specialist within his/her area and has discretion to work
within the parameters defined by the post holder’s line manager and more senior
medicines management staff
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To maintain registration as a pharmacist and comply with appropriate professional
codes
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
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As appropriate to the post, to maintain and develop professional competence and
expertise, keep up to date with medical/therapeutic evidence and opinion, and local
and national service, legislation and policy developments, agree objectives and a
personal development plan and participate in the appraisal process
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To attend local, regional and national meetings of relevance
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To undertake any other duties commensurate with the post holder’s grade
as agreed with the post holder’s line manager
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All employees should understand that it is their personal responsibility to comply
with all organisational and statutory requirements e.g. Health and Safety, Equal
Treatment and Diversity; Confidentiality and Clinical Governance
Codes of Conduct
PSS requires the highest standards of personal and professional conduct from all of its
employees. All employees must comply with the Code of Professional Conduct appropriate
to their professional governing body and to PSS’s Code of Conduct, which is embedded in
the Conduct and Capability Policy.
Equal Opportunities
PSS is committed to an equal opportunities policy that affirms that all staff should be
afforded equality of treatment and opportunity in employment irrespective of sexuality,
marital status, race, religion/belief, ethnic origin, age or disability. All PSS staff are required
to observe this policy in their behaviour to fellow employees.
Confidentiality
All employees are required to observe the strictest confidence with regard to any
patient/client information that they may have access to, or accidentally gain knowledge of,
in the course of their duties.
All employees are required to observe the strictest confidence regarding any information
relating to the work of PSS and its employees. You are required not to disclose any
confidential information either during or after your employment with the PSS, other than in
accordance with the relevant professional codes.
Failure to comply with these regulations whilst in the employment of PSS could result in
action being taken.
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
Data Protection
All employees must adhere to the PSS’s Policy on the Protection and use of Personal
Information, which provides guidance on the use and disclosure of information. PSS also has
a range of policies for the use of computer equipment and computer generated
information. These policies detail the employee’s legal obligations and include references to
current legislation. Copies of the Policy on the Protection and use of Personal Information
and other Information Technology can be found in the PSS’s Policies and Procedures
Manual.
Health and Safety
PSS expects all staff to have a commitment to promoting and maintaining a safe and healthy
environment and be responsible for their own and others welfare.
Risk Management
You will be responsible for adopting the Risk Management Culture and ensuring that you
identify and assess all risks to your systems, processes and environment and report such
risks for inclusion within the PSS’s Risk Register. You will also attend mandatory and
statutory training, report all incidents/accidents including near misses and report unsafe
occurrences as laid down within PSS’s Incidents and Accidents Policy.
No Smoking Policy
PSS is a ‘no smoking organisation’ therefore staff are not permitted to smoke whilst on duty.
All PSS staff are expected to recognise their role as ambassadors for a healthy lifestyle. As
such, PSS staff should not smoke whilst in uniform, in NHS vehicles or on PSS or other health
care premises.
Other Duties
There may be a requirement to undertake other duties as may reasonably be required to
support PSS. These may be based at other PSS managed locations.
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
Criteria
Description
Professional
Registration
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Qualifications
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Skills Knowledge
and Experience
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Essential
Desirable
Method of
Assessment
Mandatory registration with General E
Pharmaceutical Council
A
Pharmacy, E
C
Masters Degree
MPharm
Clinical Diploma
in
Minimum of 2 years postqualification experience.
In depth therapeutic and clinical
knowledge and understanding of
the principles of evidence based
healthcare.
An appreciation of the nature of GPs
and General Practices or hospital
experience
An appreciation of the nature of
primary care prescribing, concepts
of rational prescribing and strategies
for improving prescribing
Excellent inter-personal, influencing
and negotiating skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable
form to a variety of audiences eg.
patients
Good IT skills
Able to obtain and analyse complex
technical information
Able to work under pressure and to
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
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Other
meet deadlines
Produce timely and informative reports
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
Work effectively independently and
as a team member
Self-motivation
Adapatable
Full driving license
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*Assessment will take place with reference to the following information
A=Application form
I=Interview
Prescribing Support for Primary Care
P= Presentation
T=Test
C=Certificate