We are seeking a skilled and patient focused ClinicalPharmacist to join our practice team on a fixed term contract (approximately 8 months). This is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in delivering safe, effective and high quality medicines optimisation within a supportive primary care environment.
This is a full time role (37.5 hrs per week, Monday to Friday). Working pattern to be agreed over 4-5 days.
You will deliver high quality, patient facing clinical services, provide expert pharmaceutical guidance and support to the practice team and make a meaningful impact on day‑to‑day patient care. You will play a key role in supporting safe and effective medicines use and managing specialist pharmaceutical workflows.
Working closely with the wider practice team, you will help ensure the practice meets its clinical governance, administrative and commercial responsibilities relating to medicines, while contributing to improved patient outcomes and service quality.
We reserve the right to close applications for this vacancy yearly if there is a high volume of applications.
We encourage and welcome applications from veterans and service leavers.
Main duties of the job
You will lead on medicines optimisation for patients with single and multiple long term conditions, undertaking structured medication reviews and managing prescribing within your agreed scope of practice. Working closely with GPs and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will implement prescribing changes, support the development of care plans, and provide same day care and advice for patients with minor conditions.
The role includes supporting safe transitions of care through hospital discharge medicines reconciliation, reviewing laboratory results, responding to MHRA and other drug safety alerts, and ensuring safe and appropriate repeat prescribing. You will contribute to patient safety, clinical governance and quality improvement through audit activity, incident reviews and service development, while supporting compliance with CQC standards, QOF indicators and locally commissioned services.
You will provide expert medicines advice to patients, clinicians and prescription clerks, support workforce education and development around medicines use, and maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders, including the ICB medicines management team.
You will be expected to maintain accurate clinical records, adhere to confidentiality and safeguarding requirements, and work in line with all legislative, regulatory and practice policies and procedures.
About us
Vine Medical Group is one of the largest practices in the area operating from 4 sites. Our larger size means more diverse learning, development and research opportunities are possible to aid longer‑term career development goals. Located in the heart of Hampshire between the Downs and the coast with good access to education and leisure.
We are a successful PMS training practice hosting GP Registrars and ANPs. We have a forward‑thinking, multi‑skilled practice team that is well‑run, has a great team ethos and is a high achiever for QOF balanced within investment in our staff wellbeing. We are a family‑friendly practice and try to accommodate flexible working patterns when possible.
We work collaboratively in a dynamic two‑practice PCN partnership (Strawberry Health) with a diverse team of MHPs, MIND Representatives, Care Coordinators and Social Prescribers who enhance our services and provide specialist support to our diverse patient population.
We are an EMIS Web surgery with ARDENs templates, use AccuRx, as well as being innovative with our AI‑based online consultation system and other efficiency‑enhancing technology.
Rated Good by the CQC
Job responsibilities
- Undertake medicines optimisation activities for patients with a single or multiple long‑term conditions
- Manage and review patients with long term conditions within your agreed scope of practice
- Undertake clinical medication reviews and implement changes to prescribing with the GPs agreement
- Provide same day care support to patients with minor conditions in accordance with the scope of practice document and clinical competence
- Provide advice to patients regarding medicines use, including resolving supply issues by suggesting suitable alternatives to the GP when required
- Support in the development and production of care plans for patients with long‑term conditions
- Review patients that have been discharged from hospital where there is a need for medicines reconciliation or advice
- Contribute to multi‑disciplinary team reviews where pharmaceutical input is required
- Undertake medicines reconciliation against discharge letters, including supporting prescription clerks where this task has been delegated
- Support the medicines re‑authorisation process, assessing for appropriateness of prescribing, adequate monitoring and safe medicines use in accordance with the practice’s prescribing policies.
- Review and act upon laboratory results in relation to safe medicines use, and when acting within your agreed scope of practice
- Review and act on incoming MHRA and drug safety alerts
- Action clinical tasks through clinical patient systems (e.g. EMIS) and respond to tasks from other colleagues
- Fully document patient interactions within patient records, in line with practice protocols, to ensure information is accurately recorded should any queries arise
- Manage the recall process for a defined area of practice & seek input from clinicians as needed
- Undertake audit activities around medicines use in practice, including standards of medicines monitoring activities, quality of prescribing and emergent safety issues
- Support practice manager to investigate and seek resolution to patient complaints
- Engage in patient safety incident review meetings and communicate learnings and action points to the prescription clerks where necessary
- Support activities to improve practice processes including PDSA cycles and service audits guided by the practice clinical governance team
- Support the partnership to ensure prescribing activities are safe and cost effective, liaising with the ICB medicines management team where necessary
- Provide advice to the partnership to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards regarding medicines use and prescribing activities
- Support the achievement of QOF indicators related to medicines use by reviewing patients and adding coding for exceptions when clinically justified
- Complete activities outlined in locally commissioned services or incentive schemes in relation to prescribing or medicines use, with support from others where necessary
- Support the education and development of the clinical and non‑clinical workforce around prescribing and medicines use
- Provide bespoke medicines information to clinicians where needed
- Provide advice and support to the prescription clerks in relation to clinical queries and problem‑solving needs
- Promote relationships with external stakeholders, including pharmaceutical contract holders and their teams
- Be familiar with patient safety policy and reporting (e.g. LFPSE and/or other appropriate systems) and awareness of the process and key stakeholders for safeguarding referrals
- Maintain accurate patient / clinical records in conjunction with Practice policies and current legislation
- Adhere to the strict confidentiality rules, as agreed by the practice
- Work safely at all times in accordance with legislative requirements and Practice Policy and Procedures
Where suitably qualified (independent prescribing rights):
- Manage, review and prescribe for patients with long term conditions within your agreed prescribing scope of practice
- Undertake clinical medication reviews and implement changes to prescribing in line with the agreed scope of practice and make recommendations to the GP when outside of your prescribing scope of practice
Person Specification
Knowledge & Skills
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), able to effectively engage with a diverse range of people recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background, and preferred ways of communicating
- Good IT skills with a working knowledge of Microsoft 365
- Excellent organisational and time management skills, able to manage and prioritise workload
- High level of attention to detail and accuracy
- Understanding of confidentiality
- Ability to work as an effective part of team
- Able to assess problems and identify solutions
- Working knowledge of EMIS / medical systems
Experience
- Post‑graduate experience in pharmacy, as demonstrated within a practice portfolio
- Experience working as an independent prescriber
- Experience of community or hospital pharmacy
- Experience supporting the clinical management of patients with diabetes, including medicines optimisation, structured medication reviews and contribution to long term condition management
Qualifications
- Undergraduate degree in Pharmacy, and registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Post‑graduate certificate in prescriber or therapeutics
- Independent prescribing rights
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Depending on experience £30.24 – 32.51 per hour (dependent on experience / qualification)
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