Description
We are seeking a pharmacist with previous experience of working in primary care to develop and manage Medicines Optimisation services within general practice. The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient-facing role. They will take responsibility for areas of chronic disease management within practices and undertake clinical medication reviews to proactively manage patients with complex polypharmacy.
Main duties of the job
- Provide primary support to general practice staff with regards to prescriptions and medication queries
- Help support the repeat prescribing system, medicines reconciliation, and support systems for safer prescribing
- Provide expertise in clinical medicines advice while addressing both public and social care needs of patients
- Provide clinical leadership on Medicines Optimisation and manage some aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and Enhanced Services
- Ensure that practices integrate with community and hospital pharmacy to facilitate effective communication across different healthcare settings
Job responsibilities
- Structured Medication reviews: Frail elderly patient with problematic Polypharmacy, renal and/ or hepatic impairment, Patients on high-risk medicines, STOPP/START identified patients, Revolving door Hospital admission, LTC: Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma, COPD, contraception, Learning Disability reviews, Rheumatoid arthritis reviews, Musculoskeletal pain management, Ongoing care of defined conditions
- Management of common/minor/self-limiting ailments: Managing caseload for patients with common/minor/self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence, Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate
- Repeat Prescribing: Produce and implement robust systems for repeat prescribing, Support the management of repeat prescribing reauthorization process by reviewing complex patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines overdue a review, Coordinate with patients and community pharmacies as appropriate
- Management of medicines at discharge from hospital: To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediate care and into care homes, Perform a clinical medication review, produce a post discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow up tests and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge
- Risk Management and Patient Safety: Responsible for high risk drug monitoring, Responsible for design, development, and implementation of system searches to identify cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines, Increase quality and safety of prescribing through mechanisms such as audit and PDSA cycles, Implement drug withdrawals and alerts e.g. MHRA aimed at improving medicines safety
- Medicine information to practice staff and patients: Deal with all medication queries from patients, community pharmacy, secondary care, admin staff, clinicians, Act as a source of medicines information for the practice team and patients
- Care Quality Commission: Provide leadership to the general practice teams to ensure practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved, Undertake risk assessment and management and ensure compliance with medicines legislation
- Public health: Contribute to public health campaigns, including vaccinations, and adult immunisation programmes
- Medicines quality improvement: Identify medicine-related areas of care to improve patient safety and use of medicines, Conduct medicine-related audits, significant event audit and complaint review, Contribute to medicine-related complaint response letters as appropriate, Lead on use of TARGET toolkit for antimicrobial stewardship, Lead on stopping over-medication of people with a learning disability, autism, or both (STOMP) and people with dementia
- Medicines safety: Identify national and local policy and guidance that affects patient safety using medicines, Manage the process of implementing changes to medicines and guidance for practitioners