We are looking for an enthusiastic and capable individual who can provide support in the delivery of the medicines optimisation service provided to GP practices in Stockport.
Applicants must meet the essential criteria in the person specification. They should also have significant experience within Primary Care settings. You will need good written and verbal communication skills, be well organised and able to work effectively alone and as part of a team.
The post holder will act as a specialist pharmacist providing medicines management & medicines optimisation services, with responsibility for delivering pharmaceutical and clinical advice and support to a designated group of GP practices, liaising with patients, general practitioners, practice staff, other primary health care team staff, staff and partner organisations to ensure that patients benefit from the most appropriate, safe and cost effective prescribing.
The post holder will lead the implementation of the medicines management aspects of NICE guidance, medicines optimisation of the NCD and have delegated lead responsibility for specific projects or key specialist areas as identified by line management.
The federation was formed to empower local GPs to provide the best possible care for patients whilst tackling some of the challenges faced by General Practice by helping doctors and other healthcare professionals work together, share resources and expertise.
Our vision is to be consistently recognised for enabling the delivery of high quality patient centred healthcare, which is innovative, equitable, efficient, effective and contributing to a healthy population in Stockport.
Whatever stage youre at in your career, well provide you with the high-quality support you need to continue developing your skills, achieve job satisfaction and help shape the future of healthcare to make a real difference to peoples lives.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities
Provide pharmaceutical support to a designated group of GP practices to enable them to develop, implement and monitor an agreed prescribing plan which meets the objectives of the medicine optimisation plan.
Assist practices/ care settings in developing formularies, guidelines and policies to ensure the implementation of NICE guidelines, National Service Frameworks and the requirements of the medicines-related aspects of the GMS & DES contracts.
Advise GPs, care staff and primary health care teams on risk management processes relating to the prescribing and monitoring of specialist drugs e.g. controlled drugs and those subject to shared care arrangements.
Support practices to review specific areas of prescribing, specified by the line management or contracts, including the interpretation of e-PACT data and the use of practice information to review prescribing and identify areas for action.
Identify patients requiring medication review and conduct appropriate structured medication review clinics or home visits if required by the organisation/practices and liaise with carers, Community Health Stockport or social care staff in order to optimise drug therapy, reduce inappropriate polypharmacy and minimise unnecessary waste, communicating directly with patients as necessary.
Assist with the development and ongoing review of practice policy with regard to repeat prescribing systems and repeat dispensing to encourage the implementation of prescribing guidance and monitoring guidelines where appropriate.
Liaise with Community Pharmacists to encourage them to reinforce changes made, encouraging them to identify savings which can be achieved with regard to generics, dose optimisations etc. and to assist in building their relationship with the practice.
Answer any medicine related queries from GPs, care settings, practice staff, PALS, social care staff and the general public in a timely and appropriate manner, using professional judgement where specific guidance is unavailable.
Provide advice and support to improve the disease registers within each practice to ensure all suitable patients are identified and offered suitable treatment and monitoring for their condition.
Facilitate and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings related to prescribing topics and to engage in the training of other healthcare professionals and practice staff on matters relating to medicines usage.
Attend primary/secondary care interface meetings in designated specialist therapeutic areas to improve the cost effective and evidence based use of medicines across Stockport and develop links with the hospital pharmacists involved in these areas.
Undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade as allocated by line management.
Responsibility for Patient Care (including monitoring, diagnostics + investigations)
Carry out structured medication reviews for individual patients at all levels, including face to face, as necessary e.g. those with complex medication related problems. This will include discussing complex and sensitive information with patients with regard to their medical history, making recommendations to GPs for changes to medication and sometimes dealing with patients who may be unhappy or distressed by changes made to their medication.
To diagnose and independently prescribe for patients within legal framework, competence and local prescribing formulary.
Provide appropriately differentiated specialist advice on prescribing and medicines optimisation to colleagues in GP practices, the NHS and wider community, including patients or their carers, to facilitate optimal use of the medicines resource and to be accountable for that advice.
Maintain and improve their knowledge and awareness of current clinical and safety evidence around medicines, interpreting this evidence to ensure that advice given to professional colleagues and patients is current, relevant, accurate and in keeping with national and local guidelines.
Carry out appropriate biochemical and therapeutic monitoring for particular patients with the prior agreement of practices.
Be a point of contact to research and answer day to day queries related to prescribing and medicines optimisation from GPs and other primary health care professionals, patients and members of the public and document advice given.
Responsibilities for Human Resources
Supervise, direct and monitor the work of Practice Support Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians & medicines coordinators working within own areas of work and to liaise with administrative staff.
Support the development of GP Practice and Medicines Optimisation staff e.g. technicians, pre-registration & foundation students and others (e.g. trainee nurses) via leadership, advice and direction.
Be responsible for identifying any personal & team members future training needs and fulfilling all CPD requirements to maintain professional registration.
Responsibilities for physical and financial resources
Contribute to, and promote the delivery of, rational and cost-effective prescribing across primary and secondary care to achieve the most effective use of the medicines resource at both practice level and across the entire health economy.
Analyse and use web based prescribing data (e-PACT) at practice, PCN and Stockport levels to facilitate appropriate prescribing habits and keep drug budgets within limits. Evaluate this information to identify areas of increased expenditure and advise on actions to be taken to ensure prescribing is cost effective and evidence based.
Evaluate GP practices position with respect to QOF, DES IIF, QIPP or other incentive schemes including achievement of both financial and quality targets and communicate this to practices updating the plan with the practice.
Be responsible for the correct use and security of all equipment, information and data used.
Communications and leadership
Be required to communicate information, sometimes complex, to a wide range of individuals and groups with different levels of understanding using a well-developed range of verbal and written skills.
Provide written reports on therapeutic topics and summaries of clinical evidence for doctors as well as devising easily understood information for patients and practice staff.
Demonstrate tact, diplomacy and negotiating skills to engage with doctors to persuade them to work towards objectives, overcoming resistance to change.
Develop good working relationships with the whole range of practice staff and a network of contacts within the Stockport and secondary care to provide problem-solving advice on a wide range of matters relating to medicines.
Advise community pharmacists in the vicinity of where prescribing and medicines optimisation developments and/or changes are planned so they may anticipate the impact on their pharmacies and give a consistent message to patients.
Facilitate meetings with community pharmacists and their neighbouring GP practices to improve working relationships, reinforce practice prescribing changes and policies and to encourage joint working.
Provide regular feedback to other members of the medicines optimisation team, participate in discussion on medicines policy to ensure consistency of message within the team and coordination of action.
Work in a discreet and professional manner, respecting and maintaining the confidentiality of patient specific and prescribing data (both at practice, PCN and organisational/Stockport wide level).
Be aware of, and monitor, the advice given to practices by representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and to counter the impact of inappropriate information to prescribers.
Policy and Service Development
Contribute to the planning and development of medicines management policy and guidance and to its implementation.
Support the development of prescribing policy in individual practices and care settings, the implementation of that policy and be involved in the development of policy in discreet areas of prescribing, involving working with clinicians in both primary and secondary care.
Evaluate work undertaken to assess its effectiveness and the possibility for replication in other practices.
Planning and organising
Plan and organise specialist prescribing and medicine optimisation work programmes in multiple nominated practices to influence and implement changes in prescribing practice in line with the SIPS strategic plan.
Be able to prioritise and meet set deadlines particularly when under pressure.
Take the delegated lead responsibility for specific projects or key specialist areas of pharmacy practice as identified by line management.
Organise and manage their personal workload in the face of competing priorities, managing their own time effectively and working closely with a range of practice staff and the administration and technical staff in the SIPS & corporate teams.
Record and report to line management and practices on the work undertaken and the benefits produced, in a timely manner, using tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and e-mail.
Analysis and data management
Critically appraise information from drug industry to inform other staff members and healthcare professionals in practices.
Assist in analysing medicines data, including interpreting e-PACT data (web-based electronic prescribing data analysis system) and providing reports at practice level for designated practices.
Demonstrate good computer literacy (e-mail, word, excel, PowerPoint, on-line medicines information databases).
Be conversant with all GP practice clinical systems and support and share good practice with other members of the prescribing team to provide consistent and reliable data for audit and review purposes.
Promote and be an advocate for the use of local formularies in practices in both written and electronic format ensuring that the formulary is the cornerstone for all prescribing practice in primary care.
See the full Job Description and Person Spec in the attached document.