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NORTH HALIFAX PRIMARY CARE NETWORK

Beechwood Medical Centre

Caritas Group Practice
Keighley Road Surgery
Plane Trees Group Practice

Job Description & Person Specification

Job title Clinical Pharmacist in Primary Care

Contract Permanent in line with PCN contract

Hours Minimum of 25 hours UP TO FULL TIME

Model Lead Practice Model offering NHS pension

Base(s) North Halifax PCN Practices

Line manager PCN Manager

Accountable to Clinical Director via PCN Board of Directors

Job Summary

North Halifax Primary Care Network (PCN) is looking to recruit an innovative, motivated and enthusiastic pharmacist to expand our well-established clinical pharmacist team. We are looking for someone who is keen to develop within the team, be mentored by our experienced team and undertake training with clinical supervision, whilst contributing to the roles and workstreams outlined.

If you have the required skills and qualifications, please apply including what makes you want to take this post and why we should choose you.

You will work in primary care in a variety of roles which will include document/prescription reviews, telephone and patient-facing role within GP practices. It is ideal for someone who is keen to develop personally and professionally, help shape new services and enjoys a challenge.
Although the main responsibilities follow the PCN DES, we envisage the right candidate will also input into projects wider than the DES. North Halifax PCN is a well-established network of 5 practices who have worked collaboratively delivering care to our population of 45k even before the networks were created.
The clinical pharmacist team along with other members of the PCN (practices, clinicians, first contact physiotherapists, personalised care team etc.) aim to provide expert medicines management advice in a variety of settings as detailed below.
You will work as part of our hub-based approach which helps team morale, peer to peer support and effective management. It will also involve outreach spoke type clinics/ visits at the member practices to build relationships and enhance the services at a very personal level as care closer to home is important to our population.

You will work independently but closely with North Halifax Primary Care Network to provide clinical leadership on medicines optimisation and quality improvement and manage some aspects of the quality and outcomes framework and enhanced services. You will also work with the wider team to deliver service transformation and design with particular reference to the role of pharmacists.

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You will ensure that the practice integrates with community and hospital pharmacy to help utilise skill mix, improve patient outcomes, ensure better access to healthcare and help manage workload.

Opportunity to complete CPPE and Independent Prescriber qualifications.

Key Responsibilities
The following describes the primary areas of responsibility for this role. The clinical areas for delivery will be agreed after discussion with PCN leads and in line with the individuals own scope of practice and experience. This may change according to the DES requirements and
PCN/practice/patient needs.

• Patient Facing/Telephone Structured Medication Review - Undertake clinical medication reviews with patients with multi‐morbidity and polypharmacy and order relevant monitoring tests according to practice protocols and policies. Review the on-going need for each medicine, review monitoring needs and support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines

(medicines optimisation).

• Patients Facing Medicines Support - Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice.
• Telephone Triage - Assist in medication related triaging of patients as required by the practice.
• Telephone Medicines Support - Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions, queries and concerns about their medicines with some bookable appointments.
• Medicine Information to Practice Staff and Patients - Answer relevant medicine- related enquiries from GPs, other practice staff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients with queries about medicines. Suggest and recommend solutions. Provide follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.
• Work with case managers, multidisciplinary (health and social care) review teams and hospital colleagues to manage medicines‐related risk for readmission and patient harm. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high-‐risk patient groups.
• Enhanced Health in Care Homes – In line with the DES lead/form part of the MDT working towards EHCH – Care coordinator lead
• Clinics – As we expand the team, we will look at adding new services to our existing (Clinical Phamrmacy lead) Hypertension and Structured Medication

Review clinics that may be targeted at various key Population Health Management indicators.

• Management of Medicines at Discharge from Hospital - To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes. Perform a clinical medication review of medical records, 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. Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high‐risk groups of patients (e.g. those

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with medicine compliance aids).

• Signposting - Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results, common/minor ailments, acute conditions, long term condition reviews etc.
• Repeat Prescribing - Adhere to the repeat prescribing protocol.
• Medicines Quality Improvement Programmes - Identify and provide leadership on areas of prescribing and medicines optimisation. Conduct or work with other stakeholders on clinical audits and improve projects. Present results and provide leadership on suggested changes.
• Information Management - Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team.
• Medicines Safety - Adhere to national and local policy and guidance that affects patient safety through the use of medicines, including MHRA alerts, product withdrawals and emerging evidence form clinical trials. Manage the process of implementing changes to medicines and guidance for practitioners and ensure compliance with medicines legislation.
• Education and Training - Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation. Provide training to visiting medical, nursing, pharmacy and other healthcare students where appropriate.

Key Tasks
Collaborative Working Relationships

You will be required to work with a wide range of stakeholders. It is important that you:

• Demonstrates the ability to work well as part of a team and lead if requested to by the GP leads or pharmacy lead.
• Recognises the roles of other colleagues to patient care and liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to: o Patients o GP, nurses and other practice staff o Other healthcare professionals including CCG pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, optometrists, dentists, health and social care teams and dieticians etc. o PCN prescribing lead o Community nurses and other allied health professionals o Community and hospital pharmacy teams o Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation
• Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders within the local care network to build sustainable relationships that: o Develop and maintain strong links with all services o Explore potential for collaborative working o Integrate general practice with community and hospital pharmacy teams

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o ensure consistency of patient care and benefit

• Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

• Accountable for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
• Uses 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 normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
• Able to 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 guidelines.

Professionalism

• Demonstrate understanding of the pharmacy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.
• Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision
• Engages with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and involves PPGs in development of the role and practices.
• Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service
• Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.
• Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals
• Provides a leadership style which is underpinned by strongly held values of the organisation and around equality, diversity and openness; effectively builds and maintains relationships with direct reportee(s) and other key individuals across the organisation
• Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example.

Education, Training and Development

• Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity
• Participates in the delivery of formal education programmes; inspiring others to be positive in their support of continuous improvement
• Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice.
• Ensure appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support development

General tasks
Special Working Conditions

You are required to travel independently between practice sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies.

You will have contact with body fluids i.e. wound exudates; urine etc. while in clinical practice.

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Job Description Agreement

This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only. There may be other duties required of you commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within the Practice. All members of staff should be prepared to take on additional duties or amend existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the Practice.

This job description is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of the post and is not exhaustive. It will be subject to regular review and amendment as necessary in consultation with you.

Generic Responsibilities

All North Halifax PCN staff have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I)
A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I create an environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.
Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and to be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.
Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted.
Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)
This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire

Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation.
Confidentiality
This PCN is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect that all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential, if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained, that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.
Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The

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responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the PCN to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.
This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.
Induction training
At the start of employment, all colleagues complete a PCN induction programme. This is managed by the PCN manager.
Service delivery
Staff working for North Halifax PCN must adhere to the information contained within practice policies and regional directives, ensuring that protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.
Security

The security of the PCN is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to the PCN manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks with anyone and they are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.
Professional conduct
All North Halifax PCN staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. Administrative staff will be provided with a uniform whilst clinical staff must dress in accordance with their role.

Person Specification – Clinical Pharmacist

Qualifications Essential Desirable

Masters degree in pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent ✓

Specialist knowledge acquired through post- graduate ✓ diploma level or equivalent training/experience

CPPE qualified ✓

Independent Prescriber ✓

Skills, Knowledge and Experience Essential Desirable

Minimum of 2 years post‐qualification experience. ✓

In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and ✓ understanding of the principles of evidence‐based healthcare.

An appreciation of the nature of general practices ✓

An appreciation of the nature of primary care ✓ prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing

Excellent interpersonal, 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 including staff, managers and patients.

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Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review ✓ general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions

Excellent IT skills ✓

Recognises priorities when problem solving and ✓ identified deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate

Able to work under pressure and 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 ✓

Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional ✓ expertise and direct service provision

Professional Registration Essential Desirable

Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical ✓
Council.

Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society ✓

Other Essential Desirable

Self-Motivation ✓

Adaptable ✓

DBS clearance once appointed ✓

Information Governance toolkit completion ✓

Basic life support training ✓

Immunisation status ✓

Safeguarding adult and children level three ✓

This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only. There may be other duties required of you commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within the North Halifax PCN. All members of staff should be prepared to take on additional duties or relinquish existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the organisation. This document may be amended, following consultation with you, to facilitate the development of the role, the practice, and the individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing, duties to enable the efficient running of the organisation.

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Job Type: Part-time
Part-time hours: 25 per week

Salary: £42,000.00-£43,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Halifax: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

• Pharmacist: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: One location

Application deadline: 31/03/2023