Download job description – rp8968

NHS GRAMPIAN
JOB DESCRIPTION – RP8968
1. JOB IDENTIFICATION
Job Title:
Practice / Community Hospital Pharmacist
Department:
Aberdeenshire Community Health Partnership (CHP)
Location:
Hatton & Peterhead area
Hours:
7.5 hours per week
Grade:
Band 8A
Salary:
£39,632 - £47,559 per annum pro rata
Contract:
Permanent
Job Reference: RP8968
Closing Date:
Wednesday 17th September 2014
2. JOB PURPOSE
To take the lead within a practice to ensure safe, appropriate and cost-effective use of medicines in line with local
and national guidelines.
To advise and train the practice/community hospital multidisciplinary team on medicine related issues.
To counsel and advise patients and/or their carers directly on drug related issues and use these opportunities to
provide information on health promotion so holistic care of the patient is addressed.
3. ORGANISATIONAL POSITION
Operational
Manager
CHP
Director of
Pharmacy NHSG
Lead
Pharmacist(s)
CHP
Band 8B
Practice
Pharmacists
Band 8a
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Primary Reporting Line
Professional Responsibility
4. SCOPE AND RANGE
Provides a pharmaceutical service to between 1 - 14 GP practices +/- 1-7 community hospitals on a pro rata
basis relative to the hours employed. The area covered may increase when holiday/relief/vacancy cover is
necessary and input to a greater number of practices may be necessary. Input is then prioritised and
proportionally less time will be spent in each practice.
GP practices range in size from 1300 to 19 500 approximately.
The pharmacist routinely deals with pharmaceutical care issues and queries from other members of the clinical
team and has to interact with GP's, nurses, health visitors, administration staff, community pharmacists and Allied
Health Professionals (AHP’s) working within NLCHP. There is a requirement for communication with partners
such as the social work department, providers of social care and the voluntary sector in addition to health care
professionals from across NHS Grampian in order to facilitate patient care.
5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Provision of pharmaceutical care to individual patients50%
 To review medication of individual patients to ensure medicines are safely and appropriately prescribed, in
particular for patients with chronic medical conditions or those on complex medication regimes. Document
changes required in patients’ notes or computer records, altering computer drug records as required.
 As part of medication review, monitor patients’ blood results to ensure appropriate dosage, adverse effects
are minimised and other monitoring is being carried out appropriately adequate e.g. Blood pressure, peak
flow, spirometry and urinalysis.
 To contribute to decision making in individual patients’ care by discussion of therapy with the prescriber and
provision of advice on appropriate selection of medication to ensure that treatments are evidence based.
 To provide counselling and specialist advice on medicines use to patients and carers (verbal and written) to
help patients use their medication to obtain greatest benefit. This is particularly important if they are elderly,
confused or distressed, if their medication regime is complex or if they have multiple disease pathologies.
 Undertake direct patient consultations to optimise management of chronic disease or discuss and resolve
specific pharmaceutical care related issues. This can be as part of a pharmacy led clinic in a specific disease
area or an individual review of a patient identified by a member of the practice team or the pharmacist
themselves.
 To treat patients in a holistic manner ensuring they are provided with appropriate advice on health
improvement and lifestyle changes as part of disease management in order to optimise health outcomes
 To improve the patients journey between secondary and primary care by implementing seamless care. This
may involve liaison with secondary care ward, GP, community nursing staff, community pharmacists and staff
of care homes.
Ensure medicines use is safe, appropriate and cost-effective
40%
 To be responsible for the provision of specialist advice on medicine selection and use, side effects and
potential interactions to medical, nursing and other healthcare professionals attached to the
practice/community hospital. Ensure that clinicians are aware of appropriate therapeutic monitoring required
to minimise risk to patients.
 To respond to queries and provide accurate and timely drug information to General Practitioners and other
members of the primary health care team, both for individual patients and groups of patients.
 Play a key role in risk management including identifying and resolving issues, ensuring implementation of
local and national guidelines, policies and procedures and provision of advice on their relevance to safe and
effective medicines use.
 To work towards achievement of NLCHP objectives with respect to safe and effective prescribing.
 As part of the clinical team contribute to decision making in the development of practice specific protocols
related to prescribing and medicine use.
 Take the lead in development, management and review of repeat prescribing systems within the practice,
ensuring systems are robust, waste is minimised and related standards of the GMS contract are met.
 Promote the use of the Grampian Joint Formulary (GJF) by all prescribers and ensure availability of latest
electronic version where appropriate.
 Through provision of advice and training, ensure compliance with medicines legislation and contractual and
statutory requirements of the new GMS contract related to the storage, prescribing, dispensing, recording and
disposal of drugs including controlled drugs. Monitor compliance through audit.
 Work as part of the practice team to identify patients for review and medicines management as part of the
quality and outcomes framework of the GP contract.
 Analyse prescribing data (e.g. PRISMS) and provide feedback on practice prescribing trends, drug
expenditure and prescribing indicators; providing recommendations for change in prescribing behaviour.
Training and Audit10%
 In collaboration with practice colleagues, devise and carry out audit in clinical areas to monitor quality of
medication prescribing and use, ensuring recommendations are discussed and actioned.
 Contribute to training of practice administration staff in areas related to repeat prescribing policies and
systems and basic medicine information.
 Contribute to training of nurses and GPs in specific disease areas e.g. drugs used in hypertension, diabetes,
requirements for drug monitoring, etc.
6. SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
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Microsoft Office – for communication, reports, data analysis, presentations
PRISMS - analysing prescribing data from ISD
Internet and intranet - research and accessing current local and national guidelines
GP computer systems as appropriate (GPASS, EMIS, VISION, TOREX) for medicines management and
updating patient records including Grampian acute electronic formulary
Miscellaneous clinical equipment – (e.g. Blood pressure device, spirometer) ensuring personal use of patient
monitoring devices for near patient testing is safe and accurate.
7. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
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The post-holder is an independent professional who is responsible for their own professional and clinical
decisions. All pharmacists must work within the Code of Ethics and Standards laid down by the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
Work at practice level is unsupervised using professional discretion, but accountable to the Lead
Pharmacist.
The pharmacist has a high degree of autonomy and independent working regarding prescribing advice and
decisions regarding individual patients and is accountable for recommendations made and information
provided.
The pharmacist must be alert to the needs of individual patients, groups of patients and must identify actual
and potential problems and contribute to their resolution with the practice team.
The pharmacist must be aware of the activities of the pharmaceutical industry at practice and national level
and advise practice on an appropriate course of action
Interpretation of local and national guidelines is required to provide advice on their implementation and
adaptation at practice level. The pharmacist will have to explain the evidence base for medicine information
provided and justify viewpoints offered where opinion differs or there is a lack of published evidence.
The pharmacist will have to respond to urgent needs within practice and be responsible for advice offered
and action taken as a result e.g. CSM guidance, drug alerts and actions from critical incidents
8. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
The post involves contact with a wide range of individuals including; patients, doctors, nurses, admin staff, AHPs,
community pharmacists, social work and the pharmaceutical industry.
 Contact with all levels of primary care staff (both clinical and administrative) relating to the safe, effective and
economical use of medicines. This may involve teaching, training, reporting audit and effecting change in
practices, relating to chronic disease management, complex medication regimens and systems relating to
prescribing.
 Communications with secondary care colleagues to facilitate continuation of appropriate treatment after
discharge.
 Communication with community pharmacy as part of seamless care in resolving prescribing and
pharmaceutical care issues
 Communication with patients and carers relating to the underlying illness and its treatment. The pharmacist
must provide advice in a professional and empathetic manner taking into account any possible barriers to
understanding and respond accordingly.
 Well-developed communication and influencing skills are required to discuss medicines use primarily with
patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
 Negotiation skills and the ability to reconcile differences of opinion on prescribing issues with other clinicians
to mutual satisfaction are vital.
 Presentation of work at multidisciplinary forum
9. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
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Light physical effort only required, but there is a need for multi-site working (driving between different
locations), hot-desking and prolonged periods of computer use.
Skill, accuracy and concentration are vital when reviewing medication, analysing prescribing data and
compiling reports and interpreting clinical papers / guidelines.
10. MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB
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Working as the only pharmacist in a practice, having to discuss assimilated evidence, negotiate and
influence clinicians, resolve conflict, which may result and justify decisions and advice provided to
colleagues.
Developing and delivering pharmaceutical care and economic medicines management for optimal patient
outcome, for patients with multiple pathologies/complex medicine regimens.
Ensuring standards and guidelines are met with the constraints of time and resource available. Time
management and prioritisation of work is vital given the added requirement for multi-site working.
Communicating with patients who may be confused, aggressive or emotional and responding to their
anxieties about their health and medication can be stressful.
11. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB
A broad clinical knowledge is required to carry out medication reviews and address pharmaceutical care issues
for patients with a wide variety of clinical conditions.
Clinical & Professional Skills
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Professional qualification at Master Degree level
Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
Post Graduate Qualification in pharmacy or equivalent experience
Extensive clinical pharmaceutical knowledge
Knowledge in a wide range of services provided in primary care e.g. chronic disease management, geriatric
medicine, psycho-geriatric medicines, GP acute medicine, palliative care, obstetrics, casualty and minor
injuries.
Commitment to personal Continuing Professional Development
Interpersonal Skills
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Communication skills
Negotiating and influencing skills
Planning skills
Leadership skills
Analytical skills
Motivational skills
Miscellaneous skills
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IT skills (see section 6, systems and equipment)
Current full driving license
PERSON SPECIFICATION
POST/GRADE: Practice / Community Hospital Pharmacist
LOCATION:
Grade 8a
Aberdeenshire CHP
WARD/DEPARTMENT: Pharmacy
The Person Specification should meet the demands of the job and comply with current
legislation. Setting unnecessary standards may, for example, unfairly discriminate
against one sex, the disabled or minority racial groups. Applicants should be assessed
in relation to their ability to meet the real requirements of the job as laid down in the job
description. With the exceptions relating to displaced and disabled candidates noted in
Sections 5.3 and 5.4 of this policy, shortlisted candidates must possess all the essential
components as detailed below.
Factor
Qualification & Experience
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Essential
Degree in pharmacy at Masters
level
Registered with GPhC
Desirable
Experience of working in General
Practice or Primary Care.
Post grad qualification:
Diploma/Msc or equivalent
experience
Circumstances & flexibility
Part time hours
Particular requirements of
the post
Varied post registration
Community or Hospital pharmacy
experience.
Driver or access to a car.
Ability to influence and
negotiate. Assertive but nonconfrontational.
Good written and verbal
communication skills.
Ability to apply clinical
therapeutic knowledge to
situations arising in Primary
Care.
Standard.
Level of Disclosure check
required
Competent in IT.