Job description: Practice pharmacist

This job description is a template. It should be used as a guide and edited according to the specific needs of the practice and the duties required of the post. The role described is equivalent to Agenda for Change Band 5/6.

Job summary and scope

The practice pharmacist is responsible for providing pharmacy services and related care to the practice population within the boundaries of the role. He/she will work in a patient-facing role, supporting patients to be healthy, managing patients with long-term conditions in respect of promoting self-management, and undertaking medication reviews.

This will include but is not limited to supporting the provision of repeat prescriptions: acute prescription requests; reconciling medication on transfer of care; and providing guidance, knowledge and best practice advice in relation to clinical medication.

The practice pharmacist will work collaboratively with the practice team, performing tasks as required by the senior clinical pharmacist and the partners within the practice’s policy and procedures, and to a defined set of competencies.

Key responsibilities – clinical

Patient-facing duties

• Run long-term conditions clinics (such as asthma/COPD, diabetes, CHD, hypertension) and support the management of patients with multiple chronic disease, including (but not limited to):
  • Medication optimisation and review
  • Monitoring patients’ conditions over time
  • Advising about medication compliance and contraindications
  • Identifying opportunities for improving medication protocols, prescribing and monitoring, and making recommendations to the senior clinical pharmacist/GPs
• Undertake clinical medication reviews outside of the practice setting as required; for example, in the patient’s home and in care homes, including (but not limited to):
  • Working with care home staff and domiciliary carers as appropriate to improve medication safety, ensure timely request for prescriptions and accurate administration of medication
• Management of minor ailments and self-limiting conditions, including advising on appropriate treatments and referring to GPs or other services as required
• Run sessions or clinics for patients and carers who have questions or concerns about their medication
• Signpost patients to other healthcare professionals as appropriate; for example, for test results, further investigation, or treatment of minor ailments and long-term conditions and care of acute conditions.

Non patient-facing duties

• Manage the practice’s approach to medication in relation to unplanned admission to and discharge from hospital, including (but not limited to):
  • Reviewing the use of and auditing medications commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions
  • Implementing an approach to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high‐risk patient groups
  • Reconciling patients’ medication following discharge from hospital and into a care home facility, identifying and assessing changes to medication regimens
  • Liaising with hospital staff and community pharmacists post-discharge to maintain a seamless supply of medication for patients
  • Establishing and maintaining a protocol in respect of continuity of supply for high-risk patients
• Manage the process for repeat prescribing and authorisation of repeat prescriptions by reviewing script requests against medication reaching review dates
• Flag up patients requiring review as appropriate and support the GPs in conducting reviews
• Carry out both patient- and medication-related computer searches to identify patients who are at risk of harm from medication, and implement strategies to mitigate those risks
• Take responsibility for appropriate information management, including (but not limited to):
  • Providing information as required to patients, practice staff and other stakeholders, and responding to medication-related enquiries
  • Interpreting medication-related data and presenting it as required, highlighting problems, risks, opportunities and solutions
  • Providing appropriate bulletins and information in other formats (such as newsletters) relating to key prescribing and medication messages and protocol
• Perform other clinical duties as required, within the scope of the practice pharmacist’s competencies and training.

Key responsibilities – non-clinical

Practice and pharmacy-related duties

• Implement local and national guidelines and formulary recommendations, and maintain a practice formulary
• Monitor practice prescribing against the local health economy’s red-amber-green list and, where required, recommend where medications could be prescribed by hospital doctors (red) or subject to shared care (amber)
• Audit the practice’s compliance against NICE guidance on technology assessment
• Support learning, education and training for the primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medication optimisation
• Work in collaboration with the practice team to ensure compliance with CQC standards and requirements in relation to medication
• Provide expertise and knowledge in relation to medication on public health programmes
• Provide medication and pharmaceutical-related advice and guidance in the development of new services and campaigns
• Take responsibility of medication quality improvement and medication safety, including (but not limited to):
  • Carrying out clinical audits of prescribing, as directed by the senior clinical pharmacist, GPs and partners
  • Analysing audit results and presenting them to relevant staff
  • Implementing changes to prescribing in collaboration with the practice staff
  • Implementing changes relating to medication, in line with MHRA alerts, withdrawal of products and relevant guidance
• Perform other non-clinical duties as required, within the scope of the practice pharmacist’s competencies and training.

Personal and professional development

• Comply with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and General Pharmaceutical Council Code of Conduct and maintain up-to-date registration and documentation
• Act as a mentor and positive role model to students and junior members of staff, sharing information and good practice
• Prioritise own workload and collaborate effectively with others to prioritise team and practice workload
• Undertake training as required to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities, including attending and contributing to in-house training, including (but not limited to):
  • Maintaining personal development and CPD plans and records of learning, clinical supervision, appraisals of junior staff and feedback on performance
• Keep up to date with current evidence-based approaches to patient care and service delivery, in line with NICE and the National Service Framework
• Undertake regular mandatory training, such as relating to emergency life support, manual lifting and handling, safeguarding vulnerable patients and child protection.

Other important aspects of the role

Maintaining confidentiality

The practice pharmacist will, as an integral part of and in the course of carrying out his/her role, have access to confidential and sometimes sensitive information relating to patients, carers and family members, as well as similar information about colleagues. The practice pharmacist might also have access to confidential commercial information about the practice and its business.

All such information, in whatever format and howsoever made available, must be treated with the strictest confidence. All such information held both within and outside of the practice will be shared only as necessary, in accordance with the practice’s confidentiality/data-sharing policies, and in line with data protection legislation and the Freedom of Information Act.

Equality and diversity

The practice pharmacist will comply with the practice’s own equality and diversity policy, and legislation relating to equality and diversity, including (but not limited to):

• Recognising the rights of patients, carers, family members and colleagues, and respecting their needs, beliefs, privacy and dignity
• Not discriminating against patients, carers, family members or colleagues on the grounds of any of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 (or its amendments or later legislation)
• Supporting people who need help understanding and exercising their rights
• Acting as a role model in relation to promoting equality, diversity and non-discriminatory practices
• Identifying discriminatory practices and patterns of discrimination, taking appropriate action to tackle it, and instead promoting equality
• Complying with, promoting and evaluating chaperoning policies
• Recognising and promoting the right of patients to choose their care provider, and to participate in or refuse care.

Key relationships and contacts

Give your practice vacancy the competitive advantage you need to attract the candidates you want. Contact the Pulse Practice Jobs team on 0207 214 0570 or email [email protected] for more information.