PCN Clinical Pharmacist

Nexus PCN is seeking a qualified Clinical Pharmacist to join our collaborative, multi-disciplinary team. Supported by pharmacy technicians and working alongside another pharmacist, you will take a patient-facing role as an Independent Prescriber. Key responsibilities include conducting Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for complex polypharmacy, managing chronic diseases, addressing medication queries, enhancing prescription processes, and leading clinical audits to improve patient safety.

This role offers the opportunity to optimise medication use, reduce waste, and contribute to the networks prescribing agenda. If you are passionate about improving patient care in a supportive, collaborative environment, this rewarding position could be for you.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Pharmacist, you will provide expert medication management and support to optimise patient care. Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting structured medication reviews (SMRs) for patients with multiple conditions and polypharmacy.
• Performing clinical reviews for patients in care homes and those with complex medical needs.
• Identifying high-risk patients and medicines associated with unplanned hospital admissions.
• Offering prescribing support and answering medicine-related inquiries from healthcare professionals and patients.
• Conducting clinical audits, managing prescribing risks, and ensuring compliance with safety guidelines.
• Responding to MHRA alerts and monitoring medicine safety.
• Making recommendations based on local, national, and formulary guidelines to optimize practice prescribing.

Your role will contribute to the safe, effective, and optimised use of medicines, improving patient outcomes and supporting healthcare teams.

About us

NexusPrimary Care Network (PCN) in Exeter, Devon has an exciting opportunity for a forwardthinking Clinical Pharmacist to join our networks innovative pharmacy team.

NexusPCN is located in the centre of the vibrant city of Exeter in Devon and has apopulation of around 42,000. There are 5 surgeries within the PCN, within closeproximity of each other, with excellent inter-personal relations, a goodsupport network and a history of collaborative working. The practices are MountPleasant Health Centre, The Heavitree Practice, South Lawn Medical Centre, IscaMedical Practice and Hill Barton Surgery. Our population is diverse, withvarying levels of socio-economic status, young families, elderly patients anduniversity students all of whom make providing care very interesting.

Weare looking for a full-time Clinical Pharmacist to join our PCN pharmacy teamin order to improve care for our patients. Experience in primary care ispreferred but not essential.

Job responsibilities

KEY DUTIES AND AREAS OFRESPONSIBILITY

Thefocus of the post holders work will depend on the qualifications, skills, andexperience of the individual and the needs of the practices within the PCN,both of which may change over time. Potential duties are therefore outlinedbelow:

Clinical

Patient facing medicines supportprovide advice to patients requiring medication reviews and answer anyquestions, concerns or queries they have about their medicines.

Undertake structured medicationreviews (SMRs) with patients with multi-morbidity and polypharmacy and producerecommendations for GPs/nurses on prescribing and monitoring.

Undertake clinical medicationreviews with patients in care homes and produce recommendations for the GPs /nurses on prescribing and monitoring. Work with care home staff to improve thesafety of medicines ordering and administration.

Support patients with single ormultiple medical problems where medicine optimisatin is required, Review theon-going need for each medicine and communicate with patients on safe andoptimal use of their medications.

Identify cohorts of patients athigh risk of harm from medicines through practice computer searches.

Review the use of medicinesmost commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissionsthrough audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reducethe prescribing of these medicines to high-risk patient groups.

Prescribing Support

Answer relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs, other networkstaff, other healthcare teams (e.g. community pharmacy) and patients withqueries about medicines, suggesting and recommending solutions. Provide followup for patients to monitor the effect of any changes.

Audit and risk management undertakeclinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs and PCN team,feedback results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevantpractice team.

Medicines safety respond toMHRA alerts, product withdrawal, or other local/national guidance and implementchanges where necessary.

National, local and formularyrecommendations Monitor practice prescribing against the local RAGlist and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed byhospital doctors (red drugs) or subject to shared care (amber drugs). Undertakeaudits on practices compliance against NICE technology assessment guidance. Providenewsletters or bulletins on important prescribing messages.

Repeat prescribing ensurepatients repeat medications are effectively managed, identify review dates,and ensure that any monitoring requirements are in place.

Hospital discharge Reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals, intermediatecare and into care Homes, including identifying and rectifying unexplainedchanges and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patientsreceive the medicines they need post discharge.

Medicines waste -supportefficient ordering and return processes to reduce medicines wastage.

PracticeSupport

Education and trainingprovide education on therapeutics and medicines optimisation to other membersof the Primary Care Network.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)work with general practice teams to ensure that practices are compliant with CQCstandards and assist with medicine-related compliance.

Public Health supportpractices with public health campaigns and provide technical advice necessary.

Support the PCN - to deliver onQuality Outcomes Framework (QOF) and other nationally and locally commissionedinitiatives.

Healthand Safety

Comply with practice(s) Healthand Safety policies at all times and report any incidents in a timely manner.

Comply with the Data ProtectionAct (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

Comply with any necessarytraining requirements identified by the PCN relevant to the role.

Equalityand Diversity

Co-workers, patients andvisitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age,disability, sexual orientation or religion etc.

Respect patient confidentialityat all times and do not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by therequirements of the role.

Workingconditions

There will be a requirement forindependent travel between practice sites and to patient homes, care homes orto meetings hosted by other parties.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Vocational Master's degree in Pharmacy or equivalent comprehensive experience
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Completion of pre-registration training
• Evidence of commitment to CPD
• Experience of working within primary care settings
• Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (MRPharmS)
• Post-graduate Diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent

Experience

• NHS experience in Primary Care, Hospital or Community Pharmacy
• Delivery of Medicines Management Standards and Policies
• Experience of working with primary health care teams
• Experience of working on projects where post holder uses own initiative and manages own time
• Experience of providing advice to GPs and primary care clinicians
• Experience in analysing ePACT/prescribing data
• Experience in clinical audit
• Experience of multidisciplinary working
• Experience of promoting formulary adherence within primary care
• Experience using GP clinical systems (e.g. SystmOne and EMIS)

Skills and knowledge

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with persuasive negotiating and influencing abilities
• Able to instigate and manage change
• Well organised and able to prioritise and meet set targets
• Possess an advanced level of clinical reasoning and problem solving and maintain a high standard of practice
• Able to co-ordinate and plan activities with others, work as part of a team or as an individual
• Able to work under pressure
• Possess knowledge of the wider NHS
• Have an extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of prescribing process and quality improvement areas, such as competence in delivering clinical audit
• Have an extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of clinical areas including common chronic disease management
• Knowledge of the use of drugs within several disease areas

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.