Clinical Primary Care Pharmacist - LIMOS
Job summary
Interested in working in developing your clinical skills and working in the community setting?
Following promotion of the existing postholder, an exciting vacancy has arisen for a motivated, patient centered pharmacist with strong clinical skills to work across both the interface and community setting as part of the domiciliary care arm of the Lewisham Integrated Medicines Optimisation Service.
This is a unique opportunity to work in an award winning service and gain experience in working with older people across care systems to improve independent and safe use of medicines whilst addressing challenges around overprescribing.
Responsibilities includes providing direct patient care and holistic patient centered structured medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy and adherence concerns, in older people and those with multiple long term conditions. The role involves visiting patients both in the hospital and home setting as an integrated approach as part of existing pathways of medicines support in Lewisham and further evolving models of Neighbourhood Care.
This post requires close partnership and team working with members of the MDT to co-ordinate medicines related aspects of care across both health and social care interfaces.
Whilst experience in primary care is not essential, an interest in older people, strong communication skills and lots of enthusiasm to working as part of multidisciplinary approach care are essential.
Main duties of the job
The award winning LIMOS service provides a formal pathway for the referral of patients with medicine-related problems for assessment, support and follow-up by a specialist pharmacy team, working across primary and secondary, and health and social care interfaces. Joint polices around medicines support across health have enabled a collaborative approach to care across the pharmacy and wider workforce.
About us
Please refer to the Applicant Guide via the link below for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
- Making equalities mainstream
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose:
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, along with Lewisham ICT and Lewisham Borough have developed an integrated approach to medicines optimisation across the interface, community and care home settings as part of improved community management of chronic diseases and long term conditions. This role will be to support the medicines management aspects of this initiative through working within the LIMOS service across the interface and community setting to visit patients at home. This role will work provide specialist advice to patients, and undertake full patient centred medication reviews to proactively manage people with complex polypharmacy and adherence concerns, with focus on older people, frail housebound, and those with multiple conditions including physical or mental health issues and learning disabilities. The role will also involve partnership working across health and social care interfaces in line with the current and further developing pathways for medicines support in Lewisham as part of the Neighbourhood approach to care.
This is a specialised post, which involves analysing and interpreting complex clinical situations to develop, provide and communicate effective medicines management solutions and provide expert advice in this area.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
1. To provide medicine management reviews for identified and targeted patients including those who have medication issues or adherence related problems, or are on multiple or high risk medications, in the interface and community settings.
2. To deliver quality improvement, while contributing to the delivery of the general practice quality and outcomes framework, other enhanced services and prescribing workstreams in the primary care setting.
3. To participate in clinical audit and collect appropriate outcome data.
4. To work with general practice colleagues and community pharmacy colleagues to support implementation of safe systems for repeat prescribing and reduction of waste within primary care.
5. To work with primary care healthcare professionals to ensure agreed changes in medication are implemented and sustained.
6. To provide expertise and clinical leadership on medicines optimisation as part of a team member within the community setting.
7.To provide support to improve adherence and help patients get the best from their medicines, reducing medicines related admissions (including falls), and promoting appropriate evidence-based and cost effective prescribing. This will involve advice on de-prescribing where appropriate.
8. To provide medicines management support to, and training for patients, carers and members of the multi-disciplinary community and general practice team.
9. To contribute to the development of protocols to support improvement in systems around medication ordering and supply in the community setting in the context of improving safety and reducing waste.
Service Development
1. To work with community staff to promote and embed the role pharmacists in the community setting and raise awareness of services available to patient
2. To provide recommendations and plan actions to proactively improve the quality of systems and processes to improve medicines optimisation across the primary care setting.
3. To provide training regarding medication related issues and policies/guidelines to staff in primary or secondary care in order to promote medicines optimisation and high quality and cost-effective prescribing as appropriate.
4
Person Specification
Education/Qualification
- B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy)
- Registered with the GPhC
- Postgraduate Certificate in General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
- Postgraduate Diploma in General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
- Pharmacist Independent Prescriber or working towards qualification
Previous Experience
- A minimum of 2 years post-registration experience in hospital pharmacy in an acute NHS setting or equivalent clinical experience.
- Demonstrable experience in clinical pharmacy practice covering a broad range of specialities
- Demonstrable experience of multidisciplinary working
- Demonstrable experience in supervising others.
- Demonstrable experience of co-ordinating and leading on clinical audit.
- Previous experience of delivering formal education and training sessions.
- Experience of working within GP practices &/or a community or primary care pharmacy setting.
- Development of evidence-based guidelines
Knowledge, Skills and ability
- Ability to work on own initiative and effectively as part of a team both within pharmacy and a multidisciplinary environment
- Appreciation of the nature of GPs, general practice and primary care prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing
- Recognise priorities when problem solving and appropriately refer to colleagues or seniors
- Ability to prioritise and plan work effectively.
- Ability to contribute to the planning of service developments
- Demonstrated ability to communicate complex information effectively using clear written and spoken English and overcome barriers to understanding
- Self motivation and the ability to motivate others
- Ability to establish and maintain rapport with medical, nursing and other colleagues
- Ability to work positively and calmly under pressure
- Demonstrate sound clinical knowledge and the ability to apply it in practice
- Demonstrate ability to ensure safe and effective use of medicines for patients
- Proven computer literacy and IT skills including: o Email o Word processing o Spreadsheets o Databases o Use of search engines/medical databases to retrieve information
- Demonstrated accurate numeric skills
- Recognises limitations and takes responsibility for own actions
- Experience working with medical and nursing teams.
- Knowledge of NHS policy and current issues
- Experience working with clinical systems such as EMIS
Personal attritubes
- Flexible approach to work
- Committed to own continuing professional development and maintaining a CPD portfolio.
- Demonstrable willingness to learn and develop new skills
- Reliable, polite and approachable
- Ability to cope with challenges and change
- Knows own professional and personal limitations and seeks advice where necessary
- Able to demonstrate high levels of communication skills involving negotiation and co-operation using complex and often sensitive information.
- Demonstrable ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines
- To be able to influence and negotiate with health professionals in a diplomatic manner
Other
- Willingness to contribute to the general life and work of the Pharmacy and Trust
- Able to work agreed hours
- Hold current driving license and willing to use own care for visits /travel in community setting
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Employer name
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Address
University Hospital Lewisham
Lewisham
SE13 6LH
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/