Clinical Pharmacist - HTN​/CVD Clinic

Clinical Pharmacist - HTN/CVD Clinic Role

Primary care networks (PCNs) form a key building block of the NHS long-term plan. Bringing general practices together to work at scale has been a policy priority for some years for a range of reasons, including improving the ability of practices to recruit and retain staff; to manage financial and estates pressures; to provide a wider range of services to patients and to more easily integrate with the wider health and care system.

While GP practices have been finding different ways of working together over many years for example in super-partnerships, federations, clusters and networks the NHS long-term plan and the new five-year framework for the GP contract, published in January 2019, put a more formal structure around this way of working, but without creating new statutory bodies.

Since 1 July 2019, all except a handful of GP practices in England have come together in around 1,300 geographical networks covering populations of approximately  patients. This size is consistent with the size of primary care homes, which exist in many places in the country, but much smaller than most GP federations. Around 50 networks, usually in very rural areas, will cover a population of less than 30,000, but most are bigger than 50,000.

The post holder will be responsible for supporting the Carshalton PCN to provide expert medicine management and optimisation, vaccinating and drawing up vaccines, whilst working within their area of clinical competence and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. They will be supported by a Senior Clinical Pharmacist and others who will develop, manage and mentor them. The role will be patient-facing and pharmacists will be involved in structured medication reviews, including poly-pharmacy reviews, managing chronic long term conditions and managing medications after transfer of care.

They will also have access to appropriate clinical supervision.

The post holder will provide support and deliver patient services as determined by the Network Policy as well as local and national guidance. They will also provide leadership on quality improvement and clinical audit, manage some aspects of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and maximise cost-effective prescribing to improve the quality of patient care.

Sutton has a population of approximately 200,000 residents registered to 21 practices and there are currently 4 Primary Care Networks; CASS, Carshalton, Wallington and Central Sutton. Each serving a population of approximately 50,000 patients. Our Sutton PCNs are forward-looking, friendly and focused on providing a wide range of excellent health care services to patients in Sutton and the surrounding area. Our PCNs between them are led by 8 PCN Clinical Directors.

The PCNs work together as they see the benefits of working together in a larger GP partnership and are delighted to be realising some of those benefits now. Because of our scale, not only are we more resilient and efficient but we are able to invest in continuous quality improvement, enhanced care, new services and training and developing our workforce.

We value the diversity of our colleagues and actively champion an inclusive culture and are committed to helping our colleagues achieve a work/life balance.

Carshalton PCN is looking to employ a Clinical Pharmacist for HTN/CVD Clinic project under the additional roles reimbursement scheme. They will be accountable to the Clinical Directors in Carshalton PCN and working closely with and supporting the GP Practices within the PCN.

HTN/CVD clinics

• Identify hypertension patients for review using Ardens searches
• Liaise with practice staff to check patients have up to date blood tests, uACR, weight, BP before review
• Admin team to book patients into CVD clinic, 20 minute slot per patient

Clinical pharmacist reviews medications in line with SWL and NICE guidance

In clinic, target optimisation of blood pressure and cholesterol

Arrange HBP/ABPM as needed

Discuss/liaise about patients with named clinical supervisor in practice

Book follow up appointments for hypertension patients as needed, for medication…