Job summary
This is a part time fixed term post for 6 months and we welcome applications from within the Lincolnshire system as well as further afield on a secondment basis.
The post holder will work as a member of the small, friendly Medicines Optimisation Team for NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board. You will be working with local PCNs and GP practices to improve the quality, promote safe and cost-effective prescribing, and to reduce the unwarranted variation in the use of medicines across the Lincolnshire ICB area. This will support our system aim to ensure everyone living in Lincolnshire has the best possible health outcomes.
Although the post holder will be assigned to a particular locality, they will be expected to work collaboratively with other locality team members and across the health community as work programmes require. The post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering Medicines Optimisation across the health community.
Main duties of the job
Build and maintain relationships with PCN managers, practice managers and practice-based pharmacy colleagues working in the locality.
1. Support PCNs and practices in the locality to deliver the local medicines optimisation agenda and strategy.
2. Undertake specific tasks and responsibilities within specialist areas
3. Respond to medicines-related queries from prescribers, pharmacists and other health and care workers within your professional competency and provide professional advice, based on evidence based medicine, national guidance and local prescribing patterns
4. Use prescribing data to identify potential changes at PCN/practice level to optimise medicines use.
5. Contribute to the development of a reporting process for recording medicines optimisation activity in the locality where it is part of the ICB medicines optimisation work programme.
6. Attend/organise meetings relevant to the role.
7. Provide support for the Locality Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist (and other Medicines Optimisation Team personnel where appropriate and when required)
8. Act as a first point of contact for the Medicines Optimisation Team in the locality when required.
About us
NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a strategic component of the Integrated Care System (ICS) across Lincolnshire delivering the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
Lincolnshire ICB is responsible for meeting the needs of the population through the strategic commissioning of high quality services. It seeks to improve patient experience and is committed at looking at innovative ways to improve patient care and offer more choice. Patients are at the heart of everything the ICB does, and it is important that they are involved not just in decisions about their individual care, but also in the decisions that shape the health services delivered locally.
The ICB is required to manage expenditure within sustainable levels (in alignment to the Lincolnshire System Strategic Plan) through three types of schemes: system wide transformation, system wide efficiency, ICB only efficiency.
The ICB will promote good governance and proper stewardship of public resources in pursuance of its goals and in meeting its statutory duties. Good corporate governance arrangements are critical to achieving the ICB's objectives and financial sustainability.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Patient Care
9. May work directly with patients, carers and support groups to optimise medicines and ensure that patients get the best possible health outcomes from their medicines.
10. Support patient and public involvement within the medicines optimisation service by working directly with patients, carers and patient public and carer support groups.
Policy/Service Development
11. Undertake specific projects relating to the implementation of policy in medicines optimisation.
12. Provide specialist medicines optimisation input into service redesign relating to specialist area and assist in the implementation of national and regional strategies relating to medicines optimisation.
13. Assist in the development of new local medicines optimisation services.
14. Support reviews of any services that the Medicines Optimisation team provide.
Financial & Physical Resources
15. Support the Medicines Optimisation Team by identifying strategies to deliver value for money, efficiencies and effective budget management to inform the prescribing financial planning process.
Human Resources
16. Provides training to Medicines Optimisation staff and other internal and external stakeholders in specialist area
17. Support other team members from different organisations in delivery of prescribing and medicines optimisation programme. This may require motivational, influencing and relationship building skills in a setting where there is no formal line management structure
Information Resources
18. Contribute to quality, up to date and accurate record-keeping of advice given in response to medicines and prescribing queries and medicines optimisation activity reported in the locality on a central ICB recording system in line with relevant data protection requirements
19. May be required to take notes/minutes at locality prescribing meetings and other meetings as required
Research & Development
20. Participate in any appropriate R&D projects as agreed by the ICB.
Person Specification
Professional
Essential
21. Qualifications at degree level through formal qualification or equivalent experience supported by an extensive CPD portfolio
22. NVQ Level 3/BTEC in pharmaceutical sciences or equivalent
23. Registered Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council
24. Experience of medicines optimisation and delivery of medicines optimisation projects
25. Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures
26. Experience of training other healthcare professionals both individually and in groups
27. Enthusiasm and ability to work well in a team
28. Excellent communication skills, written, verbal and presentation
29. Ability to analyse, interpret and compare options on complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources
30. Ability to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information
31. Demonstrable ability to prioritise effectively and deal with conflicting priorities and deadlines
32. Commitment to personal, team and organisational development
Desirable
33. Experience of NHS primary care / commissioning
34. Experience of multi-agency team working and developing relationships across organisational boundaries within the public sector
35. Experience of using and analysing ePACT2 data
36. Experience in Meeting/event organisation