Clinical Pharmacist – VPCN

Job summary

The PCN Clinical Pharmacist will support and develop pharmacy services across the Primary Care Network, delivering high-quality medicines optimisation, supporting long-term condition management, reducing GP workload, and ensuring compliance with CQC, NICE, MHRA, QOF, and PCN DES requirements.

Responsibilities

Clinical practice and patient care

• Conduct structured medication reviews for high-risk, frail, and multi-morbid patients
• Pharmacist-run clinics, including diabetes, hypertension, respiratory, heart failure
• Provide face-to-face, telephone, and video consultations
• Manage minor ailment triage and respond to urgent medication requests
• Promote adherence, lifestyle support, and self-care
• Review monitoring requirements, ensure timely blood tests, and safe prescribing
• Identify and safeguard patients requiring closer follow-up or enhanced monitoring

Prescribing and medicines optimisation

• Deliver cost-effective, evidence-based prescribing in line with national and local guidelines
• Support QOF, PCN DES, and CQC compliance
• Lead medicines optimisation searches (e.g., Ardens) and act on findings
• Review repeat prescribing systems and contribute to safe-prescribing workflows

Clinical leadership and governance

• Supervise and appraise pharmacy technicians
• Support and supervise student placements (FY2, ST3, work experience)
• Attend MDT meetings, present case studies, and contribute to shared clinical decisions
• Participate in significant event reviews and clinical governance
• Lead quality improvement projects, prescribing audits, and reporting

Training, professional and regulatory requirements

• Provide medicines education and advice to GPs, nurses, HCAs, and admin staff
• Participate in ongoing mentorship, supervision, and annual appraisal
• Engage in PCN training and mandatory learning
• Demonstrate commitment to CPD and reflective practice

PCN and practice collaboration

• Collaborate with PCN and practice managers, clinicians, and external partners
• Monitor performance against prescribing objectives and regulatory standards
• Support patient communication and service improvement initiatives
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Clinical and patient outcomes

• Number of SMRs completed per month for high-risk patients
• Reduction in GP time spent on medication queries
• Number of medicines reconciliations post-discharge with resolved discrepancies
• % of patients in chronic disease clinics with optimised therapy and up-to-date monitoring
• Reduction in medicines-related unplanned hospital admissions

Safety and compliance

• 100% completion of MHRA alerts within required time frame
• Compliance with CQC standards and annual audits
• Number of high-risk medicine reviews completed
• Completion of mandatory training for self and supervised staff

Prescribing and cost-effectiveness

• Achievement of QOF and PCN DES prescribing targets
• Reduction in inappropriate prescribing and medicines waste
• Contribution to formulary adherence and cost-effective prescribing initiatives

Quality improvement and governance

• Prescribing audits or quality improvement projects completed and documented
• Participation in MDT meetings and contribution to shared clinical decisions
• Timely reporting and follow-up of incidents, complaints, or significant events

Requirements

Essential

• GPhC-registered pharmacist
• Prescribing Independent Prescriber (IP) qualification
• Knowledge of CQC, MHRA, NICE, QOF, PCN DES

Desirable

• Advanced clinical skills in long-term condition management
• Completion of the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway
• Previous experience working in primary care/GP practice or within a PCN setting
• Experience in clinical pharmacy and medicines optimisation

About us

About Victoria PCN

Victoria Primary Care Network (VPCN) provides care for approximately 50,000 patients across Victoria Medical Practice, Downlands Medical Centre and Vita Healthcare Practices.

The PCN pharmacy team comprises three pharmacists and four pharmacy technicians. We are seeking an enthusiastic and forward-thinking clinical pharmacist to join our team, providing pharmacy support across the PCN, overseeing the pharmacy technician team, and reporting to the PCN clinical director. This is an evolving role with significant scope for development and flexibility, including managing chronic conditions in areas of interest.

Benefits package

• 6 weeks annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Competitive salary with pay progression linked to training and performance
• NHS pension scheme
• Protected and structured CPD & study time
• Development pathways in chronic disease management (e.g. diabetes, CV disease, respiratory, frailty)
• Access to PCN-wide learning, regular in-house teaching, clinical supervision and shared learning sessions, peer support and shadowing
• Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support