Senior Interface Pharmacist LIMOS

Job overview

Following recent expansion of the service, an exciting vacancy has arisen for a motivated, patient centered, senior 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 (LIMOS).

The post offers the postholder a unique opportunity to work in this award winning model of care and gain experience in working with older people across care systems to improve independent and safe use of medicines whilst addressing some of the challenges around overprescribing.

Responsibilities will include providing direct patient care and undertaking 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 will involve visiting patients both in the hospital and home setting as an integrated approach to care in addition to providing pharmacy support to our Virtual Ward service and Enablement Community teams.  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 as part of a Neighbourhood approach to care.

This vacancy  is for 32.25 hours per week (0.86WTE). Interested candidates are encouraged to make contact to discuss working hours as there may be some flexibility in hours worked.

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.

As a patient facing role, the role offers a great opportunity to utilise and further develop strong clinical skills as an independent prescriber as part of a Neighbourhood team approach to care.

Being supported by a network of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, this post is an exciting opportunity to work in the primary care and interface setting. but maintain strong links with pharmacy colleagues in both secondary and community settings.  This close working also includes the ability to access continuing professional development via peer learning events with pharmacy professionals within both secondary care and community settings.

The postholder would work across the Borough, delivering care to an allocated neighbourhood and be based at either South Lewisham Health Centre or University hospital Lewisham.   As a patient facing role, regular home working is not included within this role. However some hybrid working may be required when working in the community setting.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Purpose:

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, along with South East London ICB (Lewisham), are continuing to develop an integrated approach to the community management of chronic diseases/long term conditions and frailty in line with the national agenda for Neighbourhood models of care.

The post-holder will support the medicines management aspects of this initiative through working within the LIMOS service within both the primary care and  interface setting. The role will also involve partnership working across health and social care interfaces conducting holistic medication reviews in housebound patients or those with dementia, including patients receiving social care packages requiring medication support, patients on complex multiple medications, and patients with mental health issues or learning disabilities.

Key objectives are to minimise unnecessary medicines-related hospital admissions, encourage independence, better management of chronic diseases, reduce risk of falls, improve the quality of life for these patients, and to promote clinically and cost-effective prescribing resulting in better patient outcomes and maximise the gain from medicines.

In addition to supporting targeted medication review in the most complex groups including following hospital discharge, this role will involve the provision of line management or support to, nominated band 7 pharmacists and the provision of education and training to GP Practice and Community Pharmacy staff in addition to patients and carers.

This is a highly specialised post, which involves analysing and interpreting highly complex clinical situations to develop, provide and communicate effective medicines management solutions.  The post holder will  rotate through the domiciliary and interface service arm to provide expert advice in these areas.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

• Provide medicine management reviews for identified and targeted patients including those who have medication issues or adherence related problems or are on multiple medication in the general practice, care home, and primary care or interface settings.
• To review discharge summaries and reconcile medicines at transfer of care for identified and targeted patients.
• Provide medicines management support to vulnerable patients following hospital discharge.
• To work with general practice colleagues, junior LIMOS and hospital pharmacists and local Community Pharmacy colleagues to support implementation of safe systems for repeat prescribing and reduction of waste across the healthcare environment and develop the MUR /NMS process to support Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and Lewisham CCG medicines initiatives.
• Participate in clinical audit and collect appropriate management data.
• To work in conjunction with primary care healthcare professionals and Social Services to ensure agreed changes in medication are implemented and sustained.
• Provide medicines management expertise and support to patients in the full range of intermediate care and service settings which may include general practice.
• Provide support to improve concordance and helping 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.
• Liaise with the patient’s community pharmacist, relatives and formal carers, and colleagues across health and social care where necessary, to support patient- centred and seamless care in respect of medicines, signposting or referring to other services as appropriate.
• Provide highly specialist medicines management support to, and training for, GPs, nurses and other members of the multi-disciplinary primary care team caring for patients with chronic diseases/long term conditions in the GP practice, community and hospital setting where necessary, including specialist and community nurses.
• Provide highly specialist medicines advice and training to patients, carers, and care home staff on medicines related issues in older people.
• To lead on the development of protocols in collaboration with key stakeholders as necessary to support prescribing initiatives.
• Provide support to patients within the intermediate care or care home setting in preparation for independence in taking their medicines. This may involve development of self-medication schemes and domiciliary visits after discharge.
• Liaise with GPs, community pharmacists, community nurses, hospital pharmacists and other health and social care providers to ensure seamless pharmaceutical care for patients.
• Liaise with social service carers on issues relating to medicines for their clients.
• To provide medicines advice and input into community health services workstreams when required to support senior pharmacists as appropriate