Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and patient-focused Clinical Pharmacist to join Hetton Group Practice.

This is a newly developed role within the practice, providing an excellent opportunity for an experienced pharmacist to help shape and develop the practice pharmacy team while making a significant contribution to patient care and medicines optimisation.

The successful applicant will support the practice in the safe and effective management of prescribing, with a particular focus on reviewing hospital discharge summaries, medication regime changes, medicines reconciliation, repeat prescribing processes, and acute medication requests. Working closely with our GPs and wider multidisciplinary team, the post-holder will play a key role in improving patient safety, streamlining prescribing workflows, and supporting best practice in medicines management.

We are looking for someone who is proactive, motivated, and committed to delivering high-quality patient care while helping to drive innovation and efficiencies within the practice.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will work within their professional competencies as an integral member of the practice multidisciplinary team, supporting safe prescribing and medicines optimisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Reviewing acute and previously prescribed medication requests for GP authorisation.
• Supporting repeat prescription management and processing.
• Identifying prescribing issues and ensuring compliance with local and national guidelines.
• Providing expert medicines advice to clinical and non-clinical staff and responding to patient queries.
• Conducting Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) and monitoring patients prescribed high-risk medications.
• Supporting prescribing audits, quality improvement and cost-effective prescribing initiatives.
• Implementing prescribing safety alerts and medication-related policies.
• Initiating appropriate medications during chronic disease reviews.
• Liaising with community pharmacies, care homes, secondary care and other healthcare professionals.
• Supporting medication adherence and patient understanding of treatments.
• Contributing to QOF, enhanced services and wider practice development.
• Ensuring compliance with CQC monitoring searches.
• Supporting pharmacy technicians and providing cover for reviewing hospital discharge summaries and outpatient correspondence, and completing medicines reconciliation following hospital admissions and discharges.

About us

Hetton Group Practice is a friendly, supportive, and forward-thinking semi-rural training practice serving a growing patient population of approximately 12,000 patients from a spacious purpose-built premises.

Our multidisciplinary team consists of:

• 6 GP Partners
• 3 Salaried GPs
• A full nursing team including:
• A dedicated and experienced administration and reception team supporting the delivery of high-quality patient care.

We are an established training practice for both GP Registrars and Medical Students, offering a supportive learning environment and excellent opportunities for professional development. We actively encourage staff to develop specialist interests, undertake further training, and progress within their careers.

We are proud members of the Coalfields Primary Care Network (PCN) and work closely with neighbouring practices to deliver services and improve healthcare outcomes for patients across the Coalfields area.

The practice also has representation on the Sunderland Local Medical Committee (LMC), ensuring we remain engaged with wider primary care developments and initiatives.

As a practice, we are committed to delivering high-quality patient care, embracing innovation, supporting our workforce, and continually improving the services we provide to our patients and local community.

Details

Date posted

08 October 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

A3531-26-0007

Job locations

Francis Way

Hetton le Hole

Tyne and Wear

DH5 9EZ

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main purpose of job:

To contribute to improve health outcomes in long term conditions as a member of the multidisciplinary primary care team

To provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment, and to also provide evidence-based education and training for colleagues in partnership with the practice

To practice as an independent prescriber, holding face to face and telephone consultations

To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions

To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers

To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing and medication review systems

To provide support to pharmacy technicians also working in the practice pharmacy team

To ensure compliance with CQC monitoring searches

To fulfil the requirements of the PCN DES and

To provide structured medication reviews for care home patients and other patients specified in the PCN DES, and cooperation and collaboration with other PCN pharmacists and members to fulfil the DES requirements.

This job description is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the GP Practice.

Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:

Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions

Long term condition clinics - Practice as an independent non-medical prescriber, holding clinics for long term conditions within scope of competence. Aim to review multiple long term conditions at same clinic visit to provide holistic care and improve patient experience. Support patients to manage their long term conditions.

Medication review / medicines optimisation - Carry out face to face clinical medication reviews for patients on multiple medications for long term conditions. Review if prescribing is appropriate in line with current guidance, cost-effective and safe; identify unmet need, stop unnecessary/ineffective medicines. Implement own prescribing changes as an independent prescriber.

Pathology results - Review daily pathology results for patients under their care

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) - Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes

CHD risk reduction - Identify patients at high risk of chronic disease and provide advice/treatment to reduce risk

Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters

Medical information queries - Answer medical information queries from GPs, Nurses, practice staff and patients.

Education - Provide education on medicines related topics for GPs, Nurses, medical students, registrars.

Evidence-based prescribing/ Clinical guidance - Review NICE and other evidence-based guidance as it is issued, to evaluate any impact on medicines and prescribing. Undertake regular clinical audit to support implementation of clinical guidance across the practice. Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the practice to discuss audit results and agree an action plan for improving standards within clinical areas.

Medicines unavailability - Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable.

Cost effective prescribing - Encourage cost effective prescribing within the practice, including adherence to local formulary. Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members

New medicines - Provide education for the clinical team on new medicines

Drug safety - Review all safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken

Unplanned Emergency Admissions - Work with the practice team to help reduce medicines related emergency admissions by running regular searches to identify patients at risk of harm from their medicines. Review these patients to reduce the risk of harm.

To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions

Patient advice - Provide patients with advice on treating self-limiting conditions through face to face/ telephone consultations and patient information leaflets/website. Conditions may include UTIs, hayfever, emergency contraception, conjunctivitis.

Improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and both the patient and other care providers

Management of medicines related information at hospital admission - To review communication processes between practices/ hospitals/care homes/ community pharmacies at hospital admission to evaluate how this can be improved

Management of medicines at discharge from hospital - To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital/ intermediate care; identify and rectify unexplained changes, manage these changes without referral to the GP; perform a clinical mediation review; produce a post-discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow-up test, and work with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge. Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high-risk groups of patients (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids).

Medication changes from clinic appointments - Reconcile medication from clinic appointment correspondence, identifying any unexplained changes and rectifying these by communication with the secondary care provider. Ensure patients are fully aware of any changes and that a plan for monitoring/dose titration is in place.

Community Pharmacy - Act as the practice lead contact for community pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.

Hospital Pharmacy - Act as the practice lead contact for hospital pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.

Care Homes - Ensure care home residents have an annual medication review by a clinical pharmacist. Any changes agreed with the patient and/or their representative should be communicated appropriately.

Newly registered patients - To review medications for new patients, to ensure safe, cost-effective prescribing in line with practice/local prescribing policies.

Lead on implementation of safe and efficient prescribing systems

Repeat prescribing system - To ensure the practice repeat prescribing system is safe, efficient and helps minimise waste.

Medication monitoring - To provide specialist knowledge on medication monitoring and ensure a system for implementation is in place

Prescription queries - To answer queries from administration staff regarding medication requests where appropriate to save GP time

Reauthorisation of repeat medication / medication review - To re-authorise medication for future repeat prescribing within scope of competence as an independent prescriber. To work with practice staff to ensure a robust medication review policy

Repeat dispensing - To identify patients suitable for repeat dispensing. Ensure this is implemented effectively by close working with patients, prescribers and community pharmacies.

Prescribing for vulnerable patients - Review the prescribing of medication for vulnerable patients to ensure it is appropriate e.g. weekly prescriptions for at risk-patients, monitored dosage systems or alternative solutions to improve patient compliance

All employees should understand it is their personal responsibility to comply with all organisational and statutory requirements (e.g. health and safety, equality and diversity, confidentiality and clinical governance). All roles will require flexible working to contribute to extended hours services.

Job description Job responsibilities Main purpose of job: To contribute to improve health outcomes in long term conditions as a member of the multidisciplinary primary care team To provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters, including cost-effective prescribing and clinical guidelines for disease treatment, and to also provide evidence-based education and training for colleagues in partnership with the practice To practice as an independent prescriber, holding face to face and telephone consultations To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions To work to improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and other care providers To lead on implementation of safe and efficient repeat prescribing and medication review systems To provide support to pharmacy technicians also working in the practice pharmacy team To ensure compliance with CQC monitoring searches To fulfil the requirements of the PCN DES and To provide structured medication reviews for care home patients and other patients specified in the PCN DES, and cooperation and collaboration with other PCN pharmacists and members to fulfil the DES requirements.This job description is not exhaustive and duties may vary with the requirements of the GP Practice.Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:Contribute to improved health outcomes in long term conditions Long term condition clinics - Practice as an independent non-medical prescriber, holding clinics for long term conditions within scope of competence. Aim to review multiple long term conditions at same clinic visit to provide holistic care and improve patient experience. Support patients to manage their long term conditions. Medication review / medicines optimisation - Carry out face to face clinical medication reviews for patients on multiple medications for long term conditions. Review if prescribing is appropriate in line with current guidance, cost-effective and safe; identify unmet need, stop unnecessary/ineffective medicines. Implement own prescribing changes as an independent prescriber. Pathology results - Review daily pathology results for patients under their care Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) - Contribute to achievement of QOF targets to improve health outcomes CHD risk reduction - Identify patients at high risk of chronic disease and provide advice/treatment to reduce risk Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters Medical information queries - Answer medical information queries from GPs, Nurses, practice staff and patients. Education - Provide education on medicines related topics for GPs, Nurses, medical students, registrars. Evidence-based prescribing/ Clinical guidance - Review NICE and other evidence-based guidance as it is issued, to evaluate any impact on medicines and prescribing. Undertake regular clinical audit to support implementation of clinical guidance across the practice. Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the practice to discuss audit results and agree an action plan for improving standards within clinical areas. Medicines unavailability - Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable. Cost effective prescribing - Encourage cost effective prescribing within the practice, including adherence to local formulary. Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members New medicines - Provide education for the clinical team on new medicines Drug safety - Review all safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken Unplanned Emergency Admissions - Work with the practice team to help reduce medicines related emergency admissions by running regular searches to identify patients at risk of harm from their medicines. Review these patients to reduce the risk of harm. To provide advice and support for patients with self-limiting conditions Patient advice - Provide patients with advice on treating self-limiting conditions through face to face/ telephone consultations and patient information leaflets/website. Conditions may include UTIs, hayfever, emergency contraception, conjunctivitis. Improve communication about medication-related issues between the practice and both the patient and other care providers Management of medicines related information at hospital admission - To review communication processes between practices/ hospitals/care homes/ community pharmacies at hospital admission to evaluate how this can be improved Management of medicines at discharge from hospital - To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospital/ intermediate care; identify and rectify unexplained changes, manage these changes without referral to the GP; perform a clinical mediation review; produce a post-discharge medicines care plan including dose titration and booking of follow-up test, and work with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge. Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high-risk groups of patients (e.g. those with medicine compliance aids). Medication changes from clinic appointments - Reconcile medication from clinic appointment correspondence, identifying any unexplained changes and rectifying these by communication with the secondary care provider. Ensure patients are fully aware of any changes and that a plan for monitoring/dose titration is in place. Community Pharmacy - Act as the practice lead contact for community pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships. Hospital Pharmacy - Act as the practice lead contact for hospital pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships. Care Homes - Ensure care home residents have an annual medication review by a clinical pharmacist. Any changes agreed with the patient and/or their representative should be communicated appropriately. Newly registered patients - To review medications for new patients, to ensure safe, cost-effective prescribing in line with practice/local prescribing policies. Lead on implementation of safe and efficient prescribing systems Repeat prescribing system - To ensure the practice repeat prescribing system is safe, efficient and helps minimise waste. Medication monitoring - To provide specialist knowledge on medication monitoring and ensure a system for implementation is in place Prescription queries - To answer queries from administration staff regarding medication requests where appropriate to save GP time Reauthorisation of repeat medication / medication review - To re-authorise medication for future repeat prescribing within scope of competence as an independent prescriber. To work with practice staff to ensure a robust medication review policy Repeat dispensing - To identify patients suitable for repeat dispensing. Ensure this is implemented effectively by close working with patients, prescribers and community pharmacies. Prescribing for vulnerable patients - Review the prescribing of medication for vulnerable patients to ensure it is appropriate e.g. weekly prescriptions for at risk-patients, monitored dosage systems or alternative solutions to improve patient compliance All employees should understand it is their personal responsibility to comply with all organisational and statutory requirements (e.g. health and safety, equality and diversity, confidentiality and clinical governance). All roles will require flexible working to contribute to extended hours services.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience working as a registered pharmacist.
• Excellent understanding of medicines optimisation principles.
• Sound clinical knowledge and understanding of safe prescribing.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong organisational and IT skills.
• Experience carrying out Structured Medication Reviews.
• Experience of medicines reconciliation and hospital discharge processing.
• Previous experience in General Practice or Primary Care.

Desirable

• Familiarity with EMIS Web
• Experience of clinical audit and quality improvement projects.
• Experience of leadership within General Practice Pharmacy

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Evidence of relevant professional and educational qualifications.
• Independent Prescriber qualification.
• Commitment to continuous professional development.

Desirable

• Additional postgraduate qualifications relevant to primary care practice.

Person Specification Experience Essential Experience working as a registered pharmacist. Excellent understanding of medicines optimisation principles. Sound clinical knowledge and understanding of safe prescribing. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. Strong organisational and IT skills. Experience carrying out Structured Medication Reviews. Experience of medicines reconciliation and hospital discharge processing. Previous experience in General Practice or Primary Care. Desirable Familiarity with EMIS Web Experience of clinical audit and quality improvement projects. Experience of leadership within General Practice Pharmacy Qualifications Essential Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Evidence of relevant professional and educational qualifications. Independent Prescriber qualification. Commitment to continuous professional development. Desirable Additional postgraduate qualifications relevant to primary care practice.

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 (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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 (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Hetton Group Practice

Address

Francis Way

Hetton le Hole

Tyne and Wear

DH5 9EZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

http://www.hettongp.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Hetton Group Practice

Address

Francis Way

Hetton le Hole

Tyne and Wear

DH5 9EZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

http://www.hettongp.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)