Job summary

Join our friendly and supportive pharmacy team and help make a real difference to patient care across East Cornwall.

East Cornwall Primary Care Network (PCN) is looking for an enthusiastic and patient-focused Clinical Pharmacist to join our established pharmacy team.

East Cornwall PCN comprises seven GP practices working collaboratively to provide care for a population of approximately 71,000 patients across East Cornwall.

This is an exciting opportunity to work across our member practices as part of a multidisciplinary team, supporting high-quality patient care through medicines optimisation and clinical pharmacy services. While the successful applicant will be primarily aligned to a designated practice, they will also contribute to projects, service development and collaborative initiatives across the wider PCN pharmacy team.

The role offers a varied workload, opportunities for professional development and the chance to build strong working relationships with both patients and practice teams. Whether you are already working in primary care or looking to bring your skills and experience from community or secondary care, we offer a supportive environment with access to training, clinical supervision and opportunities to further develop your clinical practice.

No two days are the same, making this an ideal opportunity for a pharmacist looking for a varied and rewarding role within primary care.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work within one of the East Cornwall Primary Care Network General Practices, as well as being co located in our new and exciting pharmacy hub, where we are currently providing primary care services to a registered practice population across a number of sites and to unregistered patients with an immediate need. The post holder will also be involved in population health management as part of a large PCN Clinical Pharmacy teams, supported by senior pharmacists, other clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide key pharmacist expertise to GP practices within the locality. As a Clinical Pharmacist in an East Cornwall practice you will manage your own clinics to see patients for medication reviews, assist the practice team with prescribing related issues and treat patients with uncomplicated acute illness. You will help support the East PCN with core medicine optimisation activities and ensure the safe and effective use of medicines across East Cornwall. You will be encouraged to develop a clinical specialism.

The post holder will be contributing towards a one team culture throughout the organisation and promoting a patient centred ethos of Putting Patients First. The post holder will be an integral part of the practice team at the practice working as part of the multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, whilst also spending some of your time working alongside colleagues.

About us

East Cornwall PCN is a collaborative network of seven GP practices serving a population of approximately 71,000 patients across East Cornwall.

Our pharmacy team works closely with practices to support medicines optimisation, improve patient outcomes and deliver high-quality clinical pharmacy services. We are committed to developing our workforce and creating an environment where staff feel supported, valued and able to contribute to service improvement.

Working across multiple practices provides a unique opportunity to develop a broad range of clinical and professional skills while being part of a supportive and collaborative team.

Why Join East Cornwall PCN?

• Be part of an established and respected pharmacy team.
• Primarily work with a designated practice, enabling you to build meaningful relationships and become an integral member of the local practice team.
• Collaborate with colleagues across seven GP practices, gaining broad primary care experience.
• Contribute to PCN-wide projects, service development and quality improvement initiatives.
• Benefit from flexible, hybrid working arrangements.
• Work closely with a range of healthcare professionals across primary care.
• Access learning and development opportunities.
• Develop specialist clinical interests and broaden your experience.
• Contribute to innovations and improvements that support better patient care.
• Enjoy living and working in Cornwall.

Details

Date posted

26 October 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience Competitive, dependent on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

E0306-26-0043

Job locations

Saltash Health Centre

Callington Road

Saltash

Cornwall

PL12 6DL

United Kingdom

Port View Surgery

Higher Port View

Saltash

Cornwall

PL12 4BU

United Kingdom

The Rame Group Practice

Penntorr Health, Trevol Road

Torpoint

PL11 2TB

United Kingdom

Quay Lane Surgery

Old Quay Lane

St. Germans

Saltash

Cornwall

PL12 5LH

United Kingdom

Oak Tree Surgery

Clemo Road

Liskeard

Cornwall

PL14 3XA

United Kingdom

Rosedean House Surgery

8 Dean Street

Liskeard

Cornwall

PL14 4AQ

United Kingdom

Old Bridge Surgery

Station Road

Looe

Cornwall

PL13 1HA

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

The post holder will deliver core clinical pharmacist duties to our practices within the East Cornwall Primary Care Network as one of the multidisciplinary clinical team. Duties will include medicines reviews, independent prescribing, diagnosis and treatment of non-complex acute illness, patient clinical disease reviews and providing expertise to the wider clinical and administrative teams within the practice.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify patients requiring medication review and conduct appropriate medication review clinics or home visits if required by the organisation/practices and liaise with carers, Community Health teams or social care staff in order to optimise drug therapy, reduce polypharmacy and minimise unnecessary waste, communicating directly with patients as necessary.
• Provide medicines and long term disease advice and support to GP practice staff, practice registered patients, and the wider practice team such as community staff (district nurses, mid-wives, and physiotherapists) where appropriate.
• Help support the safe and effective operation of the prescribing system in the GP practice, including updating repeat medication regimes, issuing of appropriate acute prescriptions, ordering relevant laboratory testing, and where necessary completing patient referrals (for example audiology, x-ray, diabetes prevention schemes).
• Deal with appropriate patient presentations, such as minor illnesses, without direct GP involvement/ Provide pharmaceutical input to chronic disease management, as appropriate Provide make every contact count public health education interventions to patients.
• Provide pharmaceutical support to a designated group of GP practices or care settings to enable them to develop, implement and monitor an agreed prescribing plan which meets the objectives of the medicines management plan.
• Assist practices/ care settings in developing formularies, guidelines and policies to ensure the implementation of NICE guidelines, National Service Frameworks and the requirements of the medicines-related aspects of the GMS contract.
• Advise GPs, care staff and primary health care teams on risk management processes relating to the prescribing and monitoring of specialist drugs e.g. controlled drugs and those subject to shared care arrangements.
• Support practices to review specific areas of prescribing, specified by the line management or identified with the GP prescribing lead, including the interpretation of e-PACT data and the use of practice information to review prescribing and identify areas for action.
• Assist with the development and ongoing review of practice policy with regard to repeat prescribing systems and repeat dispensing to encourage the implementation of prescribing guidance and monitoring guidelines where appropriate.
• Liaise with Community Pharmacists to encourage them to reinforce changes made, encouraging them to identify savings which can be achieved with regard to generics, dose optimisations etc. and to assist in building their relationship with the practice.
• Answer any medicine related queries from GPs, care settings, practice staff, PALS, social care staff and the general public in a timely and appropriate manner, using professional judgement where specific guidance is unavailable.
• Deliver Structured Medication Reviews and participate in care home medication review rounds to ensure avoidable harm from medication is minimised.
• Facilitate and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings related to prescribing topics and to engage in the training of other healthcare professionals and practice staff on matters relating to medicines usage.
• Attend primary/secondary care interface meetings in designated specialist therapeutic areas to improve the cost effective and evidence based use of medicines across locality and develop links with the hospital pharmacists involved in these areas.
• Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas identified by yourself and agreed by the PCN or as directed by the PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade as allocated by line management.

Responsibilities for physical and financial resources

• Contribute to, and promote the delivery of, safe, effective and cost efficient prescribing across primary and secondary care to achieve the most effective use of the medicines resource at both practice level and across the entire health economy
• Analyse and use web based prescribing data (PACT and e-PACT) at practice to facilitate appropriate prescribing habits and keep drug budgets within limits. Evaluate this information to identify areas of increased expenditure and advise on actions to be taken to ensure prescribing is cost effective and evidence based.
• Evaluate GP practices position with respect to QOF or other incentive schemes including achievement of both financial and quality targets and communicate this to practices updating the plan with the practice.
• Be responsible for the correct use and security of all equipment, information and data used.

Communications and leadership

• Be required to communicate information, sometimes complex, to a wide range of individuals and groups with different levels of understanding using a well developed range of verbal and written skills.
• Provide written reports on therapeutic topics and summaries of clinical evidence for doctors as well as devising easily understood information for patients and practice staff.
• Demonstrate tact, diplomacy and negotiating skills to engage with doctors to persuade them to work towards objectives, overcoming resistance to change.
• Develop good working relationships with the whole range of practice staff and a network of contacts within the locality and secondary care to provide problem-solving advice on a wide range of matters relating to medicines.
• Advise community pharmacists in the vicinity of where prescribing and medicines management developments and/or changes are planned so they may anticipate the impact on their pharmacies and give a consistent message to patients.
• Work in a discreet and professional manner, respecting and maintaining the confidentiality of patient specific and prescribing data (both at practice and organisational/locality wide level).
• Be aware of, and monitor, the advice given to practices by representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and to counter the impact of inappropriate information to prescribers.

Policy and Service Development

• Support the development of prescribing policy in individual practices and care settings, the implementation of that policy and be involved in the development of policy in discreet areas of prescribing, involving working with clinicians in both primary and secondary care.

Planning and organising

• Be able to prioritise and meet set deadlines particularly when under pressure.
• Take the delegated lead responsibility for specific projects or key specialist areas of pharmacy practice as identified by line management.
• Organise and manage their personal workload in the face of competing priorities, managing their own time effectively and working closely with a range of practice staff and the administration and technical staff in the Medicines Management department.
• Record and report to line management and practices on the work undertaken and the benefits produced, in a timely manner, using tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and e-mail.

Analysis and data management

• Critically appraise information from drug industry to inform other staff members and healthcare professionals in practices.
• Assist in analysing medicines data, including interpreting e-PACT data (web-based electronic prescribing data analysis system) and providing reports at practice level for designated practices.
• Demonstrate good computer literacy (e-mail, word, excel, PowerPoint, on-line medicines information databases).
• Promote and be an advocate for the use of local formularies in practices in both written and electronic format ensuring that the formulary is the cornerstone for all prescribing practice in primary care.
• Work complexity: Mental, physical, emotional effort and working conditions
• Be a car driver and work across multiple sites on a daily basis.
• Use a VDU for significant amounts of the time e.g. email, prescribing data analysis, web searching and report writing.
• Be required to concentrate on tasks to ensure accuracy around practice work e.g. recommendations to GPs and changing prescriptions on the computer which, if incorrect, could lead to serious harm to a patient.
• Deal with queries, or complaints, from patients who may be distressed or unhappy with changes made to their medication, either face-to face or on the telephone.
• Be required to negotiate with practice staff (including GPs, practice nurses, practice managers and health professionals) who may be unhappy when challenged about their practices relating to prescribing or medicines management.
• Manage a competing and frequently changing workload, responding rapidly to new national or local policy, guidance and/or new legislation.
• Work in a discreet and professional manner, respecting the contractor status of the GP practices and to maintain confidentiality of information, including Prescribing And CosT (PACT) data, at all times in accordance with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance (at practice level).

For more information on key duties and responsibilities, please find attached the full job description.

Job description Job responsibilities JOB PURPOSEThe post holder will deliver core clinical pharmacist duties to our practices within the East Cornwall Primary Care Network as one of the multidisciplinary clinical team. Duties will include medicines reviews, independent prescribing, diagnosis and treatment of non-complex acute illness, patient clinical disease reviews and providing expertise to the wider clinical and administrative teams within the practice.KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESCLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIESIdentify patients requiring medication review and conduct appropriate medication review clinics or home visits if required by the organisation/practices and liaise with carers, Community Health teams or social care staff in order to optimise drug therapy, reduce polypharmacy and minimise unnecessary waste, communicating directly with patients as necessary.Provide medicines and long term disease advice and support to GP practice staff, practice registered patients, and the wider practice team such as community staff (district nurses, mid-wives, and physiotherapists) where appropriate.Help support the safe and effective operation of the prescribing system in the GP practice, including updating repeat medication regimes, issuing of appropriate acute prescriptions, ordering relevant laboratory testing, and where necessary completing patient referrals (for example audiology, x-ray, diabetes prevention schemes).Deal with appropriate patient presentations, such as minor illnesses, without direct GP involvement/ Provide pharmaceutical input to chronic disease management, as appropriate Provide make every contact count public health education interventions to patients.Provide pharmaceutical support to a designated group of GP practices or care settings to enable them to develop, implement and monitor an agreed prescribing plan which meets the objectives of the medicines management plan.Assist practices/ care settings in developing formularies, guidelines and policies to ensure the implementation of NICE guidelines, National Service Frameworks and the requirements of the medicines-related aspects of the GMS contract.Advise GPs, care staff and primary health care teams on risk management processes relating to the prescribing and monitoring of specialist drugs e.g. controlled drugs and those subject to shared care arrangements.Support practices to review specific areas of prescribing, specified by the line management or identified with the GP prescribing lead, including the interpretation of e-PACT data and the use of practice information to review prescribing and identify areas for action.Assist with the development and ongoing review of practice policy with regard to repeat prescribing systems and repeat dispensing to encourage the implementation of prescribing guidance and monitoring guidelines where appropriate.Liaise with Community Pharmacists to encourage them to reinforce changes made, encouraging them to identify savings which can be achieved with regard to generics, dose optimisations etc. and to assist in building their relationship with the practice.Answer any medicine related queries from GPs, care settings, practice staff, PALS, social care staff and the general public in a timely and appropriate manner, using professional judgement where specific guidance is unavailable.Deliver Structured Medication Reviews and participate in care home medication review rounds to ensure avoidable harm from medication is minimised.Facilitate and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings related to prescribing topics and to engage in the training of other healthcare professionals and practice staff on matters relating to medicines usage.Attend primary/secondary care interface meetings in designated specialist therapeutic areas to improve the cost effective and evidence based use of medicines across locality and develop links with the hospital pharmacists involved in these areas.Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas identified by yourself and agreed by the PCN or as directed by the PCN, feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the relevant practice team.Undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade as allocated by line management.Responsibilities for physical and financial resourcesContribute to, and promote the delivery of, safe, effective and cost efficient prescribing across primary and secondary care to achieve the most effective use of the medicines resource at both practice level and across the entire health economyAnalyse and use web based prescribing data (PACT and e-PACT) at practice to facilitate appropriate prescribing habits and keep drug budgets within limits. Evaluate this information to identify areas of increased expenditure and advise on actions to be taken to ensure prescribing is cost effective and evidence based.Evaluate GP practices position with respect to QOF or other incentive schemes including achievement of both financial and quality targets and communicate this to practices updating the plan with the practice.Be responsible for the correct use and security of all equipment, information and data used.Communications and leadershipBe required to communicate information, sometimes complex, to a wide range of individuals and groups with different levels of understanding using a well developed range of verbal and written skills.Provide written reports on therapeutic topics and summaries of clinical evidence for doctors as well as devising easily understood information for patients and practice staff.Demonstrate tact, diplomacy and negotiating skills to engage with doctors to persuade them to work towards objectives, overcoming resistance to change.Develop good working relationships with the whole range of practice staff and a network of contacts within the locality and secondary care to provide problem-solving advice on a wide range of matters relating to medicines.Advise community pharmacists in the vicinity of where prescribing and medicines management developments and/or changes are planned so they may anticipate the impact on their pharmacies and give a consistent message to patients.Work in a discreet and professional manner, respecting and maintaining the confidentiality of patient specific and prescribing data (both at practice and organisational/locality wide level).Be aware of, and monitor, the advice given to practices by representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and to counter the impact of inappropriate information to prescribers.Policy and Service DevelopmentSupport the development of prescribing policy in individual practices and care settings, the implementation of that policy and be involved in the development of policy in discreet areas of prescribing, involving working with clinicians in both primary and secondary care.Planning and organisingBe able to prioritise and meet set deadlines particularly when under pressure.Take the delegated lead responsibility for specific projects or key specialist areas of pharmacy practice as identified by line management.Organise and manage their personal workload in the face of competing priorities, managing their own time effectively and working closely with a range of practice staff and the administration and technical staff in the Medicines Management department.Record and report to line management and practices on the work undertaken and the benefits produced, in a timely manner, using tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and e-mail.Analysis and data managementCritically appraise information from drug industry to inform other staff members and healthcare professionals in practices.Assist in analysing medicines data, including interpreting e-PACT data (web-based electronic prescribing data analysis system) and providing reports at practice level for designated practices.Demonstrate good computer literacy (e-mail, word, excel, PowerPoint, on-line medicines information databases).Promote and be an advocate for the use of local formularies in practices in both written and electronic format ensuring that the formulary is the cornerstone for all prescribing practice in primary care.Work complexity: Mental, physical, emotional effort and working conditionsBe a car driver and work across multiple sites on a daily basis.Use a VDU for significant amounts of the time e.g. email, prescribing data analysis, web searching and report writing.Be required to concentrate on tasks to ensure accuracy around practice work e.g. recommendations to GPs and changing prescriptions on the computer which, if incorrect, could lead to serious harm to a patient.Deal with queries, or complaints, from patients who may be distressed or unhappy with changes made to their medication, either face-to face or on the telephone.Be required to negotiate with practice staff (including GPs, practice nurses, practice managers and health professionals) who may be unhappy when challenged about their practices relating to prescribing or medicines management.Manage a competing and frequently changing workload, responding rapidly to new national or local policy, guidance and/or new legislation.Work in a discreet and professional manner, respecting the contractor status of the GP practices and to maintain confidentiality of information, including Prescribing And CosT (PACT) data, at all times in accordance with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance (at practice level).For more information on key duties and responsibilities, please find attached the full job description.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of the wider NHS
• Extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of clinical areas including common chronic disease management
• NHS experience in Primary Care, Hospital or Community Pharmacy
• Delivery of Medicines Management Standards and Policies
• Experience of working with primary health care teams
• Experience of working on projects where post holder uses own initiative and manages own time

Desirable

• Assessment, diagnosis and treatment of common minor and non-complex acute illness
• Experience of providing advice to GPs
• Experience in analysing PACT data
• Experience in clinical audit
• Experience of multidisciplinary working

Work Related Circumstances

Essential

• Flexibility required with regard to working hours
• Post holder will be required to travel between practices and needs a full driving licence and access to a car
• To use VDU equipment for a significant proportion of the day on most days:
• High degrees of concentration required.

Qualifications

Essential

• Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy, or equivalent comprehensive experience.
• Completion of pre-registration training
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council ( GPhC)
• Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development

Desirable

• Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (MRPharmS)
• Post-graduate Diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
• Authorisation for Independent prescribing (IP)
• Completion of, or working towards, the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP).

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Persuasive negotiating and influencing abilities
• Able to instigate and manage change
• Well organised and able to organise others
• Able to co-ordinate and plan activities with others
• Able to motivate others
• Able to prioritise and meet set targets
• Computer literate
• Advanced level of clinical reasoning
• Maintains high standard of practice
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to work as part of a team or as an individual

Desirable

• Able to undertake vaccination administration, e.g. influenza, pneumococcal vaccines.
• Experience of patient physical assessment, e.g. blood pressure measurement, blood glucose testing, urine testing, pulse oximetry, temperature measurement.

Person Specification Experience Essential Knowledge of the wider NHS Extensive knowledge and expertise across a number of clinical areas including common chronic disease management NHS experience in Primary Care, Hospital or Community Pharmacy Delivery of Medicines Management Standards and Policies Experience of working with primary health care teams Experience of working on projects where post holder uses own initiative and manages own time Desirable Assessment, diagnosis and treatment of common minor and non-complex acute illness Experience of providing advice to GPs Experience in analysing PACT data Experience in clinical audit Experience of multidisciplinary working Work Related Circumstances Essential Flexibility required with regard to working hours Post holder will be required to travel between practices and needs a full driving licence and access to a car To use VDU equipment for a significant proportion of the day on most days: High degrees of concentration required. Qualifications Essential Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy, or equivalent comprehensive experience. Completion of pre-registration training Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council ( GPhC) Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development Desirable Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (MRPharmS) Post-graduate Diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent Authorisation for Independent prescribing (IP) Completion of, or working towards, the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP). Skills and Abilities Essential Excellent written and oral communication skills Excellent interpersonal skills Persuasive negotiating and influencing abilities Able to instigate and manage change Well organised and able to organise others Able to co-ordinate and plan activities with others Able to motivate others Able to prioritise and meet set targets Computer literate Advanced level of clinical reasoning Maintains high standard of practice Able to work under pressure Able to work as part of a team or as an individual Desirable Able to undertake vaccination administration, e.g. influenza, pneumococcal vaccines. Experience of patient physical assessment, e.g. blood pressure measurement, blood glucose testing, urine testing, pulse oximetry, temperature measurement.

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

Kernow Health CIC

Address

Saltash Health Centre

Callington Road

Saltash

Cornwall

PL12 6DL

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.kernowhealthcic.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Kernow Health CIC

Address

Saltash Health Centre

Callington Road

Saltash

Cornwall

PL12 6DL

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.kernowhealthcic.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)