Positions
General Practice based research pharmacists (MIDAS trial)
Job title: General Practice based research pharmacist (MIDAS trial)
Study: Medicines and Social Prescribing to aDdress pAtient priorities in multimorbidity (MIDAS): A multi-arm definitive cluster randomised trial in Irish general practice
Location: General Practice based (location to be discussed with pharmacists based on participating practices)
Salary: Sessional payments (€90 per session, plus 8% holiday pay and employer PRSI)
Hours: Minimum of half day per week, and up to full-time.
Duration: 6-12 months
Reporting to: Professor Susan Smith (Principal Investigator) and Dr Farah Tahsin (Trial Manager)
Project website: https://primarycaretrials.ie/midas-2/
Background
Prescribing of medication is one of the most common interventions in primary care. The use of medications increases with advancing age, with approximately 5% of people aged over 65 years in Ireland being prescribed 15 or more repeat medicines. Prescribing for older people in the context of polypharmacy can be a complex and challenging task for GPs, with the potential for adverse outcomes for patients including drug-drug interactions, adverse drug events (ADEs) and potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP). The MIDAS study is a cluster randomised controlled trial funded by the Health Research Board and is a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the University of Galway, the Health Research Board (HRB) Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland, and the Irish College of General Practitioners.
The role
The pharmacists’ role will include targeted medicines reviews with MIDAS patients (both chart-based and face-to-face with patients) and supporting medicines management more generally in the practice. The MIDAS study is based on a robust intervention design and evaluation that led to the MultimorbiditY COllaborative Medication Review And DEcision Making (MyComrade) intervention arm, one of the three arms of the MIDAS cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT). Specifically, the duties will include:
Responsibilities
- Delivery of MIDAS MyComrade intervention
- Medicines reviews with 14 recruited MIDAS patients per practice
- Support with day-to-day medicines management in recruited GP practices, including a range of activities that will be agreed at practice level but will likely include elements of the following tasks:
- Targeted medication reviews
- Delivery of practice based training
- Data collection at practice level
- Other such duties as may be assigned from time to time
Selection criteria
The successful candidate will be expected to have the following:
Essential:
- Registered, or ability to register, as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
- A minimum of two years’ post-qualification experience in pharmacy practice
- Flexibility with practices regarding agreed hours of work, and ability to travel to practices
- In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence‐based healthcare, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing applicable to primary care
Desirable:
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills
- Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
- Ability to influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers
- Attention to detail and thoroughness in work practices and an ability to work to deadlines
- A capacity to work collaboratively as part of a team as well as independently, in a non-structured environment
- Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
To apply please submit a one-page cover letter detailing your suitability for the role based on the outlined selection criteria and an up-to-date CV to Dr Paul Doody (Senior Researcher (Fellow), paul.doody@tcd.ie) by 5pm on Thursday 11th July. For further information or queries please feel free to get in contact on the email above.
General Practice based social prescribing link workers (MIDAS trial)
Job Title: General Practice based social prescribing link worker
Study: Medicines and Social Prescribing to aDdress pAtient priorities in multimorbidity (MIDAS): A multi-arm definitive cluster randomised trial in Irish general practice
Location: General Practice based (location to be discussed with link workers based on participating practices)
Salary: Sessional payments (€54 per session, plus 8% holiday pay and employer PRSI)
Hours: Minimum of 1 day per week and up to full-time
Duration: 6-12 months
Reporting to: Professor Susan Smith (Principal Investigator) and Dr Farah Tahsin (Trial Manager)
Project website: https://primarycaretrials.ie/midas-2/
Background
Link worker programmes have been piloted in the United Kingdom and pilots are starting in Ireland. These programmes have been shown to improve mental health scores, but there is limited evidence to show whether they improve people’s physical health or reduces healthcare costs. Link workers are community workers, who are not health care or social care professionals, who have a detailed knowledge of local community resources and have some training in behaviour change techniques. Patients with complex health and social problems referred by their general practitioner (GP) meet with links worker to collaboratively work on a plan to help improve their health. From our previous exploratory work, this may include for example joining a walking group or the library, support with issues around housing, completing complex forms, or accessing healthcare services such as screening.
The MIDAS study is a cluster randomised controlled trial funded by the Health Research Board and is a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the University of Galway, the Health Research Board (HRB) Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland, and the Irish College of General Practitioners. This trial will evaluate whether a link worker intervention can improve health outcomes for people living with multiple chronic conditions attending general practices across Ireland.
The role
The link worker’s role will be to support patients participating in the MIDAS trial in each GP practice over a 6-month period and also to work with other patients in the practice based on practice requirements. The link workers will keep information on how often they met with participants and what services they referred people to. This role would be well suited to existing community workers or link workers interested in additional sessions. Specifically, the duties will include:
Responsibilities
- Contact and meet face to face in general practices with people referred by GPs
- Agree a plan to address each person’s individual health and wellbeing goals, whether they are psychosocial or more practical such as welfare entitlements
- Negotiate and support access for patients to community-based services and activities that will support them to live well. At times, it might be necessary to sensitively challenge service providers for the benefit of the patient
- Build effective pathways to support and help patients to navigate complex existing pathways
- Work autonomously to manage workload and appointments
- Maintain accurate records throughout the intervention period
- Assist in data collection to monitor the implementation of the trial intervention and deliver reports in an agreed format as requested by the programme management team
- Map out local resources, develop relationships with community organisations and compile a resource booklet for the practice
- Update the practice on progress and available resources in their community via regular practice meetings
- Update the referring GP on patient progress.
Selection criteria
The successful candidate will be expected to have the following:
Essential:
- Inclusive values
- Knowledge and experience of working with people who are experiencing complex social and emotional circumstances. For example, people who have social, emotional, and mental health issues, live in complex life circumstances, experience chronic pain, drug and alcohol misuse, or homelessness
- Strong understanding of the role of community and social factors in living well
- Proven and highly effective interpersonal and communication skills in working with people on a 1:1 basis and with organisations
- Experience in influencing, negotiation, and motivational skills to engage patients and enable them to take up a wide range of community services and activities
- Excellent networking and information management skills
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team and on own initiative
- IT skills in word processing, spreadsheets, email, and the internet
- An ability and willingness to travel extensively within the local community and wider area
Desirable:
- Experience working in primary care
- Educated to degree level or equivalent within a relevant field, e.g., community education, public health, social care, addiction, mental health, with a minimum of two year’s post qualification experience
- Relevant post graduate experience or qualification in topics such as health behaviour change or motivational interviewing
To apply please submit a one-page cover letter detailing your suitability for the role based on the outlined selection criteria and an up-to-date CV to Dr Paul Doody (Senior Researcher (Fellow), paul.doody@tcd.ie) by 5pm on Thursday 11th July. For further information or queries please feel free to get in contact on the email above.
Dr Paul Doody PhD 