The post holderwill be responsible for supporting the medicines management agenda within Havens Hospices Care settings, providing a comprehensive clinical service for both adult and children & young people’s inpatient services.
This will include working closely and collaboratively with:
· Clinical colleagues to ensure the provision of an integrated and efficient service within Haven Hospices and the MSE Palliative and End of Life services. Ensuring safe, legal and efficient processes are in place to provide medicines optimisation to palliative and end of life patients, as well as working within pharmacy to remain updated on best clinical practice and medicines information.
· Senior managers within MSE & Havens Hospices to ensure that medicines are utilised in a cost-effective and efficacious way and are supported by appropriate standard operating procedures. This will include carrying out regular audits and assisting in the development and updating of clinical guidelines.
The post holder will be self-led and work autonomously if required. They will be responsible for assessing prescriptions on the inpatient units for appropriateness and safety. Ordering medication will be done in a cost- effective way in order to provide as many cost saving opportunities as possible.
Dutiesaretobe undertakenin accordancewith departmental SOPs.Professionalactionsareto begovernedbycurrentprofessional,clinical,andlegalguidelinesandinlinewithbestpractice.
ThepostholderwilladheretotheprinciplesoftheNHSConstitution.
Under the direction of the Havens Hospices Medical Director the post-holder will:
· Ensure that therapy for patients is safe and cost-effective.
· Closely liaise with multidisciplinary colleagues to facilitate a co-ordinated approach to palliative and end of life drug monitoring and control throughout the organisation.
· Be a key member of the hospice Medicines Management Committee; contributing to the agenda and actioning any required activity accordingly.
· Lead on and manage initiatives to promote cost-effective prescribing of medicines, ensuring rational expenditure and formulary adherence accordingly.
· Lead on the management of drug shortages, ensuring information regarding licensed and/or unlicensed alternatives is communicated effectively and efficiently.
· Liaise with and support clinical pharmacy staff to raise awareness of medicines management in palliative and end of life care.
· Be the point of contact for all hospice staff to aid in medicines-related problem solving and ensure supplies of end-of-life medicines.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is now one of the largest Trust in the country, serving a population of 1.2 million people. Our newly formed Trust, comprising acute hospital sites at Broomfield in Chelmsford, Basildon, and Southend, is determined to provide the best health services for its local population. We are a well-led, high-performing, and innovative organisation working in the best interests of the people we serve.
With a workforce of approximately 15,000 staff, we can now do more and go further in delivering health services to our local communities.
Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.
1. Key Responsibilities
· To provide, with the support of senior colleagues, the delivery of a medicines optimisation and clinical pharmacy service to all areas within Havens Hospices; be a proactive and engaged member of Havens Hospices Medicines Management team.
· To work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure the optimal and cost-effective use of all medicines, specifically palliative medicines throughout the organisation in line with formulary adherence.
· To assist in the delivery and evaluation of clinical pharmacy and hospice-wide services relating to palliative care and end of life medicines. This will include taking responsibility for required audit activity across Havens Hospices and MSE where specified.
· Provide ongoing guidance and mentorship to clinical pharmacy and multidisciplinary colleagues working within areas of practice throughout the organisation.
· Assist the Care and Quality teams to ensure that all required medication safety and clinical governance issues are actioned and implemented in a timely manner; this will require but will not be limited to attendance at regular governance meetings, liaising with the MSE Medication Safety team and presentation of audit data to key stakeholders.
2. Clinical Pharmacy Activity
To provide a patient-centred approach to medicines management by undertaking daily clinical visits to inpatient units and reviewing community team charts and notes. These clinical areas may be varied and will depend upon the needs of the Hospices.
Clinical activity will involve the following:
Medicines Reconciliation
· Undertaking medicines reconciliation for admitted patients in line with national, MSE and Havens Hospices’ policies and procedures. Pharmacist-led medicines reconciliation activity is prioritised as a key clinical pharmacy activity.
· Clinicallyscreenandfinalcheckprescriptions as needed(includingoral,injectable,andclinicaltrialdrugs) according to locally agreed standards and guidelines.
· Exercise professional judgement to resolve issues, referring to senior pharmacy colleagues as needed.
· Assist the MDT in the management of patients, where appropriate.
· Act as an independent prescriber and prescribe as appropriate for patients within designated area of competence.
Electronic Discharge Process
· Ensuring patient electronic discharge letters are routinely screened and checked for accuracy in accordance with Havens Hospices’ procedures.
· Ensuring all discharge TTAs are screened prior to discharge and if this is not possible, retrospectively checked after discharge.
· Ensuring all medicines are labelled and/or relabelled appropriately for discharge.
· Liaising with community pharmacists where applicable to ensure adequate supplies of medication are provided and continued in a suitable form.
Self-Administration of Medicines (SAM) Scheme
In conjunction with the departmental SAM lead and senior pharmacy colleagues, the post holder will:
· Proactively encourage the utilisation of Havens SAM procedures within Havens Hospices
· Assist nursing colleagues in identifying and assessing those patients suitable to self-administer their own medicines.
· To ensure that all medicines are labelled and packaged appropriately, and all relevant patient information and compliance aids/sundries are supplied.
3. Medication Safety Activity
The post holder will:
· Inform and implement and contribute to the local and national medication safety agenda throughout the hospice. This will include the completion, and investigation of, medication incidents via the electronic Vantage Reporting System in Havens Hospices and MSE’s incident reporting system.
· Be proactive in risk management, ensuring that all clinical incidents are reported and appropriate action taken in conjunction with the Clinical Lead Pharmacist and/or the specialist risk management pharmacist.
· Contribute to the medication safety audit process, as required by both local and national processes.
· Share learning from medication safety issues across local systems.
· In liaison with the Medicines Information department, provide expert information that is relevant to the practices of healthcare staff.
· In addition to the specific clinical pharmacy activities, provide a high-quality clinical pharmacy service to clinical areas by:
o Reviewing prescriptions for accuracy and legality; referring any concerns to the pharmacist and/or other members of the multidisciplinary teams.
o To alert senior staff to potential supply problems and drug shortages to ensure alternatives can be utilised safely and efficiently.
o Ensuring the effective and timely supply of medicines.
o When appropriate, document relevant information within the patient’s medical notes.
o Taking steps to ensure that patients and relatives understand the purpose of their medicines and deal with any practical issues that may prevent the optimal use of their medicines.
o Provide appropriate medication counselling to patients at ward level.
o Encourage medicines formulary adherence during routine ward activity.
o Supporting adherence to the Trust’s antibiotic policies and procedures.
o Demonstrating professional accountability to patients.
4. Audit and Training Activity
Under the guidance of their supervising clinical lead pharmacist, take responsibility for required medicines optimisation audit activity across Havens Hospices.
Other ward/unit and pharmacy-based activity may include:
· To provide timely and cost-effective stock control at Havens Hospices, ensuring regular stock list reviews and always ensuring the safe and secure storage of medicines.
· To maintain supplies of emergency medicines.
· Have oversight of management of pharmaceutical waste at ward level, ensuring medicines suitable for reuse are returned to ward stock, are re-labelled or discarded safely.
· Monitoring Controlled Drugs activity, ensuring the required Controlled Drugs checks are carried out accordingly.
· Liaising closely with the Medicines Management Group to regularly review the ward medicines stock holdings.
· To take part in staff and patient training sessions providing information about drug usage and side effects.
· Develop and deliver further training packages with the support of the learning and development team tailored to other multidisciplinary team members and patients/carers.
· Undertake research and audit projects.
5. Analytical and Planning
· Monitordrugexpenditurewithinspecialty,producebudgetstatementsanddrugusagereports, interpret and provide analysis and recommendations.
6. Policy and Service Development
· Develop treatment guidelines with clinicians to promote evidence-based, cost-effective prescribing, considering all relevant local and national policies and procedures.
· Develop and implement new protocols and procedures for area of work and assist in development of pharmaceutical aspects of policies for this area.
· Attend hospital committee and focus groups relevant to area of specialty.
7. Financial and Physical Resources
· Ensure the safe and secure storage of hospice and pharmacy stock of drugs and other materials.
· Monitor the safe and secure storage of drugs on wards.
· Monitor drug expenditure within specialty, produce budget statements and drug usage reports, interpret and provide analysis and recommendations.
· Provide guidance to medical, nursing and other healthcare professionals on the cost-effective use of medication
· Advise medical staff regarding applications for Individual Patient Funding using the relevant Trust paperwork.
· Maintain the required records for the Cancer Drugs Fund and liaise with Finance Department and fund holder as necessary. This includes being familiar with the use of Blueteq for high-cost drug reconciliation and invoicing.
· Assist in the commissioning of high-cost drug.
8. InformationResources
· Keep accurate patient medication and drug issue records using the Pharmacy JAC computer system.
· Generate reports/graphs/presentations using appropriate computer software as required.
· To carry out any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of this job description.
9. Staff Management
· Participate in & oversee the training and education of pre-registration pharmacists, pharmacists, other grades of pharmacy staff and other healthcare professionals including senior medical staff.
· Be responsible for the management or supervision of junior pharmacists or technical staff. Undertake the role of pre-registration pharmacist tutor or diploma tutor when allocated.
· Be involved with the recruitment of pharmacy staff as required.
This advert closes on Sunday 2 Feb 2025