Job summary
The Medicines Optimisation team at Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust are looking to expand patient facing roles within the organisation. Our team are ward based and you will be involved in the implementation of our medicines optimisation strategy while working closely with the wards and our Pharmacy provider.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to take up a post based on our existing specialist inpatient wards.
Working with the existing Senior Pharmacists, sharing lead responsibilities for managing and delivering key elements of the medicines optimisation strategy across the Trust.
Responsibilities include providing assurance that NCH&C is compliant with all legal, regulatory and governance frameworks, including those of the Care Quality Commission. Supporting the Accountable Officer to ensure that controlled drugs are managed appropriately. You will be responsible for the development and implementation of relevant strategies, policies and patient group directions as well as the participation in regular audits.
You will also be responsible for providing a clinical Pharmacy service to inpatient areas, following our clinical pharmacy standards, ensuring effective medicines optimisation through a patient centred approach.
This post is ideal for an individual who is motivated by collaborative working, medicines safety, antimicrobial stewardship and wants to make a positive impact on patient care.
Main duties of the job
1. Undertake medicines reconciliation when patients transfer between care settings ensuring their medicines reflect what is intended
2. Clinical medication review for patients to optimise their medication
3. Provide education, advice and support on medicines to patients and their carers to maximise patient's independence.
4. Provide drug/medical information and advice as appropriate
5. Provide education and training to colleagues to promote best practice
6. Communicate complex drug/medicine related information to prescribers, clinicians, patients, relatives: patients may have language difficulties, physical or mental disabilities, other professionals may challenge advice
7. Work as part of the Medicines Optimisation team to implement the Medicines Optimisation strategy
8. Responsible and accountable for autonomously leading and delivering specialist areas of work within the Medicines Optimisation Team
9. Provide expert decisions and advice on pharmaceutical matters
10. Lead and develop quality improvement programmes and clinical audit
11. Routinely manage complex situations, undertaking complex intervention and assimilation of information
12. Analyse information to provide advice on medicines, dosages, in areas where information is lacking and medical or other opinion differs
13. Support the development and implementation of medicines audits including data analysis, report writing and co-ordination of associated training requirements
14. Ensure medication incidents are reported in accordance with organisational policy
About us
Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust provides community-based NHS health and care via more than 70 locations across Norfolk, as well as providing a specialist Early Supported Discharge service to stroke patients in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Serving a population of nearly 900,000, NCH&C delivers services for children, young people and families, therapies, community nursing, end of life care and specialist nursing, among others. We believe that people are better looked after locally and this belief drives us to work hard to bring expert care to patients in our seven community hospitals, within GP surgeries and in patients' own homes.
NCH&C is proud to be the first standalone NHS community trust in the UK to achieve an 'Outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission. Our focus is on continually improving the quality of care we offer to local people and on improving access to that care, helping people to move seamlessly from one service to another. Praising NCH&C's "compassionate, inclusive and effective leadership at all levels", the CQC observed that our staff are well supported to make positive changes and innovations.
We welcome applications from people who share our values and can help us deliver outstanding care in our local community.
Find out more about working for our organisation here:
Job description
Job responsibilities
To act as Ward Clinical Pharmacist including:
15. Providing advice on the safe and cost-effective use of medicines
16. Optimising patient care with respect to medicines (across multiple specialties) in liaison with health care professionals, including medical and nursing staff
17. Input into the development of treatment protocols and guidelines
18. Delivery of a full clinical pharmacy service covering multiple specialties
19. Monitoring expenditure on drugs and providing feedback (including transportation of medicines to patients home addresses)
20. Participate in clinical audit involving medicines including the audit requirements within national guidelines and protocols eg. NICE.
21. Participate in and lead where required on novel pharmacy projects; identify and undertake research to inform practice developments and underpin delivery of an effective, evidence-based pharmacy service.
Review patients to complete:
22. Medicines reconciliation
23. Comprehensive medication review
24. Identifying and addressing concordance issues
25. Liaising with community pharmacy where appropriate and where consent has been given, particularly on discharge
Assess direct responses to drug treatments (in collaboration with the Multi-Disciplinary Team)
26. Review and update patient care records
27. Undertake clinical medication review for patients to optimise their medication
Assist in development of robust and safe medicines optimisation processes for the ward.
Contribute to the efficient and timely discharge of patients, this includes:
Identifying and prioritising patient discharges
28. Writing TTOs (as required)
29. Clinically checking discharge prescriptions in a timely fashion
30. Reviewing the supply of medications
Non-medical Prescribing:
31. Following successful completion of an accredited prescribing course, to take on the role of the prescribing of medicines within the Ward in line with personal competencies and expertise. This will include the initiation of therapies in line with approved patient care management plans and/or in response to clinical presentation requiring treatment with medicines endorsed through local formularies.
Ensure on-going CPD to maintain competency to prescribe in line with advice for GPhC and national legislation.
Be familiar with and work in line with the national legislation governing the scope of practice for non-medical prescribers.
Develop a highly specialist knowledge of medicines and treatment to promote and support evidence-based medicine across the Trust.
Actively participate in ward rounds, case conferences, Directorate meetings, etc. as appropriate.
In liaison with the multi-disciplinary team, work with patients to optimise their care with medicines including:
32. Development of PILs relevant to their medicines
33. Patient education and counselling on their medicines
34. Self-administration of medicines
Liaise with other members of the multi-disciplinary team in the provision and development of clinical pharmacy services, including complex drug or medication related information, and act on any associated problems which may arise.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
35. Master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent plus Postgraduate clinical qualification in relevant field
36. Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council
Desirable
37. Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
38. Management or Leadership qualification
39. Coaching and mentoring experience/qualification
40. Independent non-medical prescribing qualification
Experience
Essential
41. Significant post-registration experience in acute hospital or community health services
42. Planning, developing and delivering pharmacy services
43. Change management and achieving clinical changes
44. Management of others
45. Delivering training and education
46. Working within a multidisciplinary team
47. Being responsible and accountable for own professional actions, working independently within professional and organisational boundaries and being responsible for the actions of others within their area of responsibility
48. Demonstrable use of audit to improve practice and systems
49. Developing clinical pathways/policies
Desirable
50. Audit and project management experience
51. Teaching and training experience to a range of healthcare professionals; students and undergraduates
52. Experience of working in a range of environments community; hospital; primary care
53. Experience in managing departmental budgets
54. Advanced knowledge of computer systems & electronic prescribing systems
Skills, abilities and knowledge
Essential
55. Analyse, interpret and evaluate specialist medicines related information or data, using clinical and professional judgement
56. Interpret prescriptions for drug problems such as drug dosage, drug interactions and appropriateness of therapy
57. Demonstrates advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement to manage difficult and ambiguous problems
58. Team worker attributes
59. Good verbal and written communication skills
60. Demonstrated good leadership skills
61. Demonstrate organisation and prioritisation of work
62. Ability to influence senior pharmacy and medical staff, the multidisciplinary team and management
63. A good understanding of national and local priorities
64. Analytical ability for problem solving
65. Able to work under pressure
66. Able to work both alone and in a team
67. Good personal organisation and time management skills
68. Ability to set targets and meet deadlines
69. Ability to identify and manage risks
70. Demonstrates awareness of and commitment to the Clinical Governance agenda
Desirable
71. Ability to think strategically
Communication
Essential
72. Provide highly complex medicines related information to patients who may have language difficulties, physical or mental difficulties
73. Communicate highly complex medicines related information to prescribers, clinicians, and professionals who may challenge advice
Personal and People Development
Essential
74. Ability to lead and motivate others
75. Able to deal with conflict negotiate with individuals who may be aggressive, emotional, disagree or challenge decisions
Personal Attributes / Behaviours (linked to the Trust's Behaviour Framework)
Essential
76. Flexible and enthusiastic
77. Self-motivated
78. Methodical
79. Emotionally resilient
80. Able to continually update knowledge, skills and challenge own practice
81. Able to identify with the Trust's commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults
Other
Essential
82. Willingness and ability to work across different sites and travel to alternative sites and across the community as required
83. The post holder will need to be passed fit to perform full duties of the post through occupational health with any reasonable aids and adaptations if necessary. Some roles require additional level of checks as part of the employment process roles which come into contact with children, vulnerable adults or their families
84. Must hold full and valid driving licence and have access to a vehicle
85. Able to communicate effectively in written and verbal English Language