Advanced Pharmacist Virtual Ward East Kent
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Are you an experienced clinical pharmacist looking for a new challenge? Do you want to work at the forefront of service development? Are you looking to join a multi-disciplinary team where you can develop new skills as well as teach others?
An opportunity has arisen for an experienced, enthusiastic and motivated clinical pharmacist to join the multi-disciplinary team of our frailty virtual ward service in East Kent, known as the East Kent Frailty Home Treatment Service. Virtual wards are a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care, supporting patients to receive acute care, monitoring and treatment in their own home to prevent avoidable hospital admission or support early discharge.
The pharmacy service will deliver a medicines optimisation agenda, taking a proactive role in the entire patient care episode. The pharmacy service will ensure the safe, effective and appropriate use of medicines through acting as an expert source of knowledge to virtual ward staff, patients and their carers; development and implementation of policies and procedures and provision of relevant training; whilst monitoring and improving standards through audit. Service aims include reducing inappropriate polypharmacy, reducing potential harm from medication and improving health outcomes.
You should hold an independent prescribing qualification but applications will be considered from those who would work towards the qualification (progression to 8a subject to completion of qualification).
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for:
1. Leading the provision of specialist clinical pharmaceutical services to the multi-disciplinary staff and patients of the Frailty Home Treatment Service, in order to achieve high quality, safe, cost effective and evidence-based prescribing and medicines use.
2. Providing pharmaceutical professional support, legal and ethical guidance and advice to all staff within the service to raise and maintain standards of practice.
3. Working collaboratively with clinicians within the multidisciplinary team to ensure patient medication is optimised.
4. Prescribing medication for patients within agreed scope of practice and competence.
5. Working in partnership with external health professionals and stakeholders across the integrated care system e.g. GPs, community and primary care network pharmacists, social care providers.
6. Supporting the transfer of care of patients discharged from the virtual ward, ensuring a high standard of information provision concerning medicines to relevant professionals and organisations and onward referral to appropriate services to support patients to live independently and manage their medicines.
7. Developing and delivering training and education to ensure staff are delivering high quality and evidence-based care when using medicines.
8. Developing and maintaining policies and procedures that comply with legal and current guidance thus providing tools to maintain the safe and secure handling of medicines.
About us
Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we've got a passion for delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values: compassionate, aspirational, responsive, and excellent.
We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves in being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won't involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We'll support you to work flexibly in a way that suits us both.
Job responsibilities
The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application.
At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* MSc in Pharmacy / Registered with GPhC / Postgrad diploma or equivalent / Prescribing qualification
* Recent evidence of using prescribing qualification
Experience
* 5 years post registration experience / Range of clinical experience / Patient consultation experience / Understanding managing medicines in community
* Experience in multiple sectors e.g. hospital, community pharmacy, community health / Working in MDT
Knowledge
* Clinical knowledge of medicines in frailty / Understand legal and ethical pharmaceutical issues in community / Safe and secure management of medicines in community / Risk management & quality assurance / Clinical governance & quality improvement
* Provision of pharmacy services to community services / EPMA and EMIS
Skills & Abilities
* Excellent verbal & written communication skills with wide range of people / Excellent interpersonal skills / Work independently and own initiative / Work across care interfaces / Able to influence, challenge and facilitate change
* Extract data and present data from clinical systems e.g. EPACT, EMIS / Manage staff, resources and budget
Personal attributes
* Self-motivated and proactive / Work well in a team and independently / Time management & prioritisation / Flexible and reliable / person-centred approach
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.
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Trinity House & East Kent Locality
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