Employer: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Southport District General Hospital
Town: Southport
Salary: £53,755 - £60,504 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 24/01/2025 23:59
Interview date: 31/01/2025
Lead Specialist Pharmacist - Accident and Emergency and Acute Care
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic pharmacist to join our team to lead our specialist pharmacist provision for the Emergency Department (ED) in order to provide cover for maternity leave.
This is an established role that has made significant contributions to the multidisciplinary teams within ED and has made significant improvements to clinical service and patient safety.
This post will be subject to an Enhanced DBS (with barred list for vulnerable adults and children) disclosure.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will manage the Pharmacy Service's clinical input into acute care within Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust. This includes reviewing current practices, procedures and policies in line with professional and government guidelines, audit of the service provided to patients and planning, implementing and developing services as necessary.
The post-holder will continue to input into guidelines to optimise the medications for patients during admission and build upon the established relationships with the directorate.
The post involves participation in the late night and weekend rota, and in the emergency cover on-call rota (approximate frequency 1 in 20).
We can offer you:
* Excellent opportunities for professional development supported by our own programmes tailored to meet your needs.
* Forward thinking and problem solving approaches within department.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical and Professional Responsibilities
Lead and co-ordinate the clinical pharmacy service to the Emergency Department and other designated acute care areas and develop a highly specialised practice in these areas. This will include:
* Undertaking medicines reconciliation on admission including the contacting of GP surgeries/specialist clinics where necessary.
* Review of patients’ medication to ensure safe and effective use, and seek resolution of any medication related issues.
* Prescribing of patients’ regular medication on admission and other appropriate drug treatments according to clinical pathways within the department.
* Assist in expediting the discharge process by prescribing on the electronic discharge system.
* Initiation of monitoring where deemed necessary.
* Review and update of care plans depending on response, results of investigations and adverse effects.
* Therapeutic drug monitoring for specific drugs.
* Carry out a daily ward round to clinically review individual patients’ treatment and to determine the most appropriate choice of medication in response to complex series of data relating to their condition, their response to treatment and reduction of avoidable adverse events.
* Ensure that all patients understand how to take their medication prior to discharge, and counsel any patients when necessary, particularly those taking complex drug regimes, those who are anxious or with physical or mental disabilities and those with language difficulties.
* Supervise the assessment of patients for the use of compliance aids to reduce the risk of medication-related errors particularly where this may have been a contributing factor to the hospital admission.
* Provide appropriate verbal or written information to patients or their relatives about their medicines when necessary, particularly where this may influence the success of treatment once the patient has been discharged.
* Liaise with the primary care sector to ensure follow-up of pharmaceutical care in the community for patients needing additional pharmaceutical support, such as compliance aids.
* Work with medical, nursing and the site management team to facilitate patient discharges to maximise patient flow.
* Liaise with medical and nursing staff to ensure the timely supply of medication to inpatients to minimise missed doses and to facilitate the discharge process by ensuring the timely availability of medication.
* Develop evidence-based treatment protocols within the Acute Care specialty for use within the Directorate or across the Trust where appropriate.
* Facilitate implementation of local and national guidelines where appropriate.
* Work closely with Consultants, Nurses and other multi-disciplinary team members within the Emergency Department and Acute Care areas to ensure the safe and appropriate use of medicines.
* To work with the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager and other senior members of staff to develop Pharmacy Services to Acute Care areas as appropriate.
* Attend clinical ward rounds, clinical and multidisciplinary meetings relevant to acute care as appropriate.
* Advise clinicians of all levels to influence treatment decisions that will lead to improvements in patient care.
* Undertaking and supervising audit and research projects in clinical pharmacy practice or in acute care as appropriate.
* Assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager with information regarding intervention monitoring by regularly recording clinical interventions and activities.
* Representing the department and the Trust in regional and other clinical pharmacy forums and meetings, particularly with respect to emergency and acute medicine.
* In liaison with the senior technicians for procurement/computer services, provide and interpret monthly drug-use information for emergency care and prioritise areas for action to contain unexplained spending. Liaise with Finance, Clinical Directors and Clinical Service Managers to address any financial concerns.
* Develop evidence-based treatment protocols, guidelines and care pathways within emergency and acute medicine.
* Responsible for drug administration protocols within acute and emergency medicine.
* Investigate and respond to incidents and/or complaints attributable to medication within the Emergency Department and Acute Care areas and ensure that any necessary learning outcomes and actions are mandated and enacted.
* Evaluate new drugs within acute and emergency medicine and advise Formulary Pharmacist and Drugs and Therapeutics Committee on such matters.
* Undertake horizon scanning and identification of new drug and service developments, potential savings and cost pressures.
* Advise clinicians on business cases for the managed entry of new medicines or the development of new services and advise on prescribing protocols/guidelines for the use of new medicines/services to ensure clear guidance is available on the approved use at the time of introduction.
* Undertake any required actions for the delivery of CQUINS, CIPs and other strategic medicines optimisation programmes that impact on the Emergency Department and Acute Care areas.
* Provide highly specialist pharmaceutical information to medical, nursing staff and patients in acute and emergency medicine and to General Practitioners and other staff within the Trust where appropriate.
* Act as an independent prescriber within acute and emergency medicine or other clinical areas as requested by the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager. This should be in line with the Trust Policy for Non-Medical Prescribing.
Administrative Responsibilities
Documentation of patient Medicines Reconciliation as per Trust Policy.
Review of ward/department expenditure as allocated.
Record regularly clinical interventions and activities in line with departmental policy.
Teaching and Training Responsibilities
Provide clinical training for other Pharmacists, Pre-Registration Pharmacists, Undergraduate Students and Technicians who work within the Accident and Emergency department and acute care areas.
Provide technical and clinical support to other Pharmacists as appropriate within their area of practice.
Responsible for the personal development of Junior Pharmacists and Trainee Pharmacists as appropriate. Undertake individual developmental review sessions for designated Junior Pharmacists. Mentor Junior Pharmacists and Pre-Registration Pharmacists regarding Continuing Professional Development (CPD)/Revalidation.
To actively participate and contribute to in-house clinical meetings.
Training of staff from other disciplines e.g. medical, nursing staff, paramedics on drug issues.
Participate in CPD/Revalidation as per Department Policy and National Guidelines from The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Maintain portfolio of evidence of CPD.
Undertake mandatory training in risk management, manual handling and resuscitation skills.
Undertake mandatory training in infection control and comply with all Trust infection control policies relevant to the post, particularly with regard to the hand hygiene policy.
Audit/Research
To participate in clinical audit and practice research within the department.
Managerial
Supervise junior Pharmacists, trainee pharmacists and undergraduate students.
Act as tutor for pharmacists on post graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy.
Other
Provide professional and legal clinical supervision in the dispensary as allocated.
Liaise with senior management to ensure agreed safe systems of work are followed that comply with current recommendations or instructions that may be issued from time to time by the Department of Health and Medicines Inspectorate.
Participate as necessary in the provision of emergency services outside normal working hours, weekend rota and Pharmacy late-night rota.
Person specification
Other
* Moderate physical effort required
* Some standing, walking, sitting
* Use of VDU equipment
* Able to work under pressure, remains calm and objective
* Ability to rationalise complex issues
* Frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable
* Exposure to upsetting situations, high level of resilience to deal with distressing and/or challenging situations
* Professional appearance and hygiene awareness
* Cross site travel and cover
* Exposure to infectious diseases
Qualifications
* Vocational Master’s degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
* Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council
* Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
* Accredited Independent non-medical prescriber or currently working towards accreditation
* Membership of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
* Accredited tutor for post-graduate clinical diploma
Knowledge & Experience
* Experience as qualified pharmacist in acute hospital pharmacy
* Good all-round knowledge of clinical pharmacy
* Previous pharmacy teaching experience
* Published pharmaceutical research in a peer-reviewed journal
Skills
* Ability to affect and manage change
* Advanced clinical knowledge of the pharmaceutical care of acute care patients
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Self-motivated and able to motivate/ inspire others
* Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
* Ability to teach junior pharmacists the delivery of pharmaceutical care within speciality
* Demonstrable commitment to continuing professional development/ education
* Committed to patient care
* Approachable and flexible
* Supportive to other members of Pharmacy and multidisciplinary teams
* Financial awareness regarding the management of drug budgets
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name: Vicki Caton
Job title: Pharmacy Clinical Services Manager
Email address: vicki.caton@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
Telephone number: 01704 704166
Additional information: Laura Gibson, Deputy Chief Pharmacist laura.gibson@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
01704 704166
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