Job summary
We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for a motivated and patientfocused pharmacist to join our established Palliative Care Pharmacy Team, delivering specialist clinical pharmacy services for Birmingham Hospice.
The Role
You will be based primarily on the inpatient units at our Selly Park and Erdington hospice sites, working as part of a friendly, experienced and supportive Clinical Pharmacy team. The post focuses on providing specialist clinical pharmacy input to patients with lifelimiting illness, with the opportunity to expand your role to include work within our Living Well Centre and community services, depending on service need and individual interest.
Key responsibilities include:
- Delivering specialist clinical pharmacy care to hospice inpatients
- Working closely within the multidisciplinary team, providing expert medicines advice to medical, nursing and allied health colleagues
- Supporting the development and delivery of a safe, effective and personcentred medicines management service across both hospice sites
- Contributing to medicines education, governance and service development
About You
We are looking for a pharmacist with a strong clinical background, excellent communication skills and a genuine interest in palliative and end of life care. You will be adaptable, confident working within a multidisciplinary team, and committed to delivering highquality, compassionate care.
Main duties of the job
- Independent prescribing is desirable, but not essential
- Previous palliative care experience is welcomed, however pharmacists with relevant transferable skills and a desire to develop in this specialist area are strongly encouraged to apply
Why Choose Birmingham Hospice?
Birmingham Hospice is a large, wellestablished organisation providing specialist palliative and end of life care across the city. We are committed to innovation, education and continuous improvement, while keeping compassion and dignity at the heart of everything we do.
You will be joining:
- An experienced and supportive palliative care pharmacy team, including specialist pharmacists and technicians
- A hospice that values staff wellbeing, reflection and professional development
- A multidisciplinary environment where pharmacy input is respected and integral to patient care
This post offers an excellent opportunity to develop specialist skills in palliative and end-of-life care, supported through:
- Training and mentorship from experienced palliative care pharmacists and the wider MDT
- Regular clinical supervision, peer support and reflective practice
- Strong technician support to enable clinical focus
What We Offer
A role where your expertise changes lives every day.
Generous benefits and recognition of NHS/hospice service for pension and leave.
A culture that celebrates innovation, inclusion, and belonging.
About us
The hospice is committed to developing a
dynamic and diverse team, representative of the communities it serves. We ask
you, therefore, to complete the Equal Opportunities monitoring form to help us
in this aim.
We value each person as an individual whether they are
colleagues, patients, family members, carers or supporters, every person
matters. We embrace diversity of culture, background and environment knowing it
enriches our workplace and our relationships with our local communities.
We are
committed to building a culture of inclusion and belonging. We would love to
hear from you, about what makes you uniquely you and how this opportunity will
support you to succeed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Happy to talk about Flexible Working
Job Title:
Specialist Clinical Pharmacist Palliative Care
Department:
AHP
Hospice Band:
Band 7
Reports to:
Senior specialist clinical pharmacist
Responsible for:
N/A
DBS Required
Enhanced/ Standard/ Basic/ None
Job Purpose
The post holder will provide a specialist clinical pharmacy service to patients cared for by Birmingham Hospice across inpatient units, day services and community settings. They will work as part of the wider pharmacy and multidisciplinary team, delivering expert pharmaceutical advice, supporting the safe, effective and personcentred use of medicines, and contributing to the development of highquality palliative and end of life care services.
The post holder will be required to work across both the Selly Park and Erdington hospice sites.
This role is well suited to pharmacists from hospital or primary care backgrounds with strong clinical skills who are motivated to develop specialist expertise in palliative and end of life care.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Patient Services
- To provide specialist palliative care clinical pharmacy services to patients under the care of Birmingham Hospice in line with priorities agreed with the Senior Specialist Clinical Pharmacist and Director of Clinical Services.
- To manage a clinical caseload of patients with palliative care needs, working collaboratively across hospice inpatient units, community palliative care services, Hospice at Home, medical teams, therapy services and other relevant teams.
- To provide specialist pharmaceutical advice on a daytoday basis to healthcare professionals including GPs, consultants, clinical nurse specialists, district nurses and allied health professionals, as well as to patients and carers, as appropriate.
- To provide wardbased clinical pharmacy services to hospice inpatient units, including:
- Medicines reconciliation and confirmation of medication histories
- Prescription review and optimisation of therapy
- Advice on dosing, interactions, contraindications, monitoring and routes of administration
- Monitoring efficacy, appropriateness and tolerability of medicines
- Patient and carer education
- Proactive discharge planning
- Attendance at and active participation in ward rounds
- To provide communitybased clinical pharmacy services to patients under the care of Birmingham Hospice, including:
- Holistic medication review and optimisation
- Management of complex symptoms
- Advice on safe administration of medicines in the community
- Liaison with GPs, district nurses and community pharmacies to ensure continuity of care
- Assessment and arrangement of anticipatory medicines, with sensitive communication to patients and families
- Prescribing medicines where appropriate, in line with professional competence and organisational policy
- To support patients and healthcare professionals to access specialist palliative care medicines in the community and provide advice on appropriate alternatives where required.
- To attend and contribute to hospice and wider multidisciplinary team meetings as required.
Medicines Management, Governance and Quality
- To support the delivery of a safe, effective and costeffective medicines management service across Birmingham Hospice sites.
- To work closely with Medicines Management Technicians to ensure compliance with medicines legislation, Controlled Drugs requirements and CQC standards.
- To contribute to the development, implementation and review of medicinesrelated policies, procedures, guidelines and clinical care pathways.
- To participate in audit, service evaluation and quality improvement activities and make recommendations based on findings.
Education, Training and Mentorship
- To provide medicinesrelated education and training to hospice staff in response to service and learning needs.
- To mentor pharmacy students during placements within Birmingham Hospice.
- To support prescribers within the organisation to promote safe, effective and evidencebased prescribing practice.
Development and Support
Birmingham Hospice is committed to supporting pharmacists to develop specialist expertise in palliative and end of life care. The successful post holder will receive support to develop confidently in post, tailored to their previous experience and individual learning needs.
This will include mentorship and clinical supervision from experienced palliative care pharmacists, supported clinical exposure across inpatient and community settings, and opportunities to develop prescribing practice, service development and leadership skills. Where required, support will be provided to undertake relevant postgraduate learning and to develop competence in specialist areas of palliative care practice.
Communication
- To communicate complex and sensitive medicinesrelated information effectively to patients, carers and healthcare professionals, often in emotionally challenging and distressing situations.
- To use advanced verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills to discuss prescribing decisions, challenge practice constructively where appropriate, and support shared decisionmaking.
- To maintain effective communication across primary, secondary and specialist care interfaces to ensure seamless patient care.
Freedom to Act and Professional Autonomy
- To work with a high level of autonomy, managing own workload and priorities within agreed service frameworks.
- To practice in accordance with the General Pharmaceutical Council Standards and be professionally accountable for own practice.
- To delegate appropriate tasks to other members of the pharmacy team to support efficient and effective service delivery.
- To undertake any other reasonable duties as agreed with the Senior Specialist Clinical Pharmacist or Director of Clinical Services.
General Duties
All employees are required to adhere to hospice policies relating to:
- Confidentiality and information governance
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Health and safety
- Infection prevention and control
- Safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults
- Mandatory training, appraisal and professional development
This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended following appropriate consultation to meet service needs.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Happy to talk about Flexible Working
Job Title:
Specialist Clinical Pharmacist Palliative Care
Department:
AHP
Hospice Band:
Band 7
Reports to:
Senior specialist clinical pharmacist
Responsible for:
N/A
DBS Required
Enhanced/ Standard/ Basic/ None
Job Purpose
The post holder will provide a specialist clinical pharmacy service to patients cared for by Birmingham Hospice across inpatient units, day services and community settings. They will work as part of the wider pharmacy and multidisciplinary team, delivering expert pharmaceutical advice, supporting the safe, effective and personcentred use of medicines, and contributing to the development of highquality palliative and end of life care services.
The post holder will be required to work across both the Selly Park and Erdington hospice sites.
This role is well suited to pharmacists from hospital or primary care backgrounds with strong clinical skills who are motivated to develop specialist expertise in palliative and end of life care.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Patient Services
- To provide specialist palliative care clinical pharmacy services to patients under the care of Birmingham Hospice in line with priorities agreed with the Senior Specialist Clinical Pharmacist and Director of Clinical Services.
- To manage a clinical caseload of patients with palliative care needs, working collaboratively across hospice inpatient units, community palliative care services, Hospice at Home, medical teams, therapy services and other relevant teams.
- To provide specialist pharmaceutical advice on a daytoday basis to healthcare professionals including GPs, consultants, clinical nurse specialists, district nurses and allied health professionals, as well as to patients and carers, as appropriate.
- To provide wardbased clinical pharmacy services to hospice inpatient units, including:
- Medicines reconciliation and confirmation of medication histories
- Prescription review and optimisation of therapy
- Advice on dosing, interactions, contraindications, monitoring and routes of administration
- Monitoring efficacy, appropriateness and tolerability of medicines
- Patient and carer education
- Proactive discharge planning
- Attendance at and active participation in ward rounds
- To provide communitybased clinical pharmacy services to patients under the care of Birmingham Hospice, including:
- Holistic medication review and optimisation
- Management of complex symptoms
- Advice on safe administration of medicines in the community
- Liaison with GPs, district nurses and community pharmacies to ensure continuity of care
- Assessment and arrangement of anticipatory medicines, with sensitive communication to patients and families
- Prescribing medicines where appropriate, in line with professional competence and organisational policy
- To support patients and healthcare professionals to access specialist palliative care medicines in the community and provide advice on appropriate alternatives where required.
- To attend and contribute to hospice and wider multidisciplinary team meetings as required.
Medicines Management, Governance and Quality
- To support the delivery of a safe, effective and costeffective medicines management service across Birmingham Hospice sites.
- To work closely with Medicines Management Technicians to ensure compliance with medicines legislation, Controlled Drugs requirements and CQC standards.
- To contribute to the development, implementation and review of medicinesrelated policies, procedures, guidelines and clinical care pathways.
- To participate in audit, service evaluation and quality improvement activities and make recommendations based on findings.
Education, Training and Mentorship
- To provide medicinesrelated education and training to hospice staff in response to service and learning needs.
- To mentor pharmacy students during placements within Birmingham Hospice.
- To support prescribers within the organisation to promote safe, effective and evidencebased prescribing practice.
Development and Support
Birmingham Hospice is committed to supporting pharmacists to develop specialist expertise in palliative and end of life care. The successful post holder will receive support to develop confidently in post, tailored to their previous experience and individual learning needs.
This will include mentorship and clinical supervision from experienced palliative care pharmacists, supported clinical exposure across inpatient and community settings, and opportunities to develop prescribing practice, service development and leadership skills. Where required, support will be provided to undertake relevant postgraduate learning and to develop competence in specialist areas of palliative care practice.
Communication
- To communicate complex and sensitive medicinesrelated information effectively to patients, carers and healthcare professionals, often in emotionally challenging and distressing situations.
- To use advanced verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills to discuss prescribing decisions, challenge practice constructively where appropriate, and support shared decisionmaking.
- To maintain effective communication across primary, secondary and specialist care interfaces to ensure seamless patient care.
Freedom to Act and Professional Autonomy
- To work with a high level of autonomy, managing own workload and priorities within agreed service frameworks.
- To practice in accordance with the General Pharmaceutical Council Standards and be professionally accountable for own practice.
- To delegate appropriate tasks to other members of the pharmacy team to support efficient and effective service delivery.
- To undertake any other reasonable duties as agreed with the Senior Specialist Clinical Pharmacist or Director of Clinical Services.
General Duties
All employees are required to adhere to hospice policies relating to:
- Confidentiality and information governance
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Health and safety
- Infection prevention and control
- Safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults
- Mandatory training, appraisal and professional development
This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended following appropriate consultation to meet service needs.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a clinical pharmacist
- Experience working within multidisciplinary teams
- Experience managing complex patients and clinical decision making
- Experience of working under pressure and prioritising competing demands
- Advanced clinical knowledge of therapeutics and medicines optimisation
- Knowledge of medicines legislation, including Controlled Drugs
- General knowledge of palliative and end of life medicines
- Experience of providing specialist advice to healthcare professionals
Desirable
- Experience of working in palliative care
- Experience across more than one pharmacy sector
- Experience of working as a Non-Medical-Prescriber
- Experience contributing to policy, guidance or pathway development
- Experience delivering education or training to healthcare professionals
- Experience of audit, service evaluation or quality improvement
Personal Skills and Attributes
Essential
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients and carers
- Ability to provide specialist medicines advice and challenge practice constructively
- Strong organisational and time management skills
- High level of numerical and analytical skills
- IT skills including use of clinical systems and Microsoft Office
- Ability to contribute to service development and quality improvement
- Patient centred, compassionate and empathetic approach
- High level of self-motivation and ability to work independently
- Flexible and adaptable in response to changing clinical priorities
- Ability to work calmly and effectively in emotionally challenging situations
- Professional integrity and accountability
- Ability to lead, support and motivate others
Desirable
- Leadership skills and ability to influence others
- Ability to lead, support and motivate others
Qualifications
Essential
- MPharm/BPharm Degree in Pharmacy
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development
- Post graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or relevant specialist area OR currently working towards completion
Desirable
- Independent Prescriber
- Relevant communication skills training
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a clinical pharmacist
- Experience working within multidisciplinary teams
- Experience managing complex patients and clinical decision making
- Experience of working under pressure and prioritising competing demands
- Advanced clinical knowledge of therapeutics and medicines optimisation
- Knowledge of medicines legislation, including Controlled Drugs
- General knowledge of palliative and end of life medicines
- Experience of providing specialist advice to healthcare professionals
Desirable
- Experience of working in palliative care
- Experience across more than one pharmacy sector
- Experience of working as a Non-Medical-Prescriber
- Experience contributing to policy, guidance or pathway development
- Experience delivering education or training to healthcare professionals
- Experience of audit, service evaluation or quality improvement
Personal Skills and Attributes
Essential
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients and carers
- Ability to provide specialist medicines advice and challenge practice constructively
- Strong organisational and time management skills
- High level of numerical and analytical skills
- IT skills including use of clinical systems and Microsoft Office
- Ability to contribute to service development and quality improvement
- Patient centred, compassionate and empathetic approach
- High level of self-motivation and ability to work independently
- Flexible and adaptable in response to changing clinical priorities
- Ability to work calmly and effectively in emotionally challenging situations
- Professional integrity and accountability
- Ability to lead, support and motivate others
Desirable
- Leadership skills and ability to influence others
- Ability to lead, support and motivate others
Qualifications
Essential
- MPharm/BPharm Degree in Pharmacy
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development
- Post graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or relevant specialist area OR currently working towards completion
Desirable
- Independent Prescriber
- Relevant communication skills training
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
