Lead Pharmacist Electronic Prescribing

Job responsibilities

Key Relationships

The Trust EPMA Program Lead and Project Manager

The Trust EPMA and ICT team

The EPMA supplier and developer

Pharmacy IT Technician

Deputy Head of Pharmacy

Head of Pharmacy

Senior Nurses/Medical Staff in various Speciality Teams

Post Specific duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Relationship Skills

To lead and direct the implementation team in the roll out of EPMA.

To co-ordinate, strategically plan and deliver when needed specialist training and teaching sessions to the ward based team, checking understanding and adapting training methods where necessary.

To establish and maintain relationships with the external software suppliers and internal IM&T department in order to communicate issues and risks as they are foreseen and/or arise.

The post holder will support staff who are distressed or who challenge the changes to service as a result of EPMA.

To convey information from experiences and complex clinical situations to the multi-disciplinary implementation team, contributing in all its meetings and maintaining open communication.

To remain a lead for the pharmacy department in the development of electronic medicines management systems; providing specialist advice and maintaining a current understanding of market and product developments.

Analytical and Judgmental Skills

To participate in complex process mapping days and use professional experience and knowledge of medicines management standards to design clinical practice in all aspects of medicines management to inform configuration of the software and ways of working.

To utilise observational and verbal communication skills with all stakeholder, to contribute to the benefits measurement process and to design best practice.

To analyse, monitor and review the teams training approach ensuring that any lessons learned are incorporated into future training plans.

To remain vigilant at all times when designing/testing and using the EPMA system to identify faults, errors or risks to safety generated by the use of the system and to report these.

To contribute to the critical decision making process with other senior clinicians in respect of the electronic system configuration.

Planning and Organisational Skills

To monitor the quality and planning of training sessions to the ward staff within specified timeframes and to deadlines.

To ensure a system for incident/issue recording is established during the implementation phase to enable the project to confidently report on change impact.

To monitor the quality of training materials and ensure that the training environment is suitable and adequately equipped with training aids.

To design and evaluate changes in clinical and administrative working practices as a result of moving to electronic medicines management processes.

To work with the ward management staff to identify champions who will be coached to provide local support.

To project manage all upgrades of the electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems to ensure all software functions have been fully tested before going live and to advise the Chief Pharmacist on the potential impacts of upgrades on the medicines management processes.

To proactively manage the EPMA system to provide ongoing design and development of processes and reports to establish the effectiveness of the implementation and ongoing use of the system.

Patient/Client Care

To provide pharmacy services to a dedicated set of patients to maintain clinical competence.

To enhance patient care by determining how the electronic system functionality can improve services and care given; particularly around information on medications and the clinical checking of prescribed medication.

To ensure that patient safety and service delivery are maintained in the event of failure of the electronic prescribing system and facilitate system recovery.

Responsibilities for Policy and Service Development

To review existing policies, protocols and procedures to identify those that requires review specifically as a result of the introduction of EPMA.

To provide specialist clinical input to the development of medicine management policies, protocols and standard operational procedures to ensure all practice is compliant Trust and National standards for medicines management.

Responsibilities for Finance

To use and manage training resources in a cost effective way.

Responsibilities for HR

Responsible for own interactions with staff who are going through a major change process within the sphere of responsibilities, i.e. training and adjustment.

To provide motivation to staff as well as re-assurance and positive influencing skills to ensure agreement and co-operation in change.

Directly manage the Pharmacy Technician for IT.

Responsibility for Information Resources

To help with the design and generation of training materials such as training guides, manuals, crib sheets working with the IT Training Lead to ensure version control.

To update the project databases, as and when required with information on progress, quality and benefits realisation.

Pharmacy duties and Responsibilities

Act as a clinical expert in a designated clinical specialty promoting the highest standards of pharmaceutical care

Within your designated clinical area of responsibility, ensure best practice and clinical governance is applied to drug therapy by providing medical and nursing staff with:-

Research and Development

The post holder will use research, academic enquiry and audit skills, to plan, implement and evaluate concepts and strategies leading to improvements in medicines management processes using electronic solutions.

Freedom to Act

The postholder will be expected use their own judgement, experience and clinical expertise in achieving work to predefined results. They will be guided by principles and organisation policies but in the system development phase they will be expected to establish the way in which these should be interpreted and implemented.

Other

Keep updated of advances in relevant technologies, new techniques and developments that occur undertaking any additional training and attending national and local conference events.

To practice in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

To adhere to and perpetuate Trust Policies and Procedures, e.g. Equal Opportunities, Health & Safety etc.

Participate in weekend Bank Holiday and on-call working as may be required.

Undertake any other duties as required by the Director of Pharmacy in accordance with the grade and nature of the post.

Special Conditions

The post holder will take part in the Pharmacy department, late evening and weekend working rota. This post also may have an on-call commitment, if the department needs this to be in place. Currently the post holder is exempt from the departmental on-call rota

Qualifications

Essential

• Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy
• Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy/Pharmacy practice or equivalent or relevant experience.
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Leadership or management qualification
• IT or project management qualification
• Previous supervisory experience
• NMP qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of working in hospital pharmacy in a clinical role
• Experience of delivering on the job training/coaching using computer systems
• Experience of team building and practice development
• Recent experience of practical application of medicines administration policy and procedure in complex regimes
• Experience of prioritising work and setting deadlines
• Experience of troubleshooting and problem solving
• Report writing experience

Desirable

• Previous experience of working with clinical IT systems
• Experience of working to deliver discrete pieces of work to deadlines

Skills

Essential

• Knowledge of the benefits of computer programs in NHS healthcare delivery
• Understanding change management challenges and how change can impact on staff and performance
• In depth knowledge of medicines administration processes and medicines management issues

Desirable

• Knowledge of the principles of project management
• Knowledge of EPMA systems.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Excellent communication skills including presentation of facts and negotiating skills
• Ability to work as part of a team, sharing skills and abilities
• Ability to understand different learning styles and attitudes to change in the workplace
• Computer literate with clinical systems
• Advanced level of clinical reasoning and strict attention to detail
• Remain calm under pressure
• Ability to realise when to escalate issues within the appropriate management structure

Desirable

• Familiarity with Pharmacy IT solutions and EPMA solutions.

Other

Essential

• Flexibility and willingness to work outside of office hours to deliver ad hoc training sessions
• Projection of a positive and professional image
• Demonstration of enthusiasm for service change and improvements

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).