Specialist Pharmacist, Acute and Emergency Medicine

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

At the Princess Royal University Hospital, our Clinical Pharmacy Service is highly respected and our staff work closely with multi-disciplinary teams.

We are looking for an enthusiastic pharmacist who enjoys the challenge of working in a busy multidisciplinary environment and who can demonstrate great initiative and excellent communication skills. You will be joining a dynamic team to lead, deliver, develop, manage and evaluate services to the Acute and Emergency Medicine Departments and the wider General Medicine Care Group.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated pharmacist with a strong clinical background to develop transformative pharmacy services and to contribute to the training and teaching of staff both within and outside the Pharmacy Department. The post provides many opportunities for personal and professional development in clinical, research, strategic and managerial skills.

The successful applicant will be a team player with significant clinical experience as a registered hospital pharmacist, excellent interpersonal skills, a strong desire to learn and a meticulous attention to detail. Applicants are expected to have prior experience in directorate pharmacy, including change management and influencing and negotiating with senior staff. Experience of supervision and/or managing staff is advantageous.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as part of a dedicated pharmacy team to lead, provide and develop specialist clinical pharmacy services to Acute and Emergency Medicine specialities. The post holder will also support the Principal Pharmacist, Medicine Specialities in managing the team. The post holder will liaise between wards, departments and pharmacy to ensure that pharmacy services are tailored to meet the Care Groups needs wherever possible.

About us

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King's to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order tomeet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible

Date posted

20 September 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,703 to £59,796 a year Per annum incl HCA

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

213-CAY-6656815

Job locations

Princess Royal University Hospital

Farnborough Common

Farnborough

BR6 8ND

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Responsibilties

Policy/Service Development

To deputise for the Specialist Pharmacist, for Post-Acute Medicine as necessary.
To lead clinical pharmacy services for patients treated within the Care Group in conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist.
To propose and implement policies and procedures designed to improve the pharmacy service to patients in the Trust in conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist in line with national and international consensus guidelines.
To lead and comment on policy and service changes and plans within the clinical pharmacy service and to contribute to, and participate in, pharmacy service developments in line with departmental and Trust policy
To develop, implement, monitor and evaluate evidence-based prescribing guidelines and protocols for use both Trust wide and within acute and emergency medicine.
To ensure services provided are in line with local and national policies, guidelines and frameworks
To contribute and adhere to clinical pharmacy service standards
To proactively support the development of ward and clinical pharmacy services to general medicine in order to advance the safe, clinically effective and cost effective use of drugs to patients
To attend relevant meetings, including inpatient and outpatient MDTs.
To attend Care Group meetings attended by senior management and clinical staff, participating, and representing pharmacy views at such meetings
To manage specific service initiatives and changes affecting the clinical pharmacy service in the department and across the Trust

Patient/Client Care

To act as a specialist practitioner within the field and as an expert pharmacist in Acute and Emergency Medicine departments and the wider General Medicine care group
To promote and deliver pharmaceutical care for Specialist Medicine patients and more generally for all patients.
To provide highly specialised and complex evidence-based clinical advice and information using expert knowledge and experience to pharmacy, nursing, medical and other healthcare professionals on the care and treatment of patients, inside and outside of the Trust.
To participate in and contribute to the clinical/ward pharmacy service.
To actively participate in consultant ward rounds as appropriate.
To participate in outpatient clinics, and assist in the further development of the pharmacists role in this area.
To undertake patient medication review sessions and patient reviews in outpatient clinics as necessary.
To actively participate regularly in multidisciplinary ward rounds, antibiotic ward rounds and other multidisciplinary meetings as appropriate, delivering and promoting high quality, cost-effective, patient-focused pharmaceutical care.
To practice as an independent prescriber, in area of own expertise, as appropriate and provide direct high quality of care to inpatients and outpatients within scope of practice
To participate in patient education and counselling schemes for all acute and emergency medicine patients/carers.
To ensure appropriate and timely supply of medication to patients in conjunction with dispensary staff, including the POD scheme and discharge facilitation for patients.
To liaise with other Pharmacists, Doctors and GPs to ensure efficient transfer of clinical and medicines management issues.

To develop shared care guidelines to support GP prescribing as necessary.
To support the set up and provision of Hackett compliant homecare services as necessary.
Maintain and further develop specialist information on the use of drugs in clinical conditions relevant to acute and emergency medicine, ensuring accurate and up to date clinical information is available to all pharmacists performing out of hours duties in a format relevant to those pharmacists needs.
To participate in Trust adverse incident reporting scheme.

Financial/Resource Management

To support the Principal Pharmacist in monitoring drug expenditure within the Care Group and provide accurate expenditure information, with appropriate analysis, to the Clinical Director and General manager.
To identify areas of potential cost-savings within the general medicine Care Group, and to implement systems to realise savings and contain prescribing costs.
Using horizon scanning techniques identify future high cost medications.
To support the development and implementation of policies to control drug expenditure and ensure cost-effective prescribing.
To educate other healthcare professionals on the costs associated with drug therapy and promote the use of evidence-based, cost-effective prescribing within the care group.
To attend Care Group or Specialty financial meetings when required.
To work across traditional boundaries e.g. primary and secondary care.
To monitor all FP10 and homecare prescribing costs and feed those to the Trust, NHSE and CCGs when required
To optimise the use of homecare providers to ensure VAT savings are realised as necessary.

Staff Management, Performance & Training

To lead, coach and manage the performance of the junior staff in line with good people management practices, ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
To participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure line reports have a clear set of objectives and development plans.

To ensure line reports are compliant with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.
To manage line reports absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.
To ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

To participate in teaching and supervising students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
To act as postgraduate tutor for Diploma students.
To act as a tutor for trainee pharmacists.
To participate in teaching nurses, medical staff, and AHPs.
To participate in the recruitment and selection of pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists, and junior pharmacists as needed.
To regularly train, supervise and assess at ward level junior pharmacy staff providing a ward/clinical pharmacy service to wards within the Care Group.
To plan activities for, supervise, train and assess at ward level, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, trainee pharmacists and students.
To participate in the in-service clinical pharmacy training of all pharmacy staff.
To undertake CPD to ensure that knowledge is continually updated.
To participate regularly in the induction, training and development of medical, nursing and other healthcare staff.
To delegate tasks to junior staff as and when required.
To manage, organise and/or support the induction of new pharmacy staff.

Research & Development

To regularly lead, participate in and co-ordinate relevant research or audit projects.
To participate in audit and practice research to investigate and where appropriate improve the quality of service.
To publish and present the results and outcomes of own research and audits locally, nationally or internationally as appropriate.
To supervise junior pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and trainee pharmacists undertaking audit projects.
To liaise with clinical trial nurses and pharmacy staff with regards to monitoring and continuing supply of trial medicines to patients

GENERALRESPONSIBILTIES

Strict confidentiality should be maintained regarding all matters pertaining to patients.

All work will be carried out according to the laid down procedures and standards of professional practice in the Department; however, staff are expected to develop their own safe systems of work to ensure a high professional standard of work conducive to patient safety.

The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.
To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
At Kings we are a Kind, Respectful Team. All staff are expected to live and role model the Kings Values of :
Kind.We show compassion and understanding and bring a positive attitude to our workRespectful.We promote equality, are inclusive and honest, speaking up when neededTeam.We support each other, communicate openly, and are reassuringly professional
To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.
To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication.

To undertake any other relevant duties, as may be required by the Chief Pharmacist.
Nothing omitted or written here shall absolve the pharmacist from at all times ensuring that correct, professional techniques, ethics, attitudes and procedures are maintained by the staff for whom he/she is responsible.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Responsibilties

Policy/Service Development

To deputise for the Specialist Pharmacist, for Post-Acute Medicine as necessary.
To lead clinical pharmacy services for patients treated within the Care Group in conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist.
To propose and implement policies and procedures designed to improve the pharmacy service to patients in the Trust in conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist in line with national and international consensus guidelines.
To lead and comment on policy and service changes and plans within the clinical pharmacy service and to contribute to, and participate in, pharmacy service developments in line with departmental and Trust policy
To develop, implement, monitor and evaluate evidence-based prescribing guidelines and protocols for use both Trust wide and within acute and emergency medicine.
To ensure services provided are in line with local and national policies, guidelines and frameworks
To contribute and adhere to clinical pharmacy service standards
To proactively support the development of ward and clinical pharmacy services to general medicine in order to advance the safe, clinically effective and cost effective use of drugs to patients
To attend relevant meetings, including inpatient and outpatient MDTs.
To attend Care Group meetings attended by senior management and clinical staff, participating, and representing pharmacy views at such meetings
To manage specific service initiatives and changes affecting the clinical pharmacy service in the department and across the Trust

Patient/Client Care

To act as a specialist practitioner within the field and as an expert pharmacist in Acute and Emergency Medicine departments and the wider General Medicine care group
To promote and deliver pharmaceutical care for Specialist Medicine patients and more generally for all patients.
To provide highly specialised and complex evidence-based clinical advice and information using expert knowledge and experience to pharmacy, nursing, medical and other healthcare professionals on the care and treatment of patients, inside and outside of the Trust.
To participate in and contribute to the clinical/ward pharmacy service.
To actively participate in consultant ward rounds as appropriate.
To participate in outpatient clinics, and assist in the further development of the pharmacists role in this area.
To undertake patient medication review sessions and patient reviews in outpatient clinics as necessary.
To actively participate regularly in multidisciplinary ward rounds, antibiotic ward rounds and other multidisciplinary meetings as appropriate, delivering and promoting high quality, cost-effective, patient-focused pharmaceutical care.
To practice as an independent prescriber, in area of own expertise, as appropriate and provide direct high quality of care to inpatients and outpatients within scope of practice
To participate in patient education and counselling schemes for all acute and emergency medicine patients/carers.
To ensure appropriate and timely supply of medication to patients in conjunction with dispensary staff, including the POD scheme and discharge facilitation for patients.
To liaise with other Pharmacists, Doctors and GPs to ensure efficient transfer of clinical and medicines management issues.

To develop shared care guidelines to support GP prescribing as necessary.
To support the set up and provision of Hackett compliant homecare services as necessary.
Maintain and further develop specialist information on the use of drugs in clinical conditions relevant to acute and emergency medicine, ensuring accurate and up to date clinical information is available to all pharmacists performing out of hours duties in a format relevant to those pharmacists needs.
To participate in Trust adverse incident reporting scheme.

Financial/Resource Management

To support the Principal Pharmacist in monitoring drug expenditure within the Care Group and provide accurate expenditure information, with appropriate analysis, to the Clinical Director and General manager.
To identify areas of potential cost-savings within the general medicine Care Group, and to implement systems to realise savings and contain prescribing costs.
Using horizon scanning techniques identify future high cost medications.
To support the development and implementation of policies to control drug expenditure and ensure cost-effective prescribing.
To educate other healthcare professionals on the costs associated with drug therapy and promote the use of evidence-based, cost-effective prescribing within the care group.
To attend Care Group or Specialty financial meetings when required.
To work across traditional boundaries e.g. primary and secondary care.
To monitor all FP10 and homecare prescribing costs and feed those to the Trust, NHSE and CCGs when required
To optimise the use of homecare providers to ensure VAT savings are realised as necessary.

Staff Management, Performance & Training

To lead, coach and manage the performance of the junior staff in line with good people management practices, ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
To participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure line reports have a clear set of objectives and development plans.

To ensure line reports are compliant with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.
To manage line reports absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.
To ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

To participate in teaching and supervising students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
To act as postgraduate tutor for Diploma students.
To act as a tutor for trainee pharmacists.
To participate in teaching nurses, medical staff, and AHPs.
To participate in the recruitment and selection of pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists, and junior pharmacists as needed.
To regularly train, supervise and assess at ward level junior pharmacy staff providing a ward/clinical pharmacy service to wards within the Care Group.
To plan activities for, supervise, train and assess at ward level, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, trainee pharmacists and students.
To participate in the in-service clinical pharmacy training of all pharmacy staff.
To undertake CPD to ensure that knowledge is continually updated.
To participate regularly in the induction, training and development of medical, nursing and other healthcare staff.
To delegate tasks to junior staff as and when required.
To manage, organise and/or support the induction of new pharmacy staff.

Research & Development

To regularly lead, participate in and co-ordinate relevant research or audit projects.
To participate in audit and practice research to investigate and where appropriate improve the quality of service.
To publish and present the results and outcomes of own research and audits locally, nationally or internationally as appropriate.
To supervise junior pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and trainee pharmacists undertaking audit projects.
To liaise with clinical trial nurses and pharmacy staff with regards to monitoring and continuing supply of trial medicines to patients

GENERALRESPONSIBILTIES

Strict confidentiality should be maintained regarding all matters pertaining to patients.

The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.
To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
At Kings we are a Kind, Respectful Team. All staff are expected to live and role model the Kings Values of :
Kind.We show compassion and understanding and bring a positive attitude to our workRespectful.We promote equality, are inclusive and honest, speaking up when neededTeam.We support each other, communicate openly, and are reassuringly professional
To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.
To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication.

To undertake any other relevant duties, as may be required by the Chief Pharmacist.
Nothing omitted or written here shall absolve the pharmacist from at all times ensuring that correct, professional techniques, ethics, attitudes and procedures are maintained by the staff for whom he/she is responsible.

Person Specification

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Essential

Registered Pharmacist (1 year competency assessed and examined professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council)
Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice
Specialist clinical knowledge and skills relevant to area of practice
Registered Independent Prescriber or willingness to complete
Experience in directorate pharmacy

Desirable

Member of the RPS faculty

Person Specification

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Essential

Registered Pharmacist (1 year competency assessed and examined professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council)
Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice
Specialist clinical knowledge and skills relevant to area of practice
Registered Independent Prescriber or willingness to complete
Experience in directorate pharmacy

Desirable

Member of the RPS faculty

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).

Additional information