Lead Pharmacist - EPMA
This job is now closed
Job summary
Lead Pharmacist - EPMA
Division: Corporate
Band: 8b
Salary: £53,168 - £62,001 per annum/pro rata
Interview Date: Week commencing 22nd March 2021
Fixed term: 20 months
We are recruiting for a Lead Pharmacist who shares our ambition and vision to deliver theBest of Care by the Best Peopleand has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.
Main duties of the job
To be responsible for the planning, organisation, implementation and ongoing development of the EPMA system as a key component of the overall Electronic Patient record, in line with legislation, national priories and Trust objectives.
To develop the IT vision and strategy for medicines on a Trust-wide basis for the future delivery of safe and effective EPMA.
To line manage pharmacy staff associated directly with the EPMA project, and to be responsible for their recruitment and selection, appraisals, objective setting and personal/professional development.
Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.
About us
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved. Our culture and values are what drives the Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious environment. Our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families.
We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
All staff at Medway comply the Trusts and the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Boards policies on safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Details
Date posted
03 March 2021
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 8b
Salary
£53,168 to £62,001 a year
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
20 months
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
275-2103LP-EPMA1
Job locations
Medway Maritime Hospital
Windmill Road
Gillingham
ME7 5NY
Job description
Job responsibilities
To be responsible for the planning, organisation, implementation and ongoing development of the EPMA system as a key component of the overall Electronic Patient record, in line with legislation, national priories and Trust objective
To develop the IT vision and strategy for medicines on a Trust-wide basis for the future delivery of safe and effective EPMA
To lead on the implementation and delivery of specific EPMA/IT-related deliverables within the Medicines and Pharmacy Transformation agenda
To line manage pharmacy staff associated directly with the EPMA project, and to be responsible for their recruitment and selection, appraisals, objective setting and personal/professional development
To ensure the EPMA business continuity plan is developed to give the highest level of assurance that patients can continue to be treated safely in the event of EPMA system failures or catastrophic failure
To develop a high level of understanding of the clinical requirements and technical capabilities of the chosen EPMA, thus ensuring that maximum clinical, risk reduction, efficiency and financial benefits are derived from the system, making judgements on complex situations made up of several components, analysing options and making final decisions
To develop and monitor performance indicators to ensure sustainable change is achieved
To analyse and document ward, clinic and other relevant workflow to assist in the implementation and on-going development of the EPMA
To provide a high level of technical (pharmaceutical and IT) input to the design, implementation and on-going development and roll-out of the EPMA, including decision support
To plan for and manage risks and issues associated with the implementation and ongoing development of the EPMA, developing policies and procedures as necessary to ensure safe medication practice with e-prescribing
To work closely with the Trust IT department and EPMA Project Team to plan, coordinate and influence the EPMA implementation, training and rollout process and content, including close liaison with relevant Consultant Medical Staff and Senior Nurses, and all affected teams, staff and departments particularly during implementation in new areas
To work closely with the Trust IT Trainers and the EPMA providers in the development, content, review, delivery and updating of all EPMA test plans and training materials
To work closely with the Trust IT department, the EPMA Project Team and pharmacy managers to plan, coordinate and (at least initially) participate in an out-of-hours on-call support service for the EPMA, in order to resolve any EPMA-related issues which could otherwise potentially compromise patient care
To support, advise and discuss with the Chief Pharmacist and the senior Pharmacy leads all aspects of departmental planning, monitoring and decision-making and particularly planned electronic prescribing, so that they can be incorporated into the pharmacy service plan
To report regularly on project progress to the Chief Pharmacist, the EPMA Project Team and other relevant groups/committees, including the provision of exception reports (against progress expected from the project plan), project risks (including the maintenance of a project risk log), governance issues, and any new clinical, technical or operational risk issues
To liaise with the selected EPMA system provider to ensure that MFT is represented as a key player in the further development and direction of the EPMA solution
Facilitate the safe and cost effective use of medicines, reducing clinical risk and unwarranted variation through the best use of EPMA systems
Ensure that EPMA is aligned to support the delivery of Medicines Optimisation objectives within the both the Trusts Clinical Strategy and overall Quality Strategy
Provide professional leadership at Trust (& external) level on matters involving e-prescribing e.g. Incident learning Group, EPR programme board, medicines safety group
To propose, develop, implement and maintain policies, standard operating procedures and new working practices for EPMA users across the Trust
Support the management of CQUINs involving medicines by utilising e-Prescribing systems to best capture data and support best practice. Develop and deliver training packages to doctors, nurses, pharmacy and other healthcare professional to help ensure good understanding and safe usage of the EPMA system by Trust staff
To continually optimise the EPMA system in terms of configuration, development of prescribing and administration tools, and in response to local incidents, national best practice or relevant research results within the EPMA field to support clinical staff to deliver safe and effective patient care
The post-holder must ensure they keep abreast of national best practice within EPMA and are well-versed in the current literature and publications relating to EPMA. This will include attendance at national EPMA events and regional/national networking
To participate in collaborative or local research relating to any relevant aspect of EPMA and where feasible publish the results of this research. Support and develop the integration of EPMA systems with other key clinical systems within Pharmacy and across the organisation
To lead the EPMA Team, IT Trainers and the EPMA software provider in the proactive design, development, testing, implementation and quality assurance of new functionalities within the EPMA
To ensure the Chief Pharmacist is kept abreast of developments, issues, risks and strategic direction of EPMA within the organisation so that the Chief Pharmacist maintains ultimate control and oversight of the EPMA-related Medicines Optimisation agenda
To work closely with the EPMA Team and the EPMA software provider in the creation, updating and maintenance of appropriate system documentation
Take responsibility for the implementation of GS1 within Pharmacy and Trust prescribing systems
Contribute and ensure delivery of any Cost Improvement Plans with relevance to the Trusts EPMA system
Ensure that the EPMA system supports all aspects of Controlled Drug usage and delivery of relevant information requirements to the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer
To ensure that the EPMA contains medicines information which is current, accurate and clinically appropriate, including maintaining the medicines file (including appropriate nomenclature, formulary status, formulations, routes of administration, doses, frequencies, administration details etc.)
To maintain treatment protocols/regimes (approved by the Drug and Therapeutics Group, individual consultants or other Trust groups and committees) which retain the links to the clinical data file responsible for generating warnings relating to potential allergies, drug interactions, therapeutic duplication, inappropriate doses and other decision-support systems
To work closely with the Trust IT department to ensure that the EPMA contains patient information which is current and accurate, thus ensuring the correct operation of the interface between the EPMA and the Trust PAS (maintaining the patient file including demographics, current location, out-patient appointments, clinical information [allergy status etc.] etc.), and ensuring there are no duplicate records for patient prescribing
To work closely with the Trust IT department to ensure that the EPMA is secure from unauthorised or inappropriate access (including authorising new user access, maintaining user accounts and appropriate access rights, removing users if they leave an area or access rights change), and monitoring/auditing use of the EPMA
To work closely with the Trust IT department to ensure that the EPMA is protected by a robust and tested fall-back system, designed to ensure that the prescribing and administration of medicines can continue without significant interruption in the event of: software failure, hardware failure, network failure, power interruption, planned maintenance and software upgrades
Education and Training
To help design and deliver training materials for all users of the EPMA system
To monitor the quality of the training material and sessions delivered to all relevant staff to ensure suitability and effectiveness
To provide motivation and reassurance to staff whilst going through major process change with EPMA to ensure positive co-operation during and post implementation
To deliver teaching to relevant staff groups in the use of trust-wide EPMA systems. Periodical requirement to teach large numbers of staff
To use communication skills to overcome barriers to change and understanding
Communication of complex information to patients and colleagues
Develop training policies and procedures for the training of pharmacy and other trust staff in the use of the EPMA systems
To act as a Practice Supervisor or Educational Supervisor for pharmacists undertaking the Foundation Programme
To regularly train, supervise and assess at ward level junior pharmacy staff providing a clinical pharmacy service to wards within any Programme
To undertake Clinical Audit work within Pharmacy and in conjunction with others to improve prescribing and service development
To maintain an active portfolio of continuing professional development (CPD)
To participate in and lead the departmental CPD educational sessions
Job description
Job responsibilities
To be responsible for the planning, organisation, implementation and ongoing development of the EPMA system as a key component of the overall Electronic Patient record, in line with legislation, national priories and Trust objective
To develop the IT vision and strategy for medicines on a Trust-wide basis for the future delivery of safe and effective EPMA
To lead on the implementation and delivery of specific EPMA/IT-related deliverables within the Medicines and Pharmacy Transformation agenda
To line manage pharmacy staff associated directly with the EPMA project, and to be responsible for their recruitment and selection, appraisals, objective setting and personal/professional development
To ensure the EPMA business continuity plan is developed to give the highest level of assurance that patients can continue to be treated safely in the event of EPMA system failures or catastrophic failure
To develop a high level of understanding of the clinical requirements and technical capabilities of the chosen EPMA, thus ensuring that maximum clinical, risk reduction, efficiency and financial benefits are derived from the system, making judgements on complex situations made up of several components, analysing options and making final decisions
To develop and monitor performance indicators to ensure sustainable change is achieved
To analyse and document ward, clinic and other relevant workflow to assist in the implementation and on-going development of the EPMA
To provide a high level of technical (pharmaceutical and IT) input to the design, implementation and on-going development and roll-out of the EPMA, including decision support
To plan for and manage risks and issues associated with the implementation and ongoing development of the EPMA, developing policies and procedures as necessary to ensure safe medication practice with e-prescribing
To work closely with the Trust IT department and EPMA Project Team to plan, coordinate and influence the EPMA implementation, training and rollout process and content, including close liaison with relevant Consultant Medical Staff and Senior Nurses, and all affected teams, staff and departments particularly during implementation in new areas
To work closely with the Trust IT Trainers and the EPMA providers in the development, content, review, delivery and updating of all EPMA test plans and training materials
To work closely with the Trust IT department, the EPMA Project Team and pharmacy managers to plan, coordinate and (at least initially) participate in an out-of-hours on-call support service for the EPMA, in order to resolve any EPMA-related issues which could otherwise potentially compromise patient care
To support, advise and discuss with the Chief Pharmacist and the senior Pharmacy leads all aspects of departmental planning, monitoring and decision-making and particularly planned electronic prescribing, so that they can be incorporated into the pharmacy service plan
To report regularly on project progress to the Chief Pharmacist, the EPMA Project Team and other relevant groups/committees, including the provision of exception reports (against progress expected from the project plan), project risks (including the maintenance of a project risk log), governance issues, and any new clinical, technical or operational risk issues
To liaise with the selected EPMA system provider to ensure that MFT is represented as a key player in the further development and direction of the EPMA solution
Facilitate the safe and cost effective use of medicines, reducing clinical risk and unwarranted variation through the best use of EPMA systems
Ensure that EPMA is aligned to support the delivery of Medicines Optimisation objectives within the both the Trusts Clinical Strategy and overall Quality Strategy
Provide professional leadership at Trust (& external) level on matters involving e-prescribing e.g. Incident learning Group, EPR programme board, medicines safety group
To propose, develop, implement and maintain policies, standard operating procedures and new working practices for EPMA users across the Trust
Support the management of CQUINs involving medicines by utilising e-Prescribing systems to best capture data and support best practice. Develop and deliver training packages to doctors, nurses, pharmacy and other healthcare professional to help ensure good understanding and safe usage of the EPMA system by Trust staff
To continually optimise the EPMA system in terms of configuration, development of prescribing and administration tools, and in response to local incidents, national best practice or relevant research results within the EPMA field to support clinical staff to deliver safe and effective patient care
The post-holder must ensure they keep abreast of national best practice within EPMA and are well-versed in the current literature and publications relating to EPMA. This will include attendance at national EPMA events and regional/national networking
To participate in collaborative or local research relating to any relevant aspect of EPMA and where feasible publish the results of this research. Support and develop the integration of EPMA systems with other key clinical systems within Pharmacy and across the organisation
To lead the EPMA Team, IT Trainers and the EPMA software provider in the proactive design, development, testing, implementation and quality assurance of new functionalities within the EPMA
To ensure the Chief Pharmacist is kept abreast of developments, issues, risks and strategic direction of EPMA within the organisation so that the Chief Pharmacist maintains ultimate control and oversight of the EPMA-related Medicines Optimisation agenda
To work closely with the EPMA Team and the EPMA software provider in the creation, updating and maintenance of appropriate system documentation
Take responsibility for the implementation of GS1 within Pharmacy and Trust prescribing systems
Contribute and ensure delivery of any Cost Improvement Plans with relevance to the Trusts EPMA system
Ensure that the EPMA system supports all aspects of Controlled Drug usage and delivery of relevant information requirements to the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer
To ensure that the EPMA contains medicines information which is current, accurate and clinically appropriate, including maintaining the medicines file (including appropriate nomenclature, formulary status, formulations, routes of administration, doses, frequencies, administration details etc.)
To maintain treatment protocols/regimes (approved by the Drug and Therapeutics Group, individual consultants or other Trust groups and committees) which retain the links to the clinical data file responsible for generating warnings relating to potential allergies, drug interactions, therapeutic duplication, inappropriate doses and other decision-support systems
To work closely with the Trust IT department to ensure that the EPMA contains patient information which is current and accurate, thus ensuring the correct operation of the interface between the EPMA and the Trust PAS (maintaining the patient file including demographics, current location, out-patient appointments, clinical information [allergy status etc.] etc.), and ensuring there are no duplicate records for patient prescribing
To work closely with the Trust IT department to ensure that the EPMA is secure from unauthorised or inappropriate access (including authorising new user access, maintaining user accounts and appropriate access rights, removing users if they leave an area or access rights change), and monitoring/auditing use of the EPMA
To work closely with the Trust IT department to ensure that the EPMA is protected by a robust and tested fall-back system, designed to ensure that the prescribing and administration of medicines can continue without significant interruption in the event of: software failure, hardware failure, network failure, power interruption, planned maintenance and software upgrades
Education and Training
To help design and deliver training materials for all users of the EPMA system
To monitor the quality of the training material and sessions delivered to all relevant staff to ensure suitability and effectiveness
To provide motivation and reassurance to staff whilst going through major process change with EPMA to ensure positive co-operation during and post implementation
To deliver teaching to relevant staff groups in the use of trust-wide EPMA systems. Periodical requirement to teach large numbers of staff
To use communication skills to overcome barriers to change and understanding
Communication of complex information to patients and colleagues
Develop training policies and procedures for the training of pharmacy and other trust staff in the use of the EPMA systems
To act as a Practice Supervisor or Educational Supervisor for pharmacists undertaking the Foundation Programme
To regularly train, supervise and assess at ward level junior pharmacy staff providing a clinical pharmacy service to wards within any Programme
To undertake Clinical Audit work within Pharmacy and in conjunction with others to improve prescribing and service development
To maintain an active portfolio of continuing professional development (CPD)
To participate in and lead the departmental CPD educational sessions
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in pharmacy
- Registered (or eligible to be) as a Pharmacist in the UK
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Specialist Post Graduate Masters or equivalent experience
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of and ability to apply all aspects of regulatory legislation and guidelines
- Demonstrate expert knowledge covering a range of pharmacy services and able to provide highly specialist advice
- Knowledge of e-Prescribing solutions and the potential benefits and challenges of there use
- Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience of delivering responsibilities and objectives to time in previous posts
- Experience of supervising/mentoring or managing staff
- Demonstrate experience and ability to project manage and supervise a range of projects
- Experience of leading or participating in an e-prescribing or EPR implementation on behalf of pharmacy
- Proven experience in service improvement utilising quality improvement (QI) methodology
- Experience in presenting highly complex and contentious information
Skills
Essential
- Demonstrates ability to identify problems, analyse root cause and propose solutions for complex problems
- Able to solve difficult and ambiguous problems by advanced reasoning and sound technical judgment
- Able to develop and review options appraisals and identify the most appropriate option
- Plan and organise research audit activities
Values Based Question
Essential
- Give an example of a time where you have demonstrated a 'can do' attitude (including the situation you were in) and the outcome
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in pharmacy
- Registered (or eligible to be) as a Pharmacist in the UK
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Specialist Post Graduate Masters or equivalent experience
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of and ability to apply all aspects of regulatory legislation and guidelines
- Demonstrate expert knowledge covering a range of pharmacy services and able to provide highly specialist advice
- Knowledge of e-Prescribing solutions and the potential benefits and challenges of there use
- Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience of delivering responsibilities and objectives to time in previous posts
- Experience of supervising/mentoring or managing staff
- Demonstrate experience and ability to project manage and supervise a range of projects
- Experience of leading or participating in an e-prescribing or EPR implementation on behalf of pharmacy
- Proven experience in service improvement utilising quality improvement (QI) methodology
- Experience in presenting highly complex and contentious information
Skills
Essential
- Demonstrates ability to identify problems, analyse root cause and propose solutions for complex problems
- Able to solve difficult and ambiguous problems by advanced reasoning and sound technical judgment
- Able to develop and review options appraisals and identify the most appropriate option
- Plan and organise research audit activities
Values Based Question
Essential
- Give an example of a time where you have demonstrated a 'can do' attitude (including the situation you were in) and the outcome
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Medway Maritime Hospital
Windmill Road
Gillingham
ME7 5NY
Employer's website
https://www.medway.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Medway Maritime Hospital
Windmill Road
Gillingham
ME7 5NY
Employer's website
https://www.medway.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Details
Date posted
03 March 2021
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 8b
Salary
£53,168 to £62,001 a year
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
20 months
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
275-2103LP-EPMA1
Job locations
Medway Maritime Hospital
Windmill Road
Gillingham
ME7 5NY
Supporting documents
Privacy notice
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