Specialist Pharmacist – Cancer Services

Job description

Job responsibilities

To co-ordinate the provision of chemotherapy for cancer patients.

To clinically screen chemotherapy prescriptions and to ensure that the prescription is correct and that the regimen is safe and appropriate for the patient.

To develop systems to ensure that all chemotherapy prescriptions are screened appropriately.

To provide specialist pharmaceutical advice to medical and nursing staff working in cancer.

To provide medication counselling for patients undergoing chemotherapy.To liaise with the lead pharmacist for clinical trials and support in the management of cancer clinical trials

To promote the safe, economic and effective use of cancer medicines.

To lead on pharmacy service developments with the Trust in conjunction with the Lead Pharmacist Cancer services & lead pharmacist for Clinical Services to take responsibility for the clinical pharmacy service to the Day unit & Wards.

To act as an expert in haematology & oncology medicine providing highly specialised evidence based clinical advice and information.

To participate in daily multidisciplinary ward rounds on haematology, oncology ward.

To ensure regular pharmacist attendance on Haematology MDT.

To act as senior pharmacist and support new initiatives in haematology & oncology including working in and developing pharmacist-led cancer clinics.

Support in the building and verification of ARIA electronic prescribing regimens.

To write, review and update policies, guidelines and procedures designed to improve the pharmacy service to patients.

To work with Kent & Medway Cancer Collaborative in the development of high quality cancer services to region.

To evaluate the clinical appropriateness, safety and legality of prescriptions based upon the patients diseases, co-morbidities and other medication and treatments taken, contacting the prescriber to make agreed changes as appropriate.

Promote efficient discharge planning inclusive of patient counselling and education.

Participate in adverse drug reaction and intervention monitoring and clinical risk management.

Prepare evaluations on new drugs and prescribing guidelines for presentation to the Medicines Management Group (MMG).

Promote the safe, rational and cost effective use of medicines in accordance with the Medicines Management Group (MMG) recommendations and other evidence based guidelines.

To ensure services provided are in line with local and national policies, guidelines and frameworks e.g. NICE, Patient Safety Alerts.

Follow procedures to reduce medicine waste (e.g. by using patients own drugs).

To liaise with other pharmacists, doctors and GPs to ensure efficient transfer of clinical and medical management issues.

To provide specialist input into processes involving PbR excluded drugs and Cancer Drug Fund Drugs and liaise with the Deputy Chief Pharmacist

To attain and maintain accreditation for authorisation to final check, release and supply intrathecal chemotherapy and other forms of chemotherapy.

To be competent to conduct final release checks on all products dispensed by the aseptic unit.

To safely handle and assess hazardous materials e.g. cytotoxics, biological and sharps according to COSHH standards, MFT policies & SOPs.

To be competent to conduct clinical screen & release of adult TPN and neonatal TPN.

To be registered on intrathecal register and be able to clinically validate, final check and release intrathecal chemotherapy.

To participate in the education and training of pharmacy and other healthcare staff and pharmacy students to graduate level.

To identify areas of development and implement training in relation to medicines for all staff within Cancer and aseptic services.

To act as a Practice Supervisor and/or Educational Supervisor for pharmacists undertaking the Foundation Programme.

To undertake Clinical Audit work within Pharmacy and in conjunction with others to improve prescribing and medicines management and to progress service development.

To participate in and lead the departmental CPD educational sessions.

Using horizon scanning techniques to identify future high cost medications specific to the cancer services

To liaise with the ICB and NHSE in relation to high cost and excluded Payment by Results medication funding.

To ensure Bluteq funding forms are completed for High Cost cancer treatment are completed in timely manner.

To support the Programme in monitoring their drug expenditure including providing expenditure reports as required.

To be responsible for identifying, implementing and monitoring cost improvement schemes for the Cancer services programme

Provide strong leadership and management ensuring that responsibilities and decision making are delegated appropriately, and that all staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and deliver effectively.

To supervise and undertake training with the rotational Band 7 & band 6 pharmacist in Aseptic and cancer services.

Line-manage direct reports to include appraisals, performance management, annual achievement reviews, regular one to ones, objective/target setting, personal development plans and attendance monitoring.

Undertake coaching of staff to improve performance.

Undertake and manage formal trust HR policies e.g. disciplinary, sickness, grievance etc.

Responsible for ensuring robust recruitment process of staff that adhere to trust policies including review of roles/responsibilities, preparing/agreeing adverts, short listing, chairing interview panels and selecting staff.

Approve for use all training and on the job skills accreditations.

Ensure all staff managed are fully compliant with statutory and mandatory training.

Ensure pharmacy-delivered training for pharmacy and other trusts staff is in place.

Undertake dispensing and checking as necessary.

Report any complaints, incidents or near miss situations via the error reporting system and your line manager.

Maintain a clean and tidy environment.

To maintain an active portfolio of continuing professional development (CPD).

All pharmacy staff must show confidentiality with regard to any information about patients, confidential information about the Trust and commercial information (e.g. drug prices).

All work will be carried out in accordance with the relevant laws, the guidelines of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the General pharmaceutical council, Trust and departmental procedures and standards of professional practice.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Master's degree in pharmacy
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacist in the UK (or eligible to be)
• Specialist post graduate qualification such as clinical diploma 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
• Demonstrates high level knowledge of medicine in Haematology & oncology

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience working in clinical haematology, oncology and in Aseptic services
• Proven experience of delivering responsibilities and objectives to time in previous posts
• Experience of providing a clinical service to the Specialist area (Cancer services)

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
• Experience in providing and receiving highly complex and contentious information
• Advanced IT skills - including MS Word, Excel, email and PowerPoint

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Medway NHS TRust

Windmill road

Gillingham

ME7 5NY

Employer's website

https://www.medway.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)