Advanced Specialist MH Pharmacist – Medicines Safety Officer

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

We are looking for an experienced, dedicated, hardworking Mental Health Pharmacist to lead the Trust Medicines Safety agenda and provide a clinical pharmacy service, working across South West London on multiple Trust sites.

The postholder will lead on ensuring that prescribing, administration, dispensing and medicines optimisation processes and practice within the Trust are delivered safely and effectively. As the Medicines Safety Officer you will participate in the wider patient safety agenda of the Trust and the local and National Medication Safety Officer Networks and ensure this is in line with the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. The Trust has recently implemented the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework and the Medicines Safety Officer will provide key support to the Incident Management and Governance team in ensuring reporting and learning from medicines incidents is in line with the key principles in this framework.

With knowledge of relevant pharmaceutical standards of practice, recent initiatives in pharmacy and of our business and how it supports patient care, the ideal candidate would have a strong clinical background in mental health, be innovative, flexible and proactive. Higher qualifications in postgraduate clinical pharmacy are essential; along with experience of providing education and training, critical appraisal, report writing and management/leadership experience.

Main duties of the job

To be the pharmacy lead for patient safety and experience issues within the Trust, including participation in incident investigations, learning events and publications, responses to complaints about pharmacy and medicines and supporting with the preparation and planning for regulatory inspections.
To be the lead pharmacist for medicines safety within the Trust, delivering, developing and evaluating safe medicines practice in the pharmacy department and/or across the Trust in line with the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.
To drive change and improvement within the Trust regarding medication safety.
To be the secretary of the Safe Medication Practice Group, and an active member of the National Medication Safety Network and other networks across the Integrated Care System and London.
Co-ordinate campaigns and training sessions to meet educational and learning needs regarding medication safety across all staff groups in the organisation.
Be responsible for the dissemination and implementation of medication safety communications from MHRA and NHS England.
To provide clinical pharmacy services and be a member of the clinical pharmacy team.
To line manage other staff members in accordance with departmental and Trust policy.
Where qualified to be responsible for prescribing within agreed scope of practice.
Provide an on call service if required as part of the rota.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

About our locations:

Springfield University Hospital, Tooting

Our largest, 19-ward site is in Springfield Village, created following our £150m investment into two new world class mental health facilities. A 32-acre public park, shops and cafes are coming soon. Close to shops, cafes and Tooting Bec on the Northern Line plus Earlsfield and Tooting rail stations and bus routes.

Date posted

10 April 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£58,698 to £65,095 a year per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

294-CORP-5777882-PB-D

Job locations

Springfield Hospital

Tooting

SW17 7DJ

Job description

Job responsibilities

To participate in Trust incident investigations, prescribing & medicines complaints management and in the preparation & planning for regulatory inspections, as the pharmacy lead for patient safety & experience.
To undertake investigation of pharmacy medicines incidents
To proactively deliver clinical pharmacy services within an agreed service line, in line with local and national objectives and to support the lead pharmacist with the service line governance and business requirements.
To line manage Band 7 clinical pharmacists, including performance appraisal and IPR, in accordance with Trust and departmental policy.
To be the lead pharmacist for safe medicines management including safe storage, incident reporting and implementing risk minimisation schemes within the Trust, delivering, developing and evaluating defined areas of safe medicines practice in the pharmacy department and/or across the Trust to enable learning from medicines incidents. This will include audit, guideline development, agreement, implementation and evaluation of training programmes to ensure safe use of medicines in line with the objectives agreed with the Lead Pharmacist.
To receive and respond to requests for information about medicines error incident reports from the NRLS and the MHRA ensuring compliance with alert action requests and new medicines legislation.
To support Trust teams to improve the quality of medicines incident reports before submission to the NRLS.
To be an easily identifiable and highly visible presence as the specialist pharmacist who is a resource/link between nursing, pharmacy and other clinical staff and who provides specialist clinical practice in medicines safety and legislation contributing to a high quality, evidence based service.
To analyse trends, write, present & raise awareness of reports, including quarterly medicines incident reports and CD occurrence reports
To horizon scan, assess and arrange the dissemination of medicines safety communications from NHS England and the MHRA ensure the inclusion of in medicines training packages and in Trust policies e.g. Trust Medicines Code, drug alerts procedure, CAS policy.
To serve as a link between the Trust and local and national medication safety initiatives as an active member of the National Medication Safety Network..
To be responsible for updating the Trust Medicines Policy, in line with new legislation, patient safety communications/guidance, learning from incidents and regulatory inspections, after changes have been agreed by the Safe Medication Practice Committee, and to ensure the code is regularly audited.
To be the secretary to the Safe Medication Practice Committee (chaired by the Chief Pharmacist) arranging meetings, preparing agendas and taking minutes.
To lead and deliver the provision of medication education sessions to patients and carers.
To provide specialist advice to medical and nursing staff on the use of medicines, including participation in education and training sessions under the direction of the Lead Pharmacist.
To participate in the dispensing and supply of medicines to patients, according to the rota/s.
To respond to MI enquiries from staff, patients, neighboring Trusts and commissioners, in a timely manner, according to the rota/s and in accordance with departmental procedures, to ensure compliance with external QA processes.
To participate in the Trusts Emergency Duty Pharmacy service, in accordance with the rota
To assist with the preparation and implementation of departmental standard operating procedures, and their audit.
To provide lectures and tutorials to various non-Trust staff, at the request of the Chief Principal or Deputy Chief Pharmacist.
To promote good prescribing practice throughout the Trust, in accordance with the Medicines Formulary.
To be a member of the clinical pharmacists MI peer review Group and the Pharmacy medicines management group.

Training and Development

To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy.
To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Performance Appraisal and Development Review (PADR).
To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).

NON-MEDICAL PRESCRIBING WHERE QUALIFIED

Responsible for undertaking and fulfilling this role to benefit service user access to treatment.
To work alongside and in partnership with medical colleagues in delivering treatment in the most timely and efficient manner.
To actively prescribe for service-users once annotated to professional and Trust registers.
To actively manage a defined case-load within a specified service where non-medical prescribing will enhance service delivery.
To conduct comprehensive service user treatment reviews, which involves a range of assessments and tailored interventions enabling service users to maintain their concordance with prescribed medicines.
To actively access CPD opportunities regarding non-medical prescribing via Trust based supervision groups and other appropriate workshops agreed through line manager to maintain competency.
To participate in research and audit programmes both locally and nationally which pertain to evaluation of non-medical prescribing and the potential benefits to service users.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To participate in Trust incident investigations, prescribing & medicines complaints management and in the preparation & planning for regulatory inspections, as the pharmacy lead for patient safety & experience.
To undertake investigation of pharmacy medicines incidents
To proactively deliver clinical pharmacy services within an agreed service line, in line with local and national objectives and to support the lead pharmacist with the service line governance and business requirements.
To line manage Band 7 clinical pharmacists, including performance appraisal and IPR, in accordance with Trust and departmental policy.
To be the lead pharmacist for safe medicines management including safe storage, incident reporting and implementing risk minimisation schemes within the Trust, delivering, developing and evaluating defined areas of safe medicines practice in the pharmacy department and/or across the Trust to enable learning from medicines incidents. This will include audit, guideline development, agreement, implementation and evaluation of training programmes to ensure safe use of medicines in line with the objectives agreed with the Lead Pharmacist.
To receive and respond to requests for information about medicines error incident reports from the NRLS and the MHRA ensuring compliance with alert action requests and new medicines legislation.
To support Trust teams to improve the quality of medicines incident reports before submission to the NRLS.
To be an easily identifiable and highly visible presence as the specialist pharmacist who is a resource/link between nursing, pharmacy and other clinical staff and who provides specialist clinical practice in medicines safety and legislation contributing to a high quality, evidence based service.
To analyse trends, write, present & raise awareness of reports, including quarterly medicines incident reports and CD occurrence reports
To horizon scan, assess and arrange the dissemination of medicines safety communications from NHS England and the MHRA ensure the inclusion of in medicines training packages and in Trust policies e.g. Trust Medicines Code, drug alerts procedure, CAS policy.
To serve as a link between the Trust and local and national medication safety initiatives as an active member of the National Medication Safety Network..
To be responsible for updating the Trust Medicines Policy, in line with new legislation, patient safety communications/guidance, learning from incidents and regulatory inspections, after changes have been agreed by the Safe Medication Practice Committee, and to ensure the code is regularly audited.
To be the secretary to the Safe Medication Practice Committee (chaired by the Chief Pharmacist) arranging meetings, preparing agendas and taking minutes.
To lead and deliver the provision of medication education sessions to patients and carers.
To provide specialist advice to medical and nursing staff on the use of medicines, including participation in education and training sessions under the direction of the Lead Pharmacist.
To participate in the dispensing and supply of medicines to patients, according to the rota/s.
To respond to MI enquiries from staff, patients, neighboring Trusts and commissioners, in a timely manner, according to the rota/s and in accordance with departmental procedures, to ensure compliance with external QA processes.
To participate in the Trusts Emergency Duty Pharmacy service, in accordance with the rota
To assist with the preparation and implementation of departmental standard operating procedures, and their audit.
To provide lectures and tutorials to various non-Trust staff, at the request of the Chief Principal or Deputy Chief Pharmacist.
To promote good prescribing practice throughout the Trust, in accordance with the Medicines Formulary.
To be a member of the clinical pharmacists MI peer review Group and the Pharmacy medicines management group.

Training and Development

To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy.
To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Performance Appraisal and Development Review (PADR).
To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).

NON-MEDICAL PRESCRIBING WHERE QUALIFIED

Responsible for undertaking and fulfilling this role to benefit service user access to treatment.
To work alongside and in partnership with medical colleagues in delivering treatment in the most timely and efficient manner.
To actively prescribe for service-users once annotated to professional and Trust registers.
To actively manage a defined case-load within a specified service where non-medical prescribing will enhance service delivery.
To conduct comprehensive service user treatment reviews, which involves a range of assessments and tailored interventions enabling service users to maintain their concordance with prescribed medicines.
To actively access CPD opportunities regarding non-medical prescribing via Trust based supervision groups and other appropriate workshops agreed through line manager to maintain competency.
To participate in research and audit programmes both locally and nationally which pertain to evaluation of non-medical prescribing and the potential benefits to service users.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

oMasters degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
oMembership of the General Pharmaceutical Council
oPost-graduate qualification in clinical/mental health pharmacy
oEvidence of continuing professional and personal development

Desirable

oMember of the CMHP
oMember of the RPSGB
oRoot cause analysis training
oIndependent prescribing certificate
oRegistered non-medical prescriber

EXPERIENCE

Essential

oDemonstrable advanced experience of working as a clinical pharmacist practitioner in a hospital setting
oExperience of working in mental health pharmacy
oExperience of supervising staff
oExperience of delivering training and education
oExperience of developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating protocols and guidelines
oExperience of implementing change
oExperience of providing medicines education to users and carers

Desirable

oExperience of staff management
oPrevious experience in undertaking audit and research

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

oMasters degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
oMembership of the General Pharmaceutical Council
oPost-graduate qualification in clinical/mental health pharmacy
oEvidence of continuing professional and personal development

Desirable

oMember of the CMHP
oMember of the RPSGB
oRoot cause analysis training
oIndependent prescribing certificate
oRegistered non-medical prescriber

EXPERIENCE

Essential

oDemonstrable advanced experience of working as a clinical pharmacist practitioner in a hospital setting
oExperience of working in mental health pharmacy
oExperience of supervising staff
oExperience of delivering training and education
oExperience of developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating protocols and guidelines
oExperience of implementing change
oExperience of providing medicines education to users and carers

Desirable

oExperience of staff management
oPrevious experience in undertaking audit and research

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).