Job responsibilities
JOB
PURPOSE
To
lead, deliver, develop and evaluate highly specialised clinical pharmacy
services to a clinical speciality within the Trust.
JOB
DIMENSIONS
Leads the highly specialised
clinical pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team within a
given clinical speciality. Ensures medicines are used appropriately, safely,
and cost-effectively in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating
procedures and medicine legislation. The post holder is expected to determine
how the outcomes are best achieved in specific circumstances.
Manage other pharmacists providing
specialised clinical pharmacy service within own clinical speciality
depending on size of area.
Works directly and regularly with
consultants, senior nursing staff and managers within the clinical
speciality. Monitors and interprets
expenditure on medicines within own clinical speciality. Provides the
Directorate with regular reports to assist in the safe use of medicines, the
management of the drug budget and clinical governance issues. The report also
includes risk management such as the recording of significant clinical
interventions and near misses.
Supervise, along with other members
of their multidisciplinary team, the development and implementation of
treatment protocols, and guidelines for use of drugs within the clinical
area.
Responsible for training
pharmacists, and other health care professionals, on aspects of drug use
within the clinical area.
Provides minimum of at least one 4
hour session of service cover in the dispensary or aseptic dispensary each
week. Participates in evening, weekend and bank holiday rota and where
appropriate, out of hours services.
To act as the Responsible
Pharmacist in line with local procedures.
PRINCIPAL
DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Clinical
Lead the highly specialised
clinical pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team within a
given clinical speciality.
Supports the Trust's Prescribing
Standards and challenges practice where prescribers have not adhered to the
Medicines Code.
Demonstrate the ability to provide
safe, clinically effective and cost-effective use of medicines in accordance
with Trust policy, standard operating procedures and medicine legislation.
This will include individual prescription review to optimise therapy,
advising on dosage and side effects and on safe administration of medicines.
The post holder is expected to determine how the outcomes are best achieve in
specific circumstances.
Pharmacists who are registered as
prescribers will, with the agreement of the clinical director of the
speciality, prescribe within their level of competence, to support patient
care.
Plan, manage, monitor and review
individual patient care plans.
Participate in consultant ward
rounds and multi-disciplinary team meetings.
Manage difficult and ambiguous
problems, often when information is limited.
Undertake risk management,
including investigating clinical incidents in the clinical area and ensuring
compliance with medicine legislation.
The post holder will be expected to
identify, where necessary, areas that require service changes and develop a
strategy to carry out the change through consultation with senior colleagues
within and outside the pharmacy.
Manage the introduction of new
drugs, including unlicensed drugs, into the clinical speciality.
Manage the clinical pharmacist
input into clinical trials.
Develop and update policies for the
safe, effective and economic use of medicines through discussion with medical
and nursing staff.
Communication with Primary Care
about medicines policies or guidelines specific for their area of practice.
Management
Monitor and interpret expenditure
on medicines within own clinical speciality. Provide the Directorate with
regular reports to assist in the management of the drug budget
a. Attend the monthly Clinical
Speciality Management meetings to advise on medicine use and financial
implications
- Horizon scan for new drugs and
advise the clinical speciality meetings on the financial implications
b. Co-ordinate Medicines Use Savings
Projects
c. Review prescribing data from
out-patient clinics
Contribution to financial
initiatives
Write or respond to business cases
for service development to secure additional funding.
Responsible for day to day
supervision / management of specialist clinical pharmacists in clinical
speciality (some staff)
Research
and Education
Occasionally participates in
research and development within clinical speciality
Undertakes own research/audit
within clinical speciality
Supervise, teach, and assess junior
pharmacy staff completing training modules within the clinical area. This
input varies, mostly based on the experience of the post holder, and will
typically include:
- Acting as a trainer to
pre-registration and junior pharmacists in their area of specialist practice
- Being a named tutor for a
pre-registration and/or diploma pharmacist
- Lecturing on clinical issues
relevant to the specialty, as part of the pre-registration training program,
the clinical diploma, and any other in service training.
The post holder is also expected to
participate in the training of other clinical professionals within their
specialist area as requested.
Develop the role of a specialist
pharmacist through national links.
Other
Provide a service commitment,
typically a four hour session to a specific area within the pharmacy
department e.g. dispensary, aseptics or medicines information
Perform other duties as directed by
manager
Participate in the weekend service
and where contracted, the emergency duty service
Specific
Information for this role:
General
To be embedded within the
childrens and young peoples cancer pharmacy team.
Work closely with consultants and
the wider oncology clinic team for the provision of pharmaceutical services
to children with cancer.
To have a detailed understanding of
treatment protocols and clinical trials used to treat childhood cancer and to
keep up to date with protocol/guideline changes and the introduction of new
treatments.
To have an understanding and follow
all national standards associated with chemotherapy prescribing and
verification. To successfully complete and hold the BOPA passport for
chemotherapy verification.
Responsible for the day-to-day
supervision/management of specialist clinical pharmacists in childrens and
young peoples cancer services.
Be a member of the Paediatric
Oncology Pharmacist group (POP)
Ideally be an independent prescriber
To provide support to the team
leader pharmacist childrens cancer services in the organisation and
development of oncology/haematology services, consider policy and service
changes required and contribute to the forward/business planning of these clinical
services.
To support the paediatric pharmacy
team where necessary.
Inpatient
care and oncology clinics
To contribute specialist advice and
actively participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, and departmental
meetings.
To communicate highly complex
medicine related information to prescribers, clinicians, patients/ carers,
and colleagues external to the Trust (e.g., POSCU pharmacists,
commissioners).
Effective and active antimicrobial
stewardship.
To review patients SACT treatment
during each admission and ensure patients receive appropriate SACT treatment
and counselling on discharge.
To provide pharmacist support to
oncology and haematology clinics and inpatient wards.
To co-ordinate SACT prescribing and
administration for patients with medical staff and advanced nurse
practitioners. Attend chemotherapy planning meetings.
To ensure that off-label and
unlicensed medicines are used safely and effectively within
oncology/haematology treatment.
Undertake independent non-medical
prescribing as dictated by the needs of the service.
SACT
To verify SACT prescriptions
including clinical monitoring.
To ensure that SACT is prescribed
and administered in accordance with Childrens Cancer Leukaemia Group,
clinical trial protocols and in house approved regimens.
To critically review medical
literature and evidence and use this information to compile clinical
guidelines/procedures for drug use in childrens cancer patients.
To review national and
international cancer treatment protocols and set up on the chemotherapy
electronic prescribing system, paediatric chemocare
Assist consultant colleagues with
Blueteq applications, Cancer Drugs Fund, and Individual Funding Requests.
Assist in the completion of dug and
therapeutic applications including chairmans action requests and
compassionate use schemes.
Training
and education
Provide training and education to
pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, and other clinical staff groups; promote
upskilling.
Participate in continued
professional development and attend oncology conferences and study days.
Support the Paediatric Pharmacy
training programme for Trainee pharmacists.
Evaluating
Medicines use
Audit treatment guidelines and new
therapies
Financial reporting to the team
leader pharmacist childrens cancer services on medicines usage and
expenditure. Regular input into waste reduction / sustainability schemes.
