Advanced Clinical Pharmacist (XR08)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

The closing date is 19 March 2025

Job summary

We have a fantastic opportunity to join the Leeds Childrens Hospital paediatric pharmacy team as an Advanced Clinical Pharmacist on a 1-year secondment to cover maternity leave. This role will be working within the established paediatric critical care team who are well integrated into the MDT and provide leadership to PICU, HDU, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. You will have the opportunity to be an integral part of this MDT, working alongside advanced practitioners and national experts, as well as being able to work closely with colleagues from across a variety of clinical specialities within the Childrens hospital.

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Leeds Childrens Hospital is one of the largest paediatric critical care units in the UK, providing care for critically ill and injured infants and children across West Yorkshire and the Humber. Annually the unit manages approximately 900 patients, offering specialised support for a wide range of patients including congenital heart disease, infections, major trauma, respiratory issues, neurological conditions, post operative care for surgeries (such as chest, abdominal, spinal or airway procedures), liver and kidney problems (including transplantation) and cancer.

If you are excited about being part of a dynamic, forward-thinking team to deliver expert pharmaceutical for critically ill children, then contact us!This is a full-time role, although part time applications will also be considered.

Main duties of the job

You will provide expert clinical pharmacy input and oversight to the areas you work in.

The post will give you the opportunity to be an integral part of the MDT, attending ward rounds and influencing clinical decisions to optimise patient care.

You will support medication safety initiatives, antimicrobial stewardship, and individualised patient care.

You will contribute to service development, guideline updates and quality improvement projects within PICU.

You will monitor and report on clinical and financial governance of medicines, advise on potential improvements and lead on these where appropriate.

Education and training are integral to how we work as a team and you will undertake clinical supervision of rotational pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and trainee pharmacists and have an active role in the education and training of both pharmacy staff and other health care professionals.

To be successful you will be an enthusiastic and motivated pharmacist who is adaptable and dynamic and able to develop quickly in busy environments.

You will have a passion for making a difference to patient care and be committed to working collaboratively with both pharmacy colleagues and the multidisciplinary team.

There will be an element of cross cover of other specialties within paediatrics depending on clinical need of the team.

Ideally you will have experience of paediatric practice and/or critical care and be a qualified independent prescriber.

About us

Based within the Leeds General Infirmary, the Leeds Childrens Hospital is one of the largest childrens hospitals in the UK and treats patients from across Yorkshire and the North of England as a secondary and tertiary referral centre. Leeds is the level 1 surgical centre for the Yorkshire & Humber Congenital Heart Disease Network and a quaternary paediatric liver unit including liver transplant. Other specialist services delivered include renal transplant, cancer services and trauma.

The pharmacy department at Leeds is nationally recognised as an exemplar service. The paediatric pharmacy team is a highly skilled and dedicated group of professionals committed to delivering exceptional pharmaceutical care to paediatric patients with acute and chronic conditions. LTH offers fantastic opportunities for professional development, research involvement and career progression, with a culture that encourages continuous learning.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Date posted

26 February 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

1 years

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

C9298-MMP-354

Job locations

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3EX

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. JOB DETAILS

Job Title: Advanced Clinical Pharmacist Reports to: Clinical Pharmacy Team Leader Accountable to: Clinical Pharmacy Manager Band: 8a Unit/Department: Pharmacy Clinical Services Unit: Medicines Management & Pharmacy Services Location Trustwide AfC Job No: 626

2. JOB PURPOSE

To lead, deliver, develop and evaluate highly specialised clinical pharmacy services to a clinical speciality within the Trust.

3. 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.

4. ORGANISATIONAL CHART

Clinical Director MMPS

Clinical Pharmacy Manager

Clinical Pharmacy Team Leader

Advanced Clinical Pharmacist

Specialist Pharmacist

5. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Masters qualification in Pharmacy (4 years) or equivalent qualification plus one year pre-registration experience

Registrant of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Postgraduate diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experience or qualification

Non medical prescriber status

Substantial post registration experience as a practising clinical pharmacist. Ability to demonstrate foundation level competencies in all 6 domains of the Advanced to Consultant Level Framework (ACLF)

Experience of dealing with highly complex clinical issues which require the pharmacist to analyse information from a range of sources, which may not be in agreement, to formulate a response. In such situations, it may be necessary to find a novel solution to an unusual clinical situation. The pharmacist will have developed negotiating and persuasive skills with other clinical team members, patients and relatives

Experience of dealing with a wide variety and grade of hospital staff (including senior medical and managerial staff) on a regular and ongoing basis

Specialist knowledge of clinical area/department which demonstrates ability to manage a caseload, preferably within the clinical speciality

6. THE LEEDS WAY VALUES

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:

Patient-centred

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values

Additionally the following are core values which relate specifically to this post:

Professional attitude,Deal with customers in an honest and open manner with integrity,Strict adherence to patient confidentiality,Committed to CPD

7. CORE BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS

Leadership

Interpretation of financial information

Team player,

Enthusiastic

Lateral thinker

Excellent communication oral/written/listening

Good problem solver

Good time management skills

Adaptable

Able to use initiative

Highly developed negotiation and influencing skills

Meticulous attention to detail

The individual will organise their own work and potentially that of others in the specialist service on an on-going basis e.g. training, audit, project work, attendance of meetings, own ward cover etc

8. CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in clinical pharmacy practice, preferably in the specific clinical field.

Be professionally accountable for action and advice.

9. 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

Health and Safety/Risk Management

All staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service users. This includes complying at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Policies, including Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Trust Incident Reporting system.

Infection Control

The jobholder must comply at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Infection Control policies, in particular by practising Universal Infection Control Precautions. Hand hygiene must be performed before and after contact with patients and their environment.

Equality and Diversity

The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual.