Advanced Clinical Pharmacist - Neurosciences

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

To lead, deliver, develop and evaluate highly specialised clinical pharmacy services to a given 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 core professional commitment(s) each week. This can include aseptics services, anticoagulation bridging rota or Leeds Medicines Advisory Service. 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.

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, and liaising with staff across interfaces of care.

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

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.

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

Perform other duties as directed by manager

Participate in the weekend service and where contracted, the emergency duty service

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Team player
• Enthusiastic
• Self-motivated
• Able to work under own initiative
• Be highly adaptive to changing circumstances and situations
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Organised
• Lateral thinker and good problem solver
• Exceptional communication skills written, verbal, and listening
• Highly developed influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Be able to plan effectively both own workload and that of specialist team

Desirable

• Effective prioritisation skills
• IT competent (eg Microsoft teams, Use of Word, PowerPoint and Excel)

Experience

Essential

• Understanding and appreciation of local and national pharmaceutical and clinical strategies
• Advanced clinical pharmacy knowledge in a relevant area
• Understanding of NHS/government policy and its applications
• Ability to demonstrate foundation level competencies in all 6 domains of the Advanced to Consultant Level Framework (ACLF)

Desirable

• Team dynamics and effective leadership strategies to optimise performance
• Formal Quality Improvement experience or credentials

Experience

Essential

• Understanding and appreciation of local and national pharmaceutical and clinical strategies
• Advanced clinical pharmacy knowledge in a relevant area
• Understanding of NHS/government policy and its applications
• Ability to demonstrate foundation level competencies in all 6 domains of the Advanced to Consultant Level Framework (ACLF)

Desirable

• Team dynamics and effective leadership strategies to optimise performance
• Formal Quality Improvement experience or credentials

Qualifications

Essential

• Registrant of GPhC
• Post graduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
• Non-medical prescriber status

Desirable

• Leadership / Management qualification

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).