Job summary
Band 8a Senior Specialist Pharmacist - Gastroenterology (12-month maternity leave cover)
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic pharmacist to join the pharmacy team at Barnet Hospital. You will be leading, delivering, and developing a high-quality pharmacy service to the inpatient and outpatient gastroenterology service at Barnet Hospital, in close partnership and support from the Principal Pharmacist for Gastroenterology and Nutrition. This will require you to work closely with the multidisciplinary gastroenterology team including clinical leads, divisional managers and specialist nurses, across all sites. You will also be responsible for development and implementation of national and local guidelines within gastroenterology across all sites.
Main duties of the job
To assist in leading, delivering, developing, and evaluating a high-quality clinical pharmacy service to the gastroenterology ward and outpatient services in accordance with objectives set by the Principal Pharmacist. To deputise in the absence of the principal pharmacist as the lead for gastroenterology across all sites, when required. To be responsible for the delivery of in- and out-patient based pharmacy service to Barnet gastroenterology and endoscopy services. Working closely with the multidisciplinary team, Clinical leads and divisional managers for gastroenterology and endoscopy services at Barnet Hospital. Implementation of a pharmacist led clinic. To ensure the safe and cost-effective use of drugs and to demonstrate effective control of drug expenditure for these areas through the development of treatment guidelines, including harmonisation across the Royal Free London group. Responsible for optimising digital pathways for gastroenterology and endoscopy and training healthcare professionals across all sites. To manage the education and training of rotational pharmacists and technicians on the gastroenterology ward and specialist rotation at Barnet Hospital
About us
Our trust has around 10,000 staff serving 1.6 million patients. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This large-scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients. With many specialities including renal, liver, oncology, infectious disease, haemophilia, and scleroderma which are underpinned by a strong research agenda, the Royal Free is renowned for providing excellent patient care.
Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for all.
The Pharmacy department of the Royal Free London NHS Trust is a friendly, progressive, and expanding unit dedicated to providing the highest standards of pharmaceutical care and service in this large, internationally renowned teaching hospital. Quality improvement and cost-effective, safe use of medicines is at the forefront of everything we do. We have over 300 staff working across the 3 sites in all areas of pharmacy. Pharmacy staff work across areas such as dispensary, stores, wards, outpatient clinics, satellite pharmacies, technical services, clinical trials, medicines advice service and QC.
Job description
Job responsibilities
CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To provide a high-quality clinical pharmacy service as part of the multidisciplinary team to gastroenterology patients, to ensure maximum efficacy, safety, and economic drug use and to demonstrate professional accountability to enhance patient care. The responsibilities will include:
- Regular attendance of consultant wards rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings e.g. IBD biologics MDT
- Demonstration of expert clinical knowledge
- Delivery of a high quality, specialist ward-based pharmacy service including drug supply, review of highly complex medication regimens, drug history taking, drug interaction monitoring, adverse drug reaction monitoring and discharge planning.
- Communication of complex pharmaceutical information, according to the level of understanding, direct to patients/carers and healthcare professionals.
- To empathise and counsel patients/carers who may be distressed, on all aspects of their medication to aid compliance and understanding.
- To make clinical decisions where limited/conflicting information is available.
- Promotion of high quality and cost-effective prescribing.
- Maintenance and evaluation of the near to patient medicines management project on the gastroenterology ward
- Contribute to the development of and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines.
- Making evidence-based decisions, in partnership with patients and other professionals within the specialist area.
- Liaising with other ward pharmacists to ensure continuity of medicines management, and to implement systems for the effective transfer of medicines between wards.
- Development and review of Patient Group Directions
- Development and review of Shared Care guidelines e.g. immunosuppressive agents.
- Implementation of relevant local and national guidelines within the specialist area
- Identify, implement, and evaluate Drug Usage Reviews
- Clinical Audits
- Actively involved in the development of relevant patient information leaflets which complement licensed product information.
- Provision of support on concordance related issues to patients
- Provision of expert medicines information to clinicians and healthcare professionals and ensure that this information is utilised in a systematic and appropriate way to optimise patient care.
- To provide advice on high-cost drugs to facilitate the seamless transition of patient care between primary and secondary sectors, by liaising with consultants, Service Performance and Primary Healthcare Professionals.
- To liaise and work with other specialist pharmacists to share the best practice, to strengthen patient focused pharmaceutical care.
- To qualify as a supplementary/independent prescriber and to implement supplementary/independent prescribing within the specialist area.
- To assist in the implementation of electronic Medicines Management within the specialist areas.
- Implementation of pharmacist-led clinics within the speciality at Barnet Hospital
- Management of high-costs drugs within IBD including clinical review and supply of medication via homecare, where appropriate
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS
- To assist in identifying and managing changes necessary to maintain a high-quality service responsive to patients needs and to consider the implications of changes for other areas/personnel.
- To assist in the planning and organising of a clinical pharmacy service to the gastroenterology patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.
- To deal effectively with situations where medication errors have occurred, including liaising directly with patients and staff concerned.
- Liaising with other pharmacists to ensure continuity of medicines management, and to implement systems for the effective transfer of medicines between primary or secondary care.
- Assist in responding to complaints from patients and the public in relation to medicines management issues, as required.
- To deliver a high quality and comprehensive medicines counselling service to patients and/or their relatives on all aspects of their pharmaceutical care including specialist and unlicensed drugs. To overcome communication barriers through use of interpreters or other forms of communication.
POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
- To contribute to the continuing development of policies and procedures to ensure that gastroenterology complies with existing legal requirements and best practice in the field of gastroenterology and requirements of the Care Quality Commission.
- To identify, prioritise, and implement long term strategic plans for the gastroenterology service. Development of clinical pharmacy services in line with national guidance alongside the senior management team across all sites
- To contribute to the development of business plans for the development of the pharmacy service provided to the speciality.
- To identify the risks of medicines use in the directorate and implement strategies to minimise them, working closely with key stake holders within the speciality
- To assist in the management of changes in order to maximise patient care and to consider and act upon the implications of the change to other areas/personnel
FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES
To contribute to the management of the drug budget within gastroenterology. The responsibilities will include:
- Provision of detailed evaluated reports on drug expenditure to the Divisional Finance Manager, General Manager, and Clinical Head of Service
- Identify options for reducing drug expenditure.
- Management of the high-cost drugs within gastroenterology to reduce financial risk to the Trust
- Forecasting new drug developments and identify changes in prescribing practice that may impact on the drugs budget.
- Contributing to the annual pharmacy department drug cost pressure document
- Interpreting published data on new drugs for use within gastroenterology and to prepare evaluations and present applications to the Drugs, Therapeutics and Clinical Technology Committee. To communicate relevant decisions back to the specialty care group.
- Liaising with the key decision makers (senior managers, commissioners, NCL) to ensure provision of funding for high-cost drugs i.e. anti-TNFs within the Directorate.
LEADING AND MANAGING
- To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forums, and bodies.
- To deputise for the principal pharmacist
- To ensure that all pharmacy activities within the speciality are carried out in accordance with standard operating procedures and relevant medicines legislation.
- To ensure that all activities, procedures, and documentation meet the requirements of current legislation.
- To assist in the formulation, prioritisation, and implementation of long-term strategic plans for clinical pharmacy services in line with local, network and national objectives.
- To manage, appraise, support, and facilitate the development of junior pharmacists rotating through gastroenterology.
- To support and facilitate the development of junior pharmacists, foundation-trainee pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.
- To assist in the management of changes that need to occur to maximise patient care and to consider and act upon the implications of the change to other areas/personnel.
- To manage difficult and ambiguous situations and be aware of ethical dilemmas that may present in patient care and provide support and guidance to colleagues in any decision-making process.
- To contribute to the implementation of the risk management and Trust Clinical Governance agenda within the directorate.
- To identify the risks of medicines use in the directorate and implement strategies to minimise them, working closely with the specialities clinical risk management committee.
- To attend and be an active participant in relevant clinical and managerial groups divisionally, corporately and externally, in order to ensure the delivery of best care to patients.
- To represent pharmacy and act as link person at relevant meetings and conferences and disseminate knowledge of developments to other staff.
- To act as an effective role model and provide advice and support on clinical issues within your specialist area to junior pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
- To support the implementation of the trust pharmacy strategy by participating in trust and divisional initiatives to develop clinical pharmacy practice.
- To support an innovative approach to practice, whilst being aware of boundaries and limitations.
- To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forums, and bodies.
- To be competent in the use of JAC pharmacy system, Cerner/EPMA and other relevant hospital IT systems
- To be compliant with Trust Data Protection and Patient Confidentiality policies
- To prepare reports in response to freedom of information act enquiries.
- To assist in the implementation of electronic Medicines Management within the specialist areas
Job description
Job responsibilities
CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To provide a high-quality clinical pharmacy service as part of the multidisciplinary team to gastroenterology patients, to ensure maximum efficacy, safety, and economic drug use and to demonstrate professional accountability to enhance patient care. The responsibilities will include:
- Regular attendance of consultant wards rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings e.g. IBD biologics MDT
- Demonstration of expert clinical knowledge
- Delivery of a high quality, specialist ward-based pharmacy service including drug supply, review of highly complex medication regimens, drug history taking, drug interaction monitoring, adverse drug reaction monitoring and discharge planning.
- Communication of complex pharmaceutical information, according to the level of understanding, direct to patients/carers and healthcare professionals.
- To empathise and counsel patients/carers who may be distressed, on all aspects of their medication to aid compliance and understanding.
- To make clinical decisions where limited/conflicting information is available.
- Promotion of high quality and cost-effective prescribing.
- Maintenance and evaluation of the near to patient medicines management project on the gastroenterology ward
- Contribute to the development of and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines.
- Making evidence-based decisions, in partnership with patients and other professionals within the specialist area.
- Liaising with other ward pharmacists to ensure continuity of medicines management, and to implement systems for the effective transfer of medicines between wards.
- Development and review of Patient Group Directions
- Development and review of Shared Care guidelines e.g. immunosuppressive agents.
- Implementation of relevant local and national guidelines within the specialist area
- Identify, implement, and evaluate Drug Usage Reviews
- Clinical Audits
- Actively involved in the development of relevant patient information leaflets which complement licensed product information.
- Provision of support on concordance related issues to patients
- Provision of expert medicines information to clinicians and healthcare professionals and ensure that this information is utilised in a systematic and appropriate way to optimise patient care.
- To provide advice on high-cost drugs to facilitate the seamless transition of patient care between primary and secondary sectors, by liaising with consultants, Service Performance and Primary Healthcare Professionals.
- To liaise and work with other specialist pharmacists to share the best practice, to strengthen patient focused pharmaceutical care.
- To qualify as a supplementary/independent prescriber and to implement supplementary/independent prescribing within the specialist area.
- To assist in the implementation of electronic Medicines Management within the specialist areas.
- Implementation of pharmacist-led clinics within the speciality at Barnet Hospital
- Management of high-costs drugs within IBD including clinical review and supply of medication via homecare, where appropriate
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS
- To assist in identifying and managing changes necessary to maintain a high-quality service responsive to patients needs and to consider the implications of changes for other areas/personnel.
- To assist in the planning and organising of a clinical pharmacy service to the gastroenterology patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.
- To deal effectively with situations where medication errors have occurred, including liaising directly with patients and staff concerned.
- Liaising with other pharmacists to ensure continuity of medicines management, and to implement systems for the effective transfer of medicines between primary or secondary care.
- Assist in responding to complaints from patients and the public in relation to medicines management issues, as required.
- To deliver a high quality and comprehensive medicines counselling service to patients and/or their relatives on all aspects of their pharmaceutical care including specialist and unlicensed drugs. To overcome communication barriers through use of interpreters or other forms of communication.
POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
- To contribute to the continuing development of policies and procedures to ensure that gastroenterology complies with existing legal requirements and best practice in the field of gastroenterology and requirements of the Care Quality Commission.
- To identify, prioritise, and implement long term strategic plans for the gastroenterology service. Development of clinical pharmacy services in line with national guidance alongside the senior management team across all sites
- To contribute to the development of business plans for the development of the pharmacy service provided to the speciality.
- To identify the risks of medicines use in the directorate and implement strategies to minimise them, working closely with key stake holders within the speciality
- To assist in the management of changes in order to maximise patient care and to consider and act upon the implications of the change to other areas/personnel
FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES
To contribute to the management of the drug budget within gastroenterology. The responsibilities will include:
- Provision of detailed evaluated reports on drug expenditure to the Divisional Finance Manager, General Manager, and Clinical Head of Service
- Identify options for reducing drug expenditure.
- Management of the high-cost drugs within gastroenterology to reduce financial risk to the Trust
- Forecasting new drug developments and identify changes in prescribing practice that may impact on the drugs budget.
- Contributing to the annual pharmacy department drug cost pressure document
- Interpreting published data on new drugs for use within gastroenterology and to prepare evaluations and present applications to the Drugs, Therapeutics and Clinical Technology Committee. To communicate relevant decisions back to the specialty care group.
- Liaising with the key decision makers (senior managers, commissioners, NCL) to ensure provision of funding for high-cost drugs i.e. anti-TNFs within the Directorate.
LEADING AND MANAGING
- To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forums, and bodies.
- To deputise for the principal pharmacist
- To ensure that all pharmacy activities within the speciality are carried out in accordance with standard operating procedures and relevant medicines legislation.
- To ensure that all activities, procedures, and documentation meet the requirements of current legislation.
- To assist in the formulation, prioritisation, and implementation of long-term strategic plans for clinical pharmacy services in line with local, network and national objectives.
- To manage, appraise, support, and facilitate the development of junior pharmacists rotating through gastroenterology.
- To support and facilitate the development of junior pharmacists, foundation-trainee pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.
- To assist in the management of changes that need to occur to maximise patient care and to consider and act upon the implications of the change to other areas/personnel.
- To manage difficult and ambiguous situations and be aware of ethical dilemmas that may present in patient care and provide support and guidance to colleagues in any decision-making process.
- To contribute to the implementation of the risk management and Trust Clinical Governance agenda within the directorate.
- To identify the risks of medicines use in the directorate and implement strategies to minimise them, working closely with the specialities clinical risk management committee.
- To attend and be an active participant in relevant clinical and managerial groups divisionally, corporately and externally, in order to ensure the delivery of best care to patients.
- To represent pharmacy and act as link person at relevant meetings and conferences and disseminate knowledge of developments to other staff.
- To act as an effective role model and provide advice and support on clinical issues within your specialist area to junior pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
- To support the implementation of the trust pharmacy strategy by participating in trust and divisional initiatives to develop clinical pharmacy practice.
- To support an innovative approach to practice, whilst being aware of boundaries and limitations.
- To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forums, and bodies.
- To be competent in the use of JAC pharmacy system, Cerner/EPMA and other relevant hospital IT systems
- To be compliant with Trust Data Protection and Patient Confidentiality policies
- To prepare reports in response to freedom of information act enquiries.
- To assist in the implementation of electronic Medicines Management within the specialist areas
Person Specification
Royal Free World Class Values
Essential
- Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values2
Education & professional Qualifications
Essential
- MPharm or equivalent
- Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- Post graduate diploma in pharmacy practice or equivalent
- Registered supplementary or independent prescriber
Desirable
- Advanced qualification in specialist area
- Management/Leadership training course
Experience
Essential
- Considerable experience working in hospital pharmacy and proven experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist with experience working with gastroenterology patients
- Experience of managing change and leading service developments
- Experience of managing and analysing drug expenditure.
- Experience of writing / implementing clinical guidelines and government directives
- Experience of multidisciplinary working
- Evidence of clinical audit/drug evaluation/practice research and the promotion of evidence based practice.
- Experience of appraising staff and giving feedback
- Experience in delivering education and training.
- Comprehensive band 6/7 rotation
Desirable
- Coordinating and delivering education and training at post graduate level
Person Specification
Royal Free World Class Values
Essential
- Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values2
Education & professional Qualifications
Essential
- MPharm or equivalent
- Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- Post graduate diploma in pharmacy practice or equivalent
- Registered supplementary or independent prescriber
Desirable
- Advanced qualification in specialist area
- Management/Leadership training course
Experience
Essential
- Considerable experience working in hospital pharmacy and proven experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist with experience working with gastroenterology patients
- Experience of managing change and leading service developments
- Experience of managing and analysing drug expenditure.
- Experience of writing / implementing clinical guidelines and government directives
- Experience of multidisciplinary working
- Evidence of clinical audit/drug evaluation/practice research and the promotion of evidence based practice.
- Experience of appraising staff and giving feedback
- Experience in delivering education and training.
- Comprehensive band 6/7 rotation
Desirable
- Coordinating and delivering education and training at post graduate level
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.
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).
Additional information
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).
