Job summary
Job title - 8a Senior Specialist Pharmacist - HIV
Fixed Term 24-month contract
An exciting opportunity has become available for a dynamic, motivated and forward-thinking Band 8a Pharmacist with prior experience in HIV to join our dedicated HIV Pharmacy team at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
This 24-month fixed term role offers the chance to contribute to delivering high quality clinical pharmacy services across all Royal Free London sites, supporting the HIV business unit. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in
Providing expert input into HIV prescribing and ongoing treatment monitoring
Ensuring timely and effective supply of HIV medications via outpatient pharmacy and homecare services
Overseeing the daily operations of the HIV pharmacy team.
We are looking for candidates who have previously worked at Band 7 or as a specialist pharmacist within an HIV/ID setting. Experience in participating in consultant -led ward rounds, contributing to the development of policies and clinical guidelines and supporting the supervision and training of staff is essential.
This is a great opportunity to build on your specialist knowledge in HIV care while contributing to a collaborative and innovative pharmacy team.
Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities include:
Regularly attend and actively contribute to consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions for complex cases.
Delivery of a high quality, specialist ward-based and outpatient pharmacy service including medicines reconciliation, review of complex medication regimens, medicines optimisation and adverse reaction and interaction monitoring
Training and supervision of junior members of the pharmacy team
Timely supply of medicines for in-patients, out-patients and discharge
Development and implementation of clinical guidelines
Effective control of drug expenditure and management of processes regarding high-cost drugs
Use independent prescribing skills to manage patients in HIV pharmacy led outpatient clinics.
Counselling HIV patients on their medicines to enhance compliance
To participate in audits and practice-based research
To work with the clinical risk team to minimise the risk of medicines
About us
The HIV service at the Royal Free London NHS Trust is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the UK. We are also considered one of the leading ID centers, with a High-Level Isolation Unit, capable of taking highly infectious disease patients including Ebola/Lassa fever.
Our trust has around 10,000 staff serving 1.6 million patients. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, North Middlesex 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.
The HIV pharmacy team is a well-integrated and highly respected part of the HIV/ID unit, playing a vital role in ensuring the safe and cost-efficient use of medicines within this specialist area. The team works closely with the wider multidisciplinary group to support high quality patient care and service delivery.
Together the team brings a wealth of experience and expertise, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for both staff and patients
Job description
Job responsibilities
For full information on the job description, please refer to the attached document.
1. CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To provide a high-quality clinical pharmacy service as part of the multidisciplinary team to HIV 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 and contribution to consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings
- Demonstration of a high level of clinical knowledge in the field of HIV medicine
- Delivery of a high quality, specialist out-patient and ward-based pharmacy service including medicines reconciliation, drug supply, review of highly complex medication regimens, interaction monitoring, adverse drug reaction monitoring and discharge planning
- To contribute to and facilitate timely discharge
- Provision of prescribing advice in the specialist area, including drug selection, adverse events, dosage reduction and interaction monitoring
- Communication of complex pharmaceutical information, according to the level of understanding, direct to patients/carers and healthcare professionals.
- Clinical decision making where limited/conflicting information is available
- Promotion of high quality and cost-effective prescribing
- 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
- Implementation of relevant local and national guidelines within the specialist area
- Ensuring compliance with hospital formulary and microbiology guidelines
- Implementation and evaluation of Drug Usage Reviews and clinical audits, and changes in prescribing practice
- Being actively involved in the development of relevant patient information leaflets which complement licensed product information
- Provision of patient support on concordance related issues e.g. dosette boxes
2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS
To ensure correct and safe prescribing within HIV, demonstrating expert clinical knowledge and an advanced level of clinical assessment. Key duties include:
To qualify as an independent prescriber and undertake MDT-led prescribing clinics, reviewing PLHIV with complex co-morbidities, prescribing ongoing HIV medicines and monitoring for side effects and effectiveness of treatment
To provide medicine management reviews for complex patients
To provide clinical screening for all prescriptions for Ian Charleson Day Centre patients to ensure accurate and timely dispensing
To assist in the planning and organising of a clinical pharmacy service to HIV in the outpatient setting
To provide an in-patient service to the HIV inpatients
To liaise with doctors, administration staff and patients to ensure the safe and smooth running of the home delivery service.
To deal effectively with situations where medication errors have occurred, including liaising directly with patients and staff concerned
To liaise with other pharmacists to ensure continuity of medicines management, and to implement systems for the effective transfer of medicines between primary or secondary care
To 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 and highlighting the importance of life-long concordance with anti-retroviral regimens. To overcome communication barriers through the use of interpreters or other forms of communication
3. RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
To assist the Consultant Pharmacist, HIV in the production and implementation of business plans for the development of the pharmacy service provided to the speciality in line with the network plan
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
- Contribute to the development of and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines
- Ensuring compliance with CQC medicine related outcomes, NICE appraisals and other government related initiatives
- To contribute to the development and collect data on KPIs relating to medicine prescribing within HIV and prepare reports for relevant committees.
- To ensure that all pharmacy activities, procedures and documentation within the speciality are carried out in accordance with standard operating procedures and relevant medicines legislation
- To identify the risks of medicines use in the directorate and implement strategies to minimise them, working closely with the specialities clinical risk management committees. Assist in the implementation of government led strategies to improve medication safety
- To participate in the audit of clinical incidents and implementation of the changes in practice resulting from this
- To assist in the management of changes that need to occur in order to maximise patient care and to consider and act upon the implications of the change to other areas/personnel
- To assist in the auditing of services provided with the aim of improving the services provided by the pharmacy HIV team
4. RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES
To contribute to the management of the drug budget within the HIV Pharmacy team. The responsibilities will include:
- Provision of detailed evaluated reports on drug expenditure to the Divisional Finance Manager, General Manager, and Clinical Head of Service and presenting these reports at the HIV management group
- Identifying options for reducing drug expenditure and ensuring the most cost-effective drug use including monitoring and presentation of savings made by participation in drug trials
- Implementing national and local guidelines on the use of anti-retroviral agents
- 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 HIV, preparing evaluations and presenting applications to the Drug and Therapeutics Committee and communicating relevant decisions back to the specialty care group and manage the introduction of new therapies in HIV
- Liaising with the key decision makers (senior managers, CRGs, commissioners) to ensure provision of funding for high-cost drugs within HIV medicines and maintenance of the high-cost drugs database, Blueteq and (PhRED)
- Overseeing the supply of HIV medicines through homecare
5. RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING
To plan and organise the provision of the clinical pharmacy service to the infectious diseases ward and the Ian Charleson Day Centre, including day to day allocation of the workload
To manage and support the development of Band 7 Senior Pharmacists, band 6 rotational pharmacists and trainee pharmacists rotating through HIV including undertaking appraisals and performance review.
To support and facilitate the development of junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
To deputise for the Consultant Pharmacist HIV in his/her absence.
To support the consultant pharmacist HIV in the recruitment of staff for the HIV pharmacy team
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 attend and be an active participant in relevant clinical and managerial groups divisionally, corporately and externally, to ensure the delivery of best care to patients. This may include presenting data / guidelines that may be controversial / likely to be challenged
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 the specialist area to junior pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team
To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forum and bodies.
To motivate and inspire others in order to create and maintain a good working environment and facilitate staff retention
To demonstrate innovation in the highly specialised field of HIV medicine
- To demonstrate a commitment to any national professional or occupational standards associated with this role
- Any other relevant duties as assigned by the Senior pharmacy managers or Chief pharmacist
Job description
Job responsibilities
For full information on the job description, please refer to the attached document.
1. CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To provide a high-quality clinical pharmacy service as part of the multidisciplinary team to HIV 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 and contribution to consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings
- Demonstration of a high level of clinical knowledge in the field of HIV medicine
- Delivery of a high quality, specialist out-patient and ward-based pharmacy service including medicines reconciliation, drug supply, review of highly complex medication regimens, interaction monitoring, adverse drug reaction monitoring and discharge planning
- To contribute to and facilitate timely discharge
- Provision of prescribing advice in the specialist area, including drug selection, adverse events, dosage reduction and interaction monitoring
- Communication of complex pharmaceutical information, according to the level of understanding, direct to patients/carers and healthcare professionals.
- Clinical decision making where limited/conflicting information is available
- Promotion of high quality and cost-effective prescribing
- 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
- Implementation of relevant local and national guidelines within the specialist area
- Ensuring compliance with hospital formulary and microbiology guidelines
- Implementation and evaluation of Drug Usage Reviews and clinical audits, and changes in prescribing practice
- Being actively involved in the development of relevant patient information leaflets which complement licensed product information
- Provision of patient support on concordance related issues e.g. dosette boxes
2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS
To ensure correct and safe prescribing within HIV, demonstrating expert clinical knowledge and an advanced level of clinical assessment. Key duties include:
To qualify as an independent prescriber and undertake MDT-led prescribing clinics, reviewing PLHIV with complex co-morbidities, prescribing ongoing HIV medicines and monitoring for side effects and effectiveness of treatment
To provide medicine management reviews for complex patients
To provide clinical screening for all prescriptions for Ian Charleson Day Centre patients to ensure accurate and timely dispensing
To assist in the planning and organising of a clinical pharmacy service to HIV in the outpatient setting
To provide an in-patient service to the HIV inpatients
To liaise with doctors, administration staff and patients to ensure the safe and smooth running of the home delivery service.
To deal effectively with situations where medication errors have occurred, including liaising directly with patients and staff concerned
To liaise with other pharmacists to ensure continuity of medicines management, and to implement systems for the effective transfer of medicines between primary or secondary care
To 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 and highlighting the importance of life-long concordance with anti-retroviral regimens. To overcome communication barriers through the use of interpreters or other forms of communication
3. RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
To assist the Consultant Pharmacist, HIV in the production and implementation of business plans for the development of the pharmacy service provided to the speciality in line with the network plan
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
- Contribute to the development of and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines
- Ensuring compliance with CQC medicine related outcomes, NICE appraisals and other government related initiatives
- To contribute to the development and collect data on KPIs relating to medicine prescribing within HIV and prepare reports for relevant committees.
- To ensure that all pharmacy activities, procedures and documentation within the speciality are carried out in accordance with standard operating procedures and relevant medicines legislation
- To identify the risks of medicines use in the directorate and implement strategies to minimise them, working closely with the specialities clinical risk management committees. Assist in the implementation of government led strategies to improve medication safety
- To participate in the audit of clinical incidents and implementation of the changes in practice resulting from this
- To assist in the management of changes that need to occur in order to maximise patient care and to consider and act upon the implications of the change to other areas/personnel
- To assist in the auditing of services provided with the aim of improving the services provided by the pharmacy HIV team
4. RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES
To contribute to the management of the drug budget within the HIV Pharmacy team. The responsibilities will include:
- Provision of detailed evaluated reports on drug expenditure to the Divisional Finance Manager, General Manager, and Clinical Head of Service and presenting these reports at the HIV management group
- Identifying options for reducing drug expenditure and ensuring the most cost-effective drug use including monitoring and presentation of savings made by participation in drug trials
- Implementing national and local guidelines on the use of anti-retroviral agents
- 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 HIV, preparing evaluations and presenting applications to the Drug and Therapeutics Committee and communicating relevant decisions back to the specialty care group and manage the introduction of new therapies in HIV
- Liaising with the key decision makers (senior managers, CRGs, commissioners) to ensure provision of funding for high-cost drugs within HIV medicines and maintenance of the high-cost drugs database, Blueteq and (PhRED)
- Overseeing the supply of HIV medicines through homecare
5. RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING
To plan and organise the provision of the clinical pharmacy service to the infectious diseases ward and the Ian Charleson Day Centre, including day to day allocation of the workload
To manage and support the development of Band 7 Senior Pharmacists, band 6 rotational pharmacists and trainee pharmacists rotating through HIV including undertaking appraisals and performance review.
To support and facilitate the development of junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
To deputise for the Consultant Pharmacist HIV in his/her absence.
To support the consultant pharmacist HIV in the recruitment of staff for the HIV pharmacy team
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 attend and be an active participant in relevant clinical and managerial groups divisionally, corporately and externally, to ensure the delivery of best care to patients. This may include presenting data / guidelines that may be controversial / likely to be challenged
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 the specialist area to junior pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team
To share expertise with healthcare professionals on a nationwide level through professional conferences, forum and bodies.
To motivate and inspire others in order to create and maintain a good working environment and facilitate staff retention
To demonstrate innovation in the highly specialised field of HIV medicine
- To demonstrate a commitment to any national professional or occupational standards associated with this role
- Any other relevant duties as assigned by the Senior pharmacy managers or Chief pharmacist
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
- Completion of Post Graduate Diploma or equivalent
- Evidence of comprehensive band 6 and 7 rotation
- Experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist
Desirable
- Completion of non-medical prescribing course and experience in prescribing within set scope of practice
Skills
Essential
- Experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist
- Evidence of a comprehensive B6 and B7 rotation
- Experience of managing and analysing drug expenditure
- Evidence of multidisciplinary working
- Evidence of clinical audit/drug evaluation/practice research and the promotion of evidence based practice
- Experience in education and training
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Good negotiation skills and ability to influence key stakeholders
- Demonstration of advanced clinical knowledge and pharmaceutical skills with a high level of clinical reasoning and judgement
- Demonstrates a whole-system patient-focussed approach to work
- Ability to manage time, people and resources effectively to deliver timely outcomes
- Ability to identify and manage risks
- Ability to identify and implement best practice
- Ability to communicate with patient/carers and staff of all levels
- Ability to integrate within a multidisciplinary forum
- Ability to organise and prioritise work
- Ability to work alone and as part of a team
- Ability to take full responsibility for and be accountable for own actions
- Demonstrate initiative particularly in relation to problem solving
- Ability to work accurately under pressure
- Ability to carry out day to day responsibilities and deal effectively with unpredictable/acute demands
- Ability to justify and reason any advice given should this be challenged
- Ability to manage difficult and ambiguous situations
- Ability to undertake clinical audit and own research
- Ability to evaluate quality of service provided
- Ability to contribute to business plans, policies and clinical protocols
- Understanding of NHS national and local priorities
- Understanding of clinical risk and clinical governance
- Computer literate with good presentation skills
- Ability to identify own training needs and maintains portfolio of practice
- Good teaching and training skills
- Ability to motivate and act as a role model
Desirable
- Evidence of leading change management and service development
- Evidence of writing/implementing clinical guidelines and government directives
- Evidence of appraising staff and giving feedback
- Understanding of current national standards and guidelines and service delivery issues within HIV and infectious diseases
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
- Completion of Post Graduate Diploma or equivalent
- Evidence of comprehensive band 6 and 7 rotation
- Experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist
Desirable
- Completion of non-medical prescribing course and experience in prescribing within set scope of practice
Skills
Essential
- Experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist
- Evidence of a comprehensive B6 and B7 rotation
- Experience of managing and analysing drug expenditure
- Evidence of multidisciplinary working
- Evidence of clinical audit/drug evaluation/practice research and the promotion of evidence based practice
- Experience in education and training
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Good negotiation skills and ability to influence key stakeholders
- Demonstration of advanced clinical knowledge and pharmaceutical skills with a high level of clinical reasoning and judgement
- Demonstrates a whole-system patient-focussed approach to work
- Ability to manage time, people and resources effectively to deliver timely outcomes
- Ability to identify and manage risks
- Ability to identify and implement best practice
- Ability to communicate with patient/carers and staff of all levels
- Ability to integrate within a multidisciplinary forum
- Ability to organise and prioritise work
- Ability to work alone and as part of a team
- Ability to take full responsibility for and be accountable for own actions
- Demonstrate initiative particularly in relation to problem solving
- Ability to work accurately under pressure
- Ability to carry out day to day responsibilities and deal effectively with unpredictable/acute demands
- Ability to justify and reason any advice given should this be challenged
- Ability to manage difficult and ambiguous situations
- Ability to undertake clinical audit and own research
- Ability to evaluate quality of service provided
- Ability to contribute to business plans, policies and clinical protocols
- Understanding of NHS national and local priorities
- Understanding of clinical risk and clinical governance
- Computer literate with good presentation skills
- Ability to identify own training needs and maintains portfolio of practice
- Good teaching and training skills
- Ability to motivate and act as a role model
Desirable
- Evidence of leading change management and service development
- Evidence of writing/implementing clinical guidelines and government directives
- Evidence of appraising staff and giving feedback
- Understanding of current national standards and guidelines and service delivery issues within HIV and infectious diseases
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
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).
