Principal Pharmacist

We are recruiting for a **Principal Pharmacist** for**Medical Specialities** to join this progressive team based in Herefordshire

As the Principal Pharmacist you will be responsible for providing pharmaceutical expertise to the Medical Specialties. This includes responsibility for Respiratory, Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Stroke Services. You will also have responsibility for medicinessafety and financial governance associated with medicines use.

**Job Purpose**
- Provide a comprehensive clinical pharmacy and medicine management service to Medical Specialities.
- Provide expert advice, at a highly specialist level, on pharmaceutical matters.
- Responsible for the development, monitoring and review of medicines related guidance to the Medical Specialities.
- Provide clinical checking to support ward based and dispensary clinical pharmacy services.
- Managerial responsibilities to include budget management, reviews, and supervision of junior staff.

**Main Duties & Responsibilities (not limited to)**
- Clinical checking and validation of prescriptions.
- Lead on medicines reconciliation for the Medical Specialities to ensure patients receive the correct medication as early as possible into their admission.
- Use specialist knowledge of medicines to provide advice within a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, patients, carers, and pharmacy staff on all pharmaceutical aspects of care.
- Liaise with primary care and social care colleagues to ensure transfer of information relating to patients’ medicines is timely and accurate.
- Liaise with medical, nursing and pharmacy colleagues to ensure Medical Specialities activities are integrated into the wider pharmacy service.
- Responsibility for supervision of junior pharmacy staff (including trainee foundation pharmacists).
- Meet Trust targets for self and managed staff in relation to mandatory and role specific training compliance.
- Ensure adequate operational pharmacy cover for the allocated medical Wards and liaise with the Lead Pharmacist for the Medical Division to mitigate risks when staffing levels are lower than planned.
- Develop and deliver reports to Directorate leads to inform the value of the clinical, operational, and financial benefits of the Medical Specialities and Pharmacy Service. Attend monthly Directorate business and quality & safety meetings where these reportsare discussed.
- Lead on pharmacy audit, quality improvement and practice research in relation to pharmacy operational activity and medicines optimisation to improve quality, efficiency, and patient safety across the Medical Specialities.
- Contribute to regular pharmacy KPI data to record pharmacist activity for benchmarking.
- Support the formal development programmes within the Pharmacy department e.g., trainee foundation pharmacists, clinical diploma, independent prescribing, pharmacy university students.
- Be the lead for and deliver training on medicines optimisation for nursing, medical and other healthcare professionals within the Medical Specialities.
- Support 7-day clinical services to the Trust on a departmental rotational weekend and Bank Holiday rota basis (currently 1:6).

**Knowledge & Skills required**
- BSc Pharm or MPHARM.
- Registered with the GPHC.
- Significant experience as a Clinical Pharmacist in a hospital/primary care setting.
- Evidence of CPD post registration.
- Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (desirable).
- Independent prescriber (or evidence of working towards this).