Lead Pharmacist

Job summary

Are you an enthusiastic, motivated and experienced clinical pharmacist looking to work within a Major Trauma centre offering tertiary services across a number of different surgical specialties?

Would you like to work as an integral member of a well-respected and proactive multidisciplinary team, working towards credentialing for a consultant post within a surgical speciality alongside utilising your skills as a non-medical prescriber in both the inpatient and outpatient setting?

Are you at the stage of your career where you are looking to develop your clinical and leadership skills managing a team of advanced specialist and pharmacy technicians whilst leading the pharmacy service to the Surgery Care Group and Surgical care areas?

Do you want to be part of an innovative Department that have had an ambitious 5-year strategy and workforce plan approved by the Trust Board?

If so, we would love to hear from you

Depending on the stage of your career, further study will be encouraged and supported. Practice research is also encouraged in this role

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Main duties of the job

Responsible for the provision of a high-quality patient focused clinical pharmacy service for patients within the Surgery Care Group ensuring that pharmacy staff are deployed appropriately and meet the needs of the Trust patient safety, flow, Medicines Reconciliations & discharges

Act as an advanced specialist pharmacist to the Surgery Care Group within your chosen area of practice

Along with the Lead Pharmacist- Lead Pharmacist Critical Care, Anaesthetics, Pain and Theatres to be the named directorate lead pharmacist for the Surgery Care Group

Lead the teaching and clinical supervision of pharmacy staff & other healthcare employees

Promote the safe use of medicines across the Care Group

Work with associate chief pharmacist clinical services establishing clearly defined roles for non-medical prescribers & advanced clinical practitioners.

Work towards credentialing as a consultant pharmacist within a surgical speciality

Develop and manage the delivery of pharmacy services to ensure efficient use of resources and systems including monitoring drug expenditure, delivery of financial savings

Work with the clinical and governance teams to develop guidelines, protocols and PGDs

Undertake audits &engage with Quality Improvement & practice research

Deputise for the Associate Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services

About us

University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS is the largest hospital on the Southwest Peninsula providing comprehensive secondary and tertiary care to a population of around 2,000,000 people who can access our specialist services including cardiothoracic surgery, kidney transplantation, neurosurgery, and the regional trauma centre. Our specialist cancer treatments include bone marrow transplant, sarcoma surgery and hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgery (not exhaustive). We work closely with our community partners in delivering comprehensive health and social care.

The Surgical Care Group offers numerous surgical specialities many of which are regional tertiary services across 29 permanent theatres and 16 different ward areas. These include Bariatrics, Breast, Cardiac and Thoracic, Colorectal, Paediatrics, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, ENT, Maxillofacial Surgery, Neurosurgery, Upper GI, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary, Orthopaedics, Major Trauma, Plastics, Urology, Vascular and General surgery, offered.

The Pharmacy team are considered an integral member of the multidisciplinary team supporting these services, joining a team of clinicians, nurse specialists and other allied healthcare professionals.

From September 2024, the highly-ranked University of Bath MPharm degree will be available to study at the University of Plymouth. There will be opportunities for pharmacist colleagues to participate in these educational activities, with the potential for formal roles in the future.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Responsible to the Lead Associate Chief Pharmacist Clinical Services for strategic planning and delivery of clinical pharmacy services to patients within the Surgery Care Group.

Deputises for the Associate Chief Pharmacist Clinical Services along with the other Lead Pharmacists, in their absence as required.

Support the Chief Pharmacist / Deputy Chief Pharmacist / Associate Chief Pharmacist in developing, monitoring, and reporting on drug expenditure and medicines budget and the delivery of financial savings as part of the pharmacy CIP.

The post holder will be required to represent the clinical pharmacy team and service line at both internal and external committees and forums including the Drug and Therapeutics committee, Medicines Safety Committee, Clinical Governance and Care Group operational meetings as appropriate.

Work as a member of the surgery services lines and wider UHP pharmacy team, highly providing specialist clinical pharmacy care to patients across the care group in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

To lead on the implementation of NHSE commissioning decisions relating to the treatment of new technologies across Surgical Care Group and Surgical Care areas, ensuring safe prescribing by the production of protocols and guidelines.

Participate in ward rounds, outpatient clinics and relevant MDTs, review prescriptions, challenge treatment choices and communicate highly complex drug and therapeutic information to senior clinicians, senior manager, other professionals, patients, and their carers in order to influence treatment options.

To utilise non-medical prescribing and advance practice skills across the care group following collaboration with the MDT.

Lead on the monitoring, review, and report on medicines related incidents within Surgery Care Group.

To manage, lead and co-ordinate the advanced specialist pharmacists within the surgery care group. In conjunction with the Lead pharmacist for Critical Care, Anaesthetics, Pain and Theatres to support the wider Surgery pharmacy team including advanced specialist (surgery, trauma, orthopaedics, specialist surgery, vascular, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, anticoagulation, dermatology etc) pharmacists, rotational band 6/7 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the provision of a safe, effective and efficient clinical pharmacy service in accordance with local and national standards and strategy and to ensure all members of the pharmacy team are trained and competent for their roles.

Ensure an appropriate level of clinical pharmacy service is provided to the Surgery Care Group.

Configure and implement inductions for pharmacists across Surgery Care areas.

Provide education and training to all healthcare professionals including medical students.

To act as a role model as a clinical pharmacist and team leader, to pharmacists, technicians, ATOs and all other members of the multidisciplinary team.

Practice as a Pharmacist Prescriber / advanced practitioner within a service line within the Surgery Care group working within professional competence and an agreed scope of practice at all times.

To engage with Quality Improvement and practice research.

Development, implementation, and update of clinical pharmacy policy, relevant to pharmacy practice and medicines in Surgery Care group and surgical care areas.

Monitor and evaluate medicines related protocols and guidelines across the Surgery Care group and surgical care areas.

Propose policy or service changes which improve services and may have multidisciplinary and resource implications.

Assist in the development and implementation of PGDs and non-medical prescribing initiatives, when appropriate.

To use your expertise as a pharmacist working within the Surgery Care group and surgical care areas both within the Trust and externally to form working partnerships with other health and social care service providers from across the wider healthcare system.

As and advanced specialist pharmacist in your chosen area of practice:

- Recommendation of appropriate therapy for individual patients where evidence is not available, controversial evidence exists or other professionals may challenge advice.- Contribute to the organisations wider antimicrobial surveillance programme, implementing local programmes ensuring appropriate antimicrobial prescribing.

- Attendance at Consultant/GP, speciality team MDMs. white board/MDT meetings/ward rounds to actively facilitate and provide advice on treatment, including highly complex patients.

- Promote compliance by prescribers and other healthcare staff with local/national policies and the South and West Devon Formulary.

- Application of highly complex knowledge of the evidence base behind drug therapies used.

- Assess clinical requirements of patients as a clinical pharmacist and an independent prescriber through interpretation of clinical data and examination. If required request appropriate tests and examinations for patients directly under your care.

- Contribute to pharmaceutical initiatives that help with the seamless transfer of patients between different healthcare settings.

Participate in any wider departmental rotas where needed.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy. Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council Postgraduate Diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent Non-medical prescriber (or must be willing to undertake this when requested)

Desirable

Current registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Active member of Surgery & Theatres group within UKCPA or equivalent pharmacist specialist interest group Member of the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) Postgraduate leadership qualification Postgraduate qualification in speciality

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

Excellent proven knowledge of clinical pharmacy and drug use within across a variety of surgical specialities and other medical specialities. Demonstrable experience in a range of clinical specialties Demonstrable experience of providing pharmaceutical care to patients in Surgical Care areas in both inpatient and outpatient setting Excellent proven knowledge of general clinical pharmacy and drug use Able to identify a vision for the delivery of pharmaceutical services to the Surgical Care Group and Surgical Care areas Demonstrable Senior pharmacy management experience within a recognised area of pharmacy practice Proven skills in effective leadership, successful communication, negotiating, persuasion and influencing Proven knowledge of strategic care agendas Proven understanding of NHS priorities and how to apply these locally Demonstrates awareness of and commitment to the clinical governance agenda Demonstrable experience of leading and managing others Demonstrable experience of supervising others, including for research and audit projects Excellent oral and written communication skills to address highly complex issues Report writing skills. Proven evidence of CPD Demonstrable experience of teaching, training and people development Demonstrable experience of policy and guideline development Demonstrable experience of providing diploma mentorship and/or pre-registration tutorship Demonstrable multidisciplinary working / ward round /outpatient clinical experience

Desirable

Previous demonstrable experience of providing support to the management of a hospital directorate or division Demonstrable experience of designing and developing pharmacy services Demonstrable experience in presenting research Demonstrable experience in budget management and staff management Demonstrable experience of leading and managing others Demonstrable experience of working as an advanced clinical practitioner Demonstrable experience of managing own caseload of patients or under consultant supervision as a non-medical prescriber in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential

oGood communication skills, written and verbal, with ability to demonstrate fluency, clarity and effectiveness at all levels. oTime management skills.

Desirable

oDemonstrate potential management ability oProven knowledge and understanding of financial issues

---