Senior Pharmacist Clinical Lead for Frailty Assessment Service Band 8a
Join us at an exciting time for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust! We have an ambitious plan for our journey to Outstanding and are looking for aspirational, committed individuals to join us, making a real difference to both staff and patients.
As a former winner of England for excellence award: Tourism destination of the year, the beautiful city of Gloucester and the scenic regency spa town of Cheltenham are fantastic places to work and live.
As a hospital Trust we are currently involved in over 100 clinical trials and studies, whilst also providing acute elective and specialist services to a population of over 620,000.
By joining Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust new colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome and a future full of opportunities and support.
Job overview
Senior Pharmacist Clinical Lead for the Frailty Assessment Service (FAS) - 1 year fixed-term maternity cover (22.5 hours a week)
Now is an exciting time for an experienced clinical pharmacist to join our team as we further develop our clinical pharmacy service to the Frailty Unit.
We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic patient-orientated clinical pharmacist who embraces the challenge of working in busy environments as part of a multi-disciplinary team, is keen to further develop their clinical skills and focused on delivering high quality pharmaceutical care that has a valuable impact on patients.
With this post, you will join a supportive and friendly pharmacy team, and be provided with numerous opportunities for personal and professional development.
For further details or to arrange an informal visit, please contact David Richards ([email protected]) or Elisabeth Willis ([email protected]) Clinical Pharmacist Leads for Medicine. Tel: 0300 422 6841.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder(s) will join a dedicated clinical pharmacy team responsible for the delivery and development of the clinical pharmacy service to the Frailty Unit. They will provide expert pharmaceutical advice for the management of patients, deliver high quality pharmaceutical care, improve patient safety and patient flow.
The post-holder will be an independent prescriber, responsible for undertaking medicines reconciliation and medicines optimisation by utilising their prescribing qualification to review and prescribe patients’ regular medication. They will also independently prescribe medication in order to facilitate discharge.
To ensure safe prescribing, the post holder will be expected to produce and maintain policies and guidelines.
They will act as a central point of contact between the Pharmacy Department and the Frailty service, and act as deputy to the Clinical Pharmacy Leads when necessary. As a member of the clinical pharmacy team, the post-holder will be required to provide general pharmacist duties within the department and to other clinical specialities as the service requires.Participation in pharmacy department late night, weekend and bank holiday rotas is required.
They will undertake clinical supervision and training of other pharmacy colleagues and provide education and training on medication to medical and nursing colleagues.
Working for our organisation
With a team of over 9,000 employees, we are proud to be the largest employer in Gloucestershire. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from an excellent package that includes exclusive benefits, flexible working opportunities and the chance to gain valuable experience in one of our innovative hospitals.Both hospitals are located in the city centres with access to shops and cafes.
The pharmacy department has approximately 240 staff. The 2 sites provide dispensary services to inpatients & outpatients, medicines information, procurement services and full clinical service to wards; the onsite aseptic and manufacturing services are centralised at CGH.
Pharmacy is at the forefront of many exciting projects including an award-winning service provided by pharmacist prescribers in orthopaedic pre-admission clinic.
We are a friendly, inclusive department who wish to nurture and develop our staff at all grades, from a mentoring programme for band 6 pharmacists to the development of pharmacist prescribers.
Within the Pharmacy department at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHSFT, we are committed to supporting the South West Inclusive Pharmacy Practice manifesto (https://pwds.nhs.uk/associates/sw-ipp/ ).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will:
- Improve medicines optimisation within the hospital setting for patients admitted to the Frailty Assessment Unit.
- Work in partnership with all appropriate hospital staff, external agencies and staff including care home staff, Community pharmacists, GP Practice/PCN Clinical Pharmacists and ICB Pharmacists.
- Ensure that patients on the Frailty Assessment Unit have a comprehensive medication review.
- Ensure that prescribing is evidence-based and cost effective.
- Provide education and training where necessary.
- Support the implementation and development of pathways and guidelines relating to medicines use within frailty.
- Work closely with Gloucestershire MOCH pharmacists and technicians in order to maximise effective system wide working across the Gloucestershire ICS.
Provision of Clinical Pharmacy Service to clinical area of responsibility.
Obtain key pharmaceutical information on newly admitted frail patients.
Information collected on a daily basis including:
Collecting, interpreting and documenting details of medication taken at home (the medication history).
Confirming details of the medication history with the patient, carer(s), GP Receptionist, the GP (occasionally), and by reviewing the patient’s own drugs from home if available, working alongside the Medicines Management Pharmacy Technicians.
Confirming and documenting important factors affecting the patient’s ability to manage their medicines at home (e.g. sight, hearing, manual dexterity, and use of a compliance aid).
Resolving any discrepancies and problems identified as a prescriber, to complete medicines reconciliation.
Provide clinical pharmacy service within Frailty Assessment Unit, ED and in reach to wards.
During the visit the pharmacist will:
Review prescriptions to ensure they are legal, safe, cost-effective, clinically necessary and appropriate, accurate, and complete.
Undertake Medicines Optimisation
Arrange for drugs to be supplied to patients, ward(s) or department(s).
Provide information and advice to nursing staff on a daily basis, about drugs, doses, administration and potential side-effects.
Provide information and advice to junior medical staff on a daily basis, and to Consultants as and when needed, including suggestions for initiating and modifying treatment.
Educate patients as appropriate about changes to their medication, and how to take specific medicines (e.g. warfarin, inhaler devices).
Access and interpret clinical information for specific patients (e.g. e-PMA system (Sunrise Clinical Manager), Patient Administration system (TrakCare), Pharmacy computer system (EMIS) as well as case notes and Summary Care Record (SCR)), and use it to individualise and monitor treatment.
Document relevant clinical and pharmaceutical information during in-patient stay which may be used to prepare discharge prescription and/or communicated to patient, carer(s) or GP.
Review discharge prescriptions written by medical staff, using professional judgement to make a final decision about content and appropriateness of discharge prescriptions when a suitable prescriber cannot be contacted.
Participate in Consultant ward rounds as appropriate, providing pharmaceutical advice and information to medical staff, nursing staff, and patients as part of a multi-professional team.
Undertake risk management and ensure compliance with legislation and relevant national policies and guidelines, along with local policies and procedures including the Trust Formulary.
Work in an effective team with technicians involved in Trust Medicines Management scheme on designated wards.
Usually work unsupervised, although the post-holder can seek advice from a range of colleagues as and when required.
Prepare frail patients for discharge from hospital
Daily tasks include:
Communicate with junior medical staff (and occasionally Consultants) to clarify aspects of the prescription including drug, dosage, frequency, duration of treatment, and length of supply when necessary.
Use professional judgement to make a final decision about content and appropriateness of discharge prescriptions when a suitable prescriber cannot be contacted.
Communicating with patients, carers, community pharmacists as necessary to establish what medication is available at home, and/or to explain changes made to their prescription during hospital admission.
Able to assess and respond appropriately to individual patient’s needs for help with managing their medicines at home.
Assessing the suitability of patient’s own drugs for re-use/continued use at home, if necessary.
Supply pharmaceutical and clinical information to the patient’s GP including details of and reasons for medication changes, advice given to the patient, or monitoring needed by the GP.
Provide highly specialised advice on appropriate drug treatment in line with own professional judgement, experience, evidence-based medicines and treatment guidelines- on occasion, give a specialist opinion in areas where information is lacking and/or medical opinion differs
- educate junior doctors on good prescribing practice
- persuade senior/junior medical staff to follow agreed prescribing policies
To initiate, collaborate in, analyse and report on multi-disciplinary audits and research involving the pharmacy service and/or medical directorate as required.
Clinical Governance
Support the Divisional Clinical Governance agenda by advising on strategy for reducing medication errors and improving safety in conjunction with the Associate Pharmacy Director- To investigate individual adverse incidents related to drug use within the Division in collaboration with the Clinical Risk and Effectiveness Department.
- To monitor trends associated with errors in prescribing, dispensing or administering drugs
- To educate other healthcare staff in the safe use of drugs
- To audit identified high risk areas
- To monitor Patient Safety Incident forms (Datix) completed by pharmacists working on the wards
Prescribing
If post holder holds a Certificate in Professional Studies/Postgraduate Certificate in Non-Medical Prescribing they must practise within the boundaries of local strategy, professional guidance and the law.
Prescribe medicines for agreed patients within their competency as a dependent (e.g. supplementary) prescriber in line with current legislation, local policies and within their own level of experience and competence
Prescribe medicines in their competency as an independent prescriber in line with current legislation, local policies and within their own level of experience and competence
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent post graduate qualifications
- Independent prescriber qualification
- 4 year Vocational Masters degree with postgraduate competency assessment with examination to enter the register
Experience
Essential criteria- Significant clinical experience as a Pharmacist in UK hospital at band 7 level or above, covering a wide range of clinical specialties including acute admission areas
- Experience delivering and developing a clinical pharmacy service
Knowledge/ Skills
Essential criteria- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. Able to produce a range of written documents, including drug usage reports, SOPs, policies and guidelines.
- Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to challenge inappropriate prescribing and influence prescribing decisions of all healthcare professionals including senior medical colleagues.
- Proficient in the use of Sunrise EPR and EMIS plus a wide range of standard IT programmes including MS Word, Excel and Outlook
- Adaptable to the changing needs of the service including flexible working patterns (e.g. weekend working and working at both sites)
- Self-motivated, able to use initiative & prioritise workload as well as work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Able to effectively and appropriately escalate concerns to reduce risk & promote safety
- Health Assessment skills
Qualities
Essential criteria- Awareness of professional and personal limitations, and willing to seek advice and support where necessary
- Reliable, polite and approachable
The health and wellbeing of our staff and patients remains the priority of the Trust. Vaccination remains the best chance we have of conquering COVID and the Trust encourages everyone to take up this offer.
Please note, this vacancy may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received, so please apply as soon as possible if you are interested. The Recruitment Team are unable to accept any applications after the position has closed on NHS Jobs.
Committed to safeguarding our community
If applicable for the post, all successful candidates will be required to pay for their own Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost will be £29 (standard checks) or £46 (enhanced checks), and will be recovered through two instalments from the candidate's salary.Please contact [email protected] for further information.
The Trust is a safeguarding employer committed to the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Trust is committed to safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults, and any appointment will be subject to satisfactory clearance.As part of the organisation's commitment to Safer Recruitment, candidates may request copies of relevant policies and procedures by contacting the Recruitment Team at [email protected]
Committed to supporting service personnel
As part of our commitment to support Service Personnel, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Career Transition Partnership, offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all qualifying Service and Ex-Service Personnel.To qualify for a guaranteed interview, candidates must meet the essential criteria for the post and be either a current member of the Armed Forces, or be within the two year period of resettlement. If this applies to you please email the job reference number and your AR number to the Recruitment Team at [email protected]
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