Job summary
We are looking to appoint a highly motivated, innovative and enthusiastic clinical pharmacist to join the Mersey and West Lancashire (MWL) Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at the Whiston and St. Helens sites to lead pharmacy services for stroke services within the medical directorate.
This is a current role were you will work closely with our MWL stroke service section of the medical directorate. It is a well established multi-disciplinary team focused on delivering and promoting high quality, cost-effective and patient-focused pharmaceutical care.
Previous experience of providing pharmaceutical care to stroke patients is essential, you will either hold a non medical prescribing qualification or be working towards completion of the non medical prescribing qualification. You will be expected to be a team player with significant clinical experience, excellent interpersonal skills and attention to detail. You will be encouraged to develop and implement your own ideas within the role and help drive the pharmacy service forward under the guidance of the clinical service manager and principal clinical pharmacists.
Please note, interviews may include assessment tasks.
Previous applicants need not apply.
Interview date: TBC
Main duties of the job
The department operates a 7 day service to the Trust and as part of this role you will be expected to participate in the rostered weekend working which is currently 1 in 5. Participation in the late night working and pharmacy on call will also be required
The Trust occupies two new state-of-the-art PFI hospitals, with the new Whiston Hospital having opened in April 2010, as well as Newton Hospital which has recently been integrated into the Trust's service.
Whiston Hospital is the main site within this large, high-performing acute Trust covering a large suburban area between Liverpool and Warrington, including St Helens, Prescot and Huyton. St. Helens hospital provides diagnostic and clinic based services along with rehabilitation services with Newton providing a rehabilitation service. We manage in the region of 850 beds across all sites, have accredited teaching hospital status, and provide for most major specialties.
The Pharmacy Department has over 120 staff operating across Whiston and St Helens Hospitals. We have established automated dispensing systems within the dispensaries at both sites. Both the Department and the Trust have a long-standing reputation for being a friendly and rewarding place to work. Our last Investors in People assessment recognised our Pharmacy as an outstandingly good department for staff support and development. A new e-prescribing facility has recently been launched for outpatients as well as our existing inpatient EPMA system.
About us
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
- CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
- SAFETY that is of the highest standards
- COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
- SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
- PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager to plan, manage, develop and deliver the pharmaceutical service to l patients within the Trust in line with National strategy, in accordance with the changing needs of the NHS, the requirements of the Trust and taking into account feedback from users of the service.
- Act as a pharmaceutical resource for the Trusts patients, medical staff, pharmacy staff, nurses, midwives, non-medical prescribers etc.
- To work closely with pharmacy and other colleagues within local and national networks
- To work closely with clinical pharmacy colleagues to support the safe use of medicines
- As a Trust approved Independent Non-medical prescriber, prescribe medication where appropriate in accordance with personal formulary
- To assist the department in producing and reviewing guidelines and polices
- To analyse medicines expenditure across an allocated directorate as directed by Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager and to identify prescribing trends and potential prescribing cost saving initiatives
- To produce reports of and present such findings at Directorate level as required
- To be involved in audit of current practice to identify compliance with e.g. antimicrobial prescribing or adherence to Trust guidelines, producing reports of results for presentation at a suitable forum
- To critically evaluate and interpret all information obtained from all sources and to apply professional judgement, to provide clinically sound, unbiased, up-to-date, evaluated information
- To apply sound professional judgement to complex legal and ethical issues and dilemmas
- Be aware of changes to national policies, guidelines, NICE guidance and other medicines/health directives and recommend amendments to the formulary and medicines management policies as appropriate
- Scan national medical and pharmaceutical news by using recognised medical and pharmaceutical databases and websites to identify current and future developments in the pharmaceutical care of surgical patients
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- To provide an advanced clinical pharmacy service to specified wards in accordance with professional, departmental and Trust policies. This will include:
- Taking drug histories on admission
- Checking medical notes of each new patient to ascertain presenting complaint, past medical history, working diagnosis and relevant biochemical, haematological and microbiological test results to ensure safe and effective medicines use.
- Ensuring each medicine has an appropriate indication and that each diagnosis has appropriate therapy.
- Ensuring that existing therapy is safe to take with, and has not contributed to, the presenting complaint.
- Ensuring that new treatments are compatible with the patients conditions.
- Making recommendations on changes to drug therapy in line with the above.
- Reviewing recommendations in the light of new results and treatment plans.
- Advising on which medications to continue and which to stop during the peri-operative period, if appropriate
- Monitoring for adverse drug reactions and submit yellow cards to the CSM where appropriate.
- Advising on therapeutic drug level monitoring for specific drugs where appropriate.
- Ensuring compliance with formularies, policies and procedures.
- Educating patients about their drug therapy.
- Developing evidence based treatment protocols for use within specialities or across the Trust where appropriate.
- Providing advice on the availability of alternative formulations suitable for use in patients who are nil by mouth
- Providing information on the use of drugs outside their licensed indications
- Monitoring use and ensure adequate stock levels of crucial drugs on a daily basi
- To participate in consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary meetings where appropriat
- Provide specialist pharmaceutical information to medical and nursing staff and patients in your speciality and to General Practitioners and other staff where appropriat
- Liaise with General Practitioners and other primary care professional to obtain accurate drug historie
- Record clinical interventions in line with departmental polic
- Report any drug errors you detect to the Head of Pharmacy or their deputy. Ensure that the appropriate error form and prescriber feedback are complete
- Participate in the departmental therapeutic drug monitoring service, interpreting drug levels and providing advice to medical staff on appropriate dosage, including on cal
- Liaise with appropriate healthcare professionals within local Primary Care Trusts to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources across the primary/secondary care interface and where necessary develop shared care protocol
- Provide professional and legal supervision for a minimum of 5 hours per week to the dispensaries. Duties will include
- Professional checking of inpatient requisitions and TTOs
- Ensuring all prescriptions comply with the Medicines Ac
- Ensuring all prescriptions comply Misuse of Drugs Act where appropriate
- Final checking of prescriptions for accuracy prior to release
- Labelling and dispensing of medication as required
- Providing advice to patients on how to take their medicines and potential side effects
- Advice to Doctors, nurses and other professionals as required
- Order, receive and dispense controlled drugs in accordance with the Misuse of Drugs Act
- To develop competencies in designated specialty and deliver ward based clinical teaching to band 6/7 pharmacists & preregistration pharmacists within the Trust
- Supervision of pre-registration graduates and junior pharmacist
- Comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use safe custody and destruction of drugs within pharmacy and other areas of the hospita
- To assist medical staff in undertaking of such clinical trials as have been approved by the Ethical Committee and to arrange under the direction of senior members of staff of the Pharmacy department the necessary supplies and aspects of clinical trials protocol affecting the pharmaceutical servic
- Asist in the development, implementation and monitoring of The Clinical Pharmacy Standards across the pharmacy department
- To act as a clinical tutor for pharmacists undertaking the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
- To assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager in the recruitment of staff including participation on interview panels
- To assist the department in the review of patient group direction
- Return unwanted or patients own Controlled drugs from the wards in accordance with the departmental policy and the Misuse of Drugs Ac
- Assist in the delivery of pharmacist teaching of junior doctor
- Participate in the training of medical and nursing staff and other paramedical disciplines either within or external to the Trus
- Participate in individual performance review and the use of personal development plans including performing appraisals where appropriat
- To participate in clinical audit and practice research as instructed by senior pharmacists within the department including presentation of results where appropriat
- To assist in the organisation and participate in the weekly clinical meetings and continuing professional development feedback sessions for the pharmacist
- To attend appropriate training courses for pharmacists and to encourage other staff to undertake further trainin
- To participate in Continuing Professional Development and Professional Revalidation as per department policy and national guidelines from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC
- To assist other pharmacists in ensuring that work carried out in the departments at St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals is performed in accordance with the recommendation contained in the Guide to Good Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practice and its supplements; and the safe systems of work documentation
- To comply with Health and Safety at Work legislation, COSSH Regulations, Data Protection Act and other appropriate legislatio
- To participate in a rota which enables the department to provide a full 7 day service
- To participate in the on call, Saturday, Sunday , Bank Holiday and emergency duty rota
- To maintain the security of the in-patient and out-patient dispensaries especially whilst working alone (for example on call or whilst locking the department
- To participate in the department late night and locking up rota and ensure the safe custody of all pharmacy keys in your possession both on and off sit
- To undertake any other related duties which may be require
Medicines Optimisation
- Work closely with the Head of Pharmacy and Pharmacy Leadership Team to develop and implement the Trusts Medicines Optimisation Strategy.
- Assist in the production of evidence based prescribing guidance. in your speciality
- To work closely with key Trust and PMAPC colleagues to organise effective horizon scanning to identify and manage future developments in medicines which will have impact within the Trust and local health economy
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Vocational master's degree in pharmacy
- Post Graduate Diploma/MSc in Clinical Pharmacy
- 1 Year pre-registration training
- Membership of General Pharmaceutical Council
- Non-Medical prescribing qualification or working towards
- Demonstrate commitment to continuing professional development/education
Desirable
- Membership of Royal Pharmaceutical Society(RPS)
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- In depth and extensive clinical knowledge in acute medicine
- Experience of providing a specialist clinical pharmacy service at a high level and a broad knowledge of therapeutics in the Stroke services
- Experience of working in a busy dispensary environment
- Experience of drug reporting and financial management to directorates
- Demonstrable experience of clinical audit and practice research
Desirable
- Leading and supervising audit or practice research projects
- Experience in using the JAC Pharmacy Computer System
- Experience of electronic prescribing
Skills
Essential
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills
- Ability to work alone or as part of a team in a challenging environment
- Good organisational skills including ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to work under pressure
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 .
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 .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address
Whiston and St Helens Hospitals
Warrington Road
Prescot
L35 5DR