Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post-holder will be responsible for delivering and developing an advanced clinical pharmacy service to the Gastroenterology Department, in particular for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. They will provide an expert pharmaceutical service for the management these patients, deliver high quality pharmaceutical care and improve patient safety. They will provide information and advice to the Gastroenterology team about drugs, doses administration and potential side effects, including initiating and modifying treatment. They will educate patients about changes to their medication and how to take specific medicines. 

The post-holder(s) will be an independent prescriber and prescribe medicines for agreed patients within their own level of experience and competence, and in line with current legislation and local polices. They will mainly work within the outpatient setting (conducting outpatient clinic appointments) but as required by the service may cover an in-patient ward. They will review patients as part of a pharmacist led consultation which may include prescribing medication, ordering and interpreting bloods tests or other investigations and corresponding with Primary Care. They will access and interpret clinical information e.g., from the ePMA system (Sunrise Clinical Manager), the Patient administration system (TrakCare), Pharmacy computer system (EMIS) as well as case notes. They will work with the speciality to reduce waiting lists and streamline patient follow up. 

As a member of the wider clinical pharmacy team, the post-holder(s) will be required to provide general pharmacist duties within the department and to other clinical specialities as the service requires. This would involve provision of a ward clinical pharmacy service. The post holder(s) would be responsible for:

- Reviewing prescriptions to ensure they are legal, safe, cost effective, clinically necessary and appropriate, accurate and complete.

- Undertaking medicines optimisation and reconciliation

- Arrange for drugs to be supplied to a patient, ward or department

Participation in pharmacy department late night, weekend and bank holiday rotas will be required. Based on the needs of the service and at the discretion of the Associate Pharmacy Directors, the post holder(s) may be required to work at both the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital sites.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

- Four year Vocational Masters degree with one years postgraduate competency assessment with examination to enter the register otherwise Bachelor of Pharmacy degree or Bachelor of Science degree along with equivalent skills gained through experience

- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

- Provide evidence of Continuing Professional Development to comply with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) requirements

- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent skills gained through significant experience as a clinical pharmacist within hospital pharmacy

- Pharmacist Independent Prescribing qualification

- Knowledge of current therapeutics within area of clinical responsibility and promote evidence based practice 

- Able to work alone and unsupervised

- Ability to organise and prioritise own workload including dealing with frequent interruptions

- Effective oral and written communication with colleagues, staff and patients.

- Ability to write reports and make presentations to a range of colleagues in various settings

- Intermediate competence in standard range of IT programs

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.Provision of Clinical Services/Clinical Responsibilities

The postholder(s) will work within the Gastroenterology team, and-

- Conduct outpatient clinic appointments

- Prescribe and Monitor specialist medicines for inflammatory bowel disease

- Registering patients for homecare and completing prescriptions

- Requesting, reviewing and monitoring lab results and other relevant investigations

- Infusion prescribing and chart rewrites for case day admissions

- Counselling patients on complex medication

- Participate in MDT

- Consultation with patients between appointments where required to resolve medication and prescription issues. 

- Respond to medication related questions from other members of the MDT

- Demonstrate excellent communication skills, verbal and written documentation.

- Review and write policies and procedures as required

- Implement new medicines when they become available/NICE approved (e.g. formulary, pathways, setting up homecare service where applicable)

As a member of the wider clinical pharmacy team, the post-holder(s) will be required to provide general pharmacist duties within the department and to other clinical specialities as the service requires. This would involve provision of a ward clinical pharmacy service. The post holder(s) would be responsible for:

- Reviewing prescriptions to ensure they are legal, safe, cost effective, clinically necessary and appropriate, accurate and complete.

- Undertaking medicines optimisation and reconciliation

- Arrange for drugs to be supplied to a patient, ward or department

 
2. Professional Development, Education and Training

Participate in the departmental clinical pharmacy induction and development programme through;

- Involvement in the devising of training and development programmes

- Provide clinical supervision of less experienced pharmacists, trainee pharmacists and vacation students as required

- Act as a clinical diploma tutor for junior pharmacists as appropriate

- Develop and deliver education and training in line with local and national objectives and contribute to pharmacy modernisation initiatives being undertaken within the department.

- Be involved in, and lead where appropriate, the recruitment, selection, induction and appraisal of new staff.

Conduct formal and in-formal teaching sessions for medical professionals and nursing and pharmacy staff on;

- Therapeutics within area of clinical responsibility.

- The prescribing and administering of medicines and appropriate Trust policies.

Support clinical placements for undergraduate pharmacy students and participate in the programme through;

- Supervision of ward-based activities

- Tutorials

- Assessment of student’s participation and work produced during placement, and the provision of formal feedback to the university as required.

3. Management and Leadership

- Promote positive and effective communication

- Act as the central point of contact between the Pharmacy Department and the Gastroenterology Department

- Represent the service, and the department, as part of multi-professional teams, and at meetings (Departmental and Divisional)

- Support the Clinical Governance agenda by advising on strategy for reducing medication errors and improving safety in conjunction with the Associate Pharmacy Directors and Lead Clinical Pharmacists

- Investigate individual adverse incidents related to drug use within the speciality in collaboration with the Clinical Risk and Effectiveness Department.

- Monitor trends associated with errors in prescribing, dispensing or administering drugs

- Produce financial reports as appropriate.

- Work with the ‘Biologics’ Pharmacists to co-ordinate the adoption of best value bio-similars.

- Work with the Formulary Pharmacy team to monitor drug expenditure, horizon scan for new medicines within speciality and support the implementation of NICE technology Appraisals

- Act as a role model for junior pharmacy staff

- Line management of junior pharmacists (including appraisals, career development interviews and performance management)

- Manage and/or supervise MOTs and junior Pharmacists as necessary

- Deputise for Line Manager where delegated/instructed

4. Research and Development

- Maintain safe systems of work at all times, being responsible for the quality and accuracy of all work undertaken

- Develop and maintain clinical skills and knowledge necessary to deliver an evidence based service.

- Identify own development needs, aligning these to service requirements and personal aspirations. Proactively develop and improve own practice using all available resources

- Understand and contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies/ protocols/ guidelines relevant to the specialist area.

- Contribute to the clinical pharmacy service strategy including participation in the clinical pharmacy meetings.

- Work with departmental leads to enhance service where appropriate in order to increase efficiency and modernise the department e.g. prepare business plans for proposed new service developments.

- To be responsible for implementing changes in clinical pharmacy practice and reducing variation in prescribing practice.

- Plan, undertake and participate in project work and clinical audit to monitor and develop the service.

To promote a research culture within the pharmacy department e.g. by encouraging pharmacy staff to publish articles, to integrate research evidence into practice, and to identify gaps in the evidence base.