Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Developmental Paediatrics and Neurodiversity Service

Medicines Management & Clinical Support

·       Deliver a safe and effective Medicines Management service to the Developmental paediatrics and Neurodiversity (ND) team, adhering to all relevant procedures and governance frameworks.

·       Lead on the provision and monitoring of medicines for patients under the care of the Developmental Paediatric’s and ND service, with the Lead Pharmacist in ensuring appropriate follow-up and therapeutic oversight.

·       Provide pharmaceutical care to paediatric patients, working collaboratively with clinical pharmacists to optimise treatment outcomes.

·       Developing and updating highly specialised patient information leaflets for use in medicines initialisation clinics as well as other resources

·       Lead on the training of nurses with regards medicines used in the developmental paediatrics and ND service

Specialist Advice & Communication

·       Independently offer specialist medicines information to healthcare professionals across primary and secondary care, as well as to parents/carers of Alder Hey patients and those from external trusts.

·       Communicate complex medicines-related information (e.g. dosing, administration, supply) clearly and compassionately to patients and families, including those with barriers to understanding, using verbal, written, and electronic formats.

·       Independently respond to prescription queries from parents and clinicians, ensuring timely and accurate advice.

Clinic & Patient-Facing Activities

·       Provide direct support in clinics, including:

o   Conducting medication counselling

o   Performing drug interaction checks for clinicians and where appropriate summarise this information and present to the clinician.

o   Identify stock issues and act on these to support the clinician in person

·       Lead on designated clinics to support patients in learning to swallow tablet dosage forms (PIL School)

·       Develop and lead on medicines counselling clinics within developmental paedaitrics and ND service

·       Proactively review patients to ensure they are booked into clinics at appropriate times for review as per national guidelines

·       With the lead pharmacist lead in the initiation and monitoring of shared care agreements for the relevant medications

·       With the lead pharmacist lead in ensuring the transfer of amber initiated prescribed medication to primary care where appropriate.

Governance, Safety & Quality Assurance

·       Identify medicine related risks within Developmental Paediatrics and ND service and support the Pharmacy Governance Team’s agenda in the implementation of risk reduction measures

·       Manage and close medication-related incidents, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement.

·       Participate in the Community and Mental Health Medicine Safety Subgroup.

·       Lead on the audit of the use of FP10/EPS to ensure strict governance procedures are followed.

·       Support the Purchasing Department and Formulary & Procurement Pharmacist in assessing the quality and safety of licensed and unlicensed medicines, including completion of risk assessments and supporting the introduction of new drugs.

·       Liaise with pharmaceutical suppliers and manufacturers to facilitate the safe implementation of new medicines into the Trust.

·       To report and investigate adverse drug reactions via MHRA yellow card scheme.

·       Actively encourage others to report yellow card where appropriate.

Digital Transformation & Innovation

·       Support the implementation and monitoring of digital systems for streamlining prescribing workflows to enhance safety and efficiency.

·      Utilise digital advancements within the trust to improve medication management.

Education, Audit & Policy Development

·       Lead on the development and review of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for medicine management in the developmental paediatrics team with the support of the lead pharmacist

·       Provide stock updates and formulary advice to clinicians to ensure continuity of care and medicine availability.

·       Provide education to the wider pharmacy team on medicines management within the developmental paediatric team

Planning and organising skills

·       To be able to work independently and as part of a team in planning, organising and prioritising the daily workload. This may involve allocating tasks or jobs to other members of the team based on the urgency, complexity or nature of the workload and ensure deadlines are achieved.

·       To manage own workload and work unsupervised on multiple concurrent complex enquiries or tasks. To recognise own limitations and when necessary to refer to a senior pharmacist.

Responsibility for information resources (detail within)

·       To ensure the resources used within the department remain up to date in accordance with national guidance; this includes the renewal and ordering of new resources.

·       To maintain and develop the BI dashboard, Electronic prescribing systems and RPA system  

·       To ensure appropriate documentation and workload records are maintained e.g clinic documentation and clinic letters

·       To set up and maintain specialist internal medicines information databases/systems e.g. sharepoint

Main Pharmacy Service Responsibilities

Please see Job description for full details