Detailed job description and main responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

• To provide a safe and effective highly specialist clinical pharmacy service to cardiac and thoracic surgery wards including critical care areas.
• To assist the lead surgical pre-admission pharmacist on the development, implementation and management of the surgical pre-admission medicines optimisation service.
• Work with fellow health care professionals to facilitate the delivery of local and national health policy.
• Assist the Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services and lead surgical pre-admission pharmacist in providing clinical training and supervision, relevant to the Surgical Division, for other healthcare professionals and students.  
• Assist the Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services in the development of pharmacy services and medicines management within the Surgical Division.  
• Provide essential pharmaceutical services out of hours
• Analyse and challenge medicines expenditure and provide regular reports to the surgical division ensuring the cost effective use of medicines.
• To assist the critical care lead pharmacist in developing an enhanced pharmaceutical service to critical care.
• To represent the department at Surgical Governance Committee meetings and provide any necessary information and advice.

CLINICAL

• Provide a highly specialist clinical pharmacy service to a designated ward/area/clinic in the Surgical Division in accordance with professional, departmental and Trust policies which will includes:
•  Undertaking medicines reconciliation on admission or in pre-operative clinic, preparing patients for admission to hospital with regard to their drug therapy, which includes providing perioperative advice and prescribing of medicines
• Assessing the appropriateness for use of patient’s own medicines
• Reviewing medicines to ensure safe and effective use
• Formulation of individual pharmaceutical care plans
• Review and update of care plans depending on response, results of investigations and adverse effects
• Therapeutic drug monitoring for specific medicines
• Educating patients about their medicines
• Providing advice about medicines to patients and their carers in diverse situations and with diverse needs, often providing advice on complex conditions
• Providing advice to medical and nursing staff on choice of medicine, dosage, route of administration, duration of therapy, drug interactions and toxicity. 
• Participate in consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary meetings relevant to the designated ward(s).
• Developing evidence based treatment protocols for use either within the directorate or across the trust where appropriate
• Facilitating implementation of local and national guidelines. 
• Monitoring and recording adverse drug reactions and reporting to the MHRA when necessary.
• Implementing patient self-administration schemes in accordance with Trust policy
• Acting as an independent prescriber in accordance with the Trust’s Non-Medical Prescribers policies and guidelines (once registered as a non-medical prescriber).
• Writing discharge prescriptions and providing discharge information to Community Pharmacists and General Practitioners.
• Providing advice to ward managers on the safe and secure storage of medicines in line with current legislation. 
• Recording clinical interventions and activities in line with departmental policy and Trust procedures for the management of risk.
• Investigating any medicines related incidents or complaints from the designated clinical area and explore ways of minimising risk of future recurrence. 
• Establishing communication with primary care professionals to facilitate the transfer of patient care when necessary. 
• Liaising with appropriate health care professionals within Primary Care Trusts to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources across the primary/secondary care interface and where necessary develop shared care protocols.
• Providing professional and legal clinical supervision and act as the designated Responsible Pharmacist in the dispensary as allocated.
• Covering the duties of other pharmacists during periods of sickness and absence and to undertake any other reasonable duties that may be required.
• Being responsible for the safe dispensing, checking and issuing of medicines from the dispensary in accordance with the Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act and COSHH.
• Offering advice, according to the training of a pharmacist, to staff and general public working within the guidelines of the standard operating procedures for the sale of medicines from the pharmacy retail area.

Please see attached Job Description for additional responsibilities