Job summary
A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced, self-driven pharmacist to act as the Lead Pharmacist for Virtual Wards at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust and to work as part of the Virtual Ward MDT.
The Virtual Ward will provide specialist led care, supported by a multidisciplinary team, for a variety of patients and medical conditions. This care is provided in the comfort of the patients own home using an advanced remote monitoring platform, enabling them to safely leave hospital sooner or not come into hospital at all.
The post holder will also lead on the implementation and delivery of a post-natal hypertension clinic on the Virtual Ward, as part of a multidisciplinary team to:
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- Provide better co-ordinated care to patients
- Reduce hospital re-admissions
- Improve medicines safety
- Improve medicines compliance
Main duties of the job
- To deliver specialist clinical pharmacy services to virtual ward patients in accordance with set objectives to meet the needs of the user and the required standards of quality and professional practice.
- To provide specialist clinical pharmacy advice and expertise to medical and nursing staff and be responsible for the delivery and evaluation of clinical pharmacy services to the virtual ward.
- To develop and implement medicines management policies and procedures in line with local priorities, national directives, medicines legislation and professional ethics.
- To work closely with the Remote Monitoring Hub and the Imperial Care Healthcare Trust (ICHT) pharmacy virtual ward team.
- To work closely with the Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA) team to develop a safe and efficient pathway for the prescribing and supply for patients on the virtual ward.
- To identify and resolve prescribing-related problems and other medicines management related issues on the virtual ward to ensure that the principles of clinical governance and the safe and effective use of medicines are followed.
- To provide training and education to clinical and healthcare staff, including members of the virtual ward MDT.
About us
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is proud to be one of the top performing and safest trusts in England. We have two main acute hospital sites--Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital, plus our award-winning clinics across North West London and beyond.
Job description
Job responsibilities
General Clinical Practice:
- Co-ordinate and lead in the planning, development and provision of a high quality, specialist clinical pharmacy service to the virtual ward.
- Work with the Lead Divisional Pharmacist and other healthcare professionals to review and evaluate the service to the virtual ward, developing the service sensitive to the needs of patients, carers and healthcare staff.
- Review prescriptions for accuracy and legality and identify actual or potential problems.
- Ensure the effective supply of medicines for use as an inpatient or whilst on the virtual ward.
- Monitor patients for potential and actual adverse effects of their medicines.
- Take steps to ensure patients understand the purpose of their medicines and deal with any practical issues that may prevent the optimal use of their medicines.
- Support the planning of patient discharge with respect to medication, including the transcription of requests for dispensing.
- Demonstrate professional accountability to patients.
- Act as a clinical role model and demonstrate the ability to provide high quality, safe, clinically effective and cost efficient use of medicines.
- Provide highly specialist pharmaceutical care to patients including medication reconciliation on admission, at discharge, and medication review during inpatient/virtual ward stay.
- Participate in ward/virtual MDT rounds to integrate into the multidisciplinary team and raise the pharmacy profile via contributions at consultant level.
- Manage the allocated patients medication and make appropriate referrals.
- Manage difficult and ambiguous problems.
- Demonstrate a whole-system patient-focused approach.
- Demonstrate advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement.
- Communicate highly complex issues in all areas of work including communication with patients having language difficulties and patients with physical and mental disabilities.
- Manage pharmaceutical care issues in palliative patients in a sensitive and empathetic way.
- Effectively deal with medication supply issues and liaise with the buying office as necessary in order to maintain necessary medication.
- Support all clinical staff in the use of medicines outside of the product licence (off label) and unlicensed Medicines in the directorate in order to ensure that all medication use is of a high quality and safe.
- Develop recognition as a national and/or international pharmacy expert within the chosen medical speciality.
- Make appropriate referrals where necessary; ensure the clear and effective communication of patients pharmaceutical needs to other pharmacists and health care professionals both within the Trust and in other health care environments.
- To work as an Independent Prescriber according to Trust policies and within your identified scope of practice, if required.
- To ensure that prescribing is in line with formulary guidelines and prescribing policies.
- To liaise as appropriate with other healthcare professionals within primary care to improve communication across the interface to ensure continuity of care.
- To develop and implement initiatives that support the seamless transfer of patient between primary and secondary care settings and vice versa.
- To provide evaluated information for the Trust Medicines Group (TMG) to assist decision making on the inclusion of new products into the formulary. To attend the Trust Medicines Group meetings when necessary.
- To liaise with consultants to develop and update prescribing policies and procedures.
- To work as a member of the Virtual ward multi-disciplinary team supporting the safe management of medicine needs to patients being transferred to the Trust virtual ward from an acute admission ward or the Emergency Department.
- To support patients with their medicine needs whilst they are admitted to the virtual ward including, where necessary, visiting them at home.
Please refer to the Job description for the full list of roles and responsibilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
General Clinical Practice:
- Co-ordinate and lead in the planning, development and provision of a high quality, specialist clinical pharmacy service to the virtual ward.
- Work with the Lead Divisional Pharmacist and other healthcare professionals to review and evaluate the service to the virtual ward, developing the service sensitive to the needs of patients, carers and healthcare staff.
- Review prescriptions for accuracy and legality and identify actual or potential problems.
- Ensure the effective supply of medicines for use as an inpatient or whilst on the virtual ward.
- Monitor patients for potential and actual adverse effects of their medicines.
- Take steps to ensure patients understand the purpose of their medicines and deal with any practical issues that may prevent the optimal use of their medicines.
- Support the planning of patient discharge with respect to medication, including the transcription of requests for dispensing.
- Demonstrate professional accountability to patients.
- Act as a clinical role model and demonstrate the ability to provide high quality, safe, clinically effective and cost efficient use of medicines.
- Provide highly specialist pharmaceutical care to patients including medication reconciliation on admission, at discharge, and medication review during inpatient/virtual ward stay.
- Participate in ward/virtual MDT rounds to integrate into the multidisciplinary team and raise the pharmacy profile via contributions at consultant level.
- Manage the allocated patients medication and make appropriate referrals.
- Manage difficult and ambiguous problems.
- Demonstrate a whole-system patient-focused approach.
- Demonstrate advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement.
- Communicate highly complex issues in all areas of work including communication with patients having language difficulties and patients with physical and mental disabilities.
- Manage pharmaceutical care issues in palliative patients in a sensitive and empathetic way.
- Effectively deal with medication supply issues and liaise with the buying office as necessary in order to maintain necessary medication.
- Support all clinical staff in the use of medicines outside of the product licence (off label) and unlicensed Medicines in the directorate in order to ensure that all medication use is of a high quality and safe.
- Develop recognition as a national and/or international pharmacy expert within the chosen medical speciality.
- Make appropriate referrals where necessary; ensure the clear and effective communication of patients pharmaceutical needs to other pharmacists and health care professionals both within the Trust and in other health care environments.
- To work as an Independent Prescriber according to Trust policies and within your identified scope of practice, if required.
- To ensure that prescribing is in line with formulary guidelines and prescribing policies.
- To liaise as appropriate with other healthcare professionals within primary care to improve communication across the interface to ensure continuity of care.
- To develop and implement initiatives that support the seamless transfer of patient between primary and secondary care settings and vice versa.
- To provide evaluated information for the Trust Medicines Group (TMG) to assist decision making on the inclusion of new products into the formulary. To attend the Trust Medicines Group meetings when necessary.
- To liaise with consultants to develop and update prescribing policies and procedures.
- To work as a member of the Virtual ward multi-disciplinary team supporting the safe management of medicine needs to patients being transferred to the Trust virtual ward from an acute admission ward or the Emergency Department.
- To support patients with their medicine needs whilst they are admitted to the virtual ward including, where necessary, visiting them at home.
Please refer to the Job description for the full list of roles and responsibilities.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Pharmacy Degree
- GPHC Registration
- Independant Prescriber
- Post graduate Diploma or MSc in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent
- Extensive post-registration hospital experience - must include acute hospital pharmacy practice and in medical specialities
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant pharmacy/medicines management standards
- Involvement and experience in multidisciplinary working
- Management of individuals and team co-ordination
Desirable
- Experience of writing Standard Operating Procedures /clinical pathway implementation
- Support in the education and training of hospital staff
- Mentions Trust values
- Involvement in Audits / Service Improvement Projects
- Management/ Leadership qualification
- Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)
- Meets the necessary GPhC requirements in order to undertake role of GPhC Pre-registration Pharmacist Tutor
- Experience using Electronic Prescribing system e.g. Cerner
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Pharmacy Degree
- GPHC Registration
- Independant Prescriber
- Post graduate Diploma or MSc in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent
- Extensive post-registration hospital experience - must include acute hospital pharmacy practice and in medical specialities
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant pharmacy/medicines management standards
- Involvement and experience in multidisciplinary working
- Management of individuals and team co-ordination
Desirable
- Experience of writing Standard Operating Procedures /clinical pathway implementation
- Support in the education and training of hospital staff
- Mentions Trust values
- Involvement in Audits / Service Improvement Projects
- Management/ Leadership qualification
- Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)
- Meets the necessary GPhC requirements in order to undertake role of GPhC Pre-registration Pharmacist Tutor
- Experience using Electronic Prescribing system e.g. Cerner
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).