Dispensary Clinical Pharmacist, Band 6

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

Permanent position, 15 hours a week

(Weekend rota included)

An opportunity to work within the NHS in a forward thinking department which has recently implemented ePMA, and has a commitment to excellence and patient safety. This part time role suits anyone looking for a change in direction or to supplement an existing role with an element of Hospital Pharmacy.

We require a skilled, enthusiastic and motivated pharmacist to join our pharmacy team. The role involves providing pharmacist input in the dispensary on clinical and pharmaceutical matters to contribute to the provision of an efficient and safe dispensary service. You will also join our large team of clinical pharmacists providing clinical support to designated ward(s) through daily ward visits working to provide excellent patient care across a range of specialities.

We will give you the scope to further your personal development and our team of with the support of our team of specialist and experienced pharmacist we will enable you to develop the skills and knowledge required to further your career.

Main duties of the job

The candidate will have a dual role or being responsible for fulfilling the pharmacist's role in the dispensary, and responsibility to ward based clinical pharmacy services, and professional supervision, in order to promote safe, rational, effective & economic use of medicines. They will participate in a structured, assessed programme to further develop their skills.

The candidate will need to have completed a 4 year Vocational Masters degree (or Bachelor degree and equivalent skills gained through experience) with one years postgraduate competency assessment with examination and be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Good interpersonal skills and good competence in a standard range of IT skills will be necessary as will the ability to perform high level calculations. The candidate will have the ability to develop their own knowledge and skills based upon identified learning needs.

Please see the attached JD for full details.

About us

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest employer in the county and with over 8,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. We offer a generous annual leave allowance, excellent bank rates, access to the excellent NHS Pension Scheme, discounts for local shops, restaurants and services, access to our health and well-being hub, access to our two on-site nurseries, flexible working options, discounted public transport, reward and recognition schemes, exercise and activity classes and membership to our popular hospital choir. Both hospitals are located in the city centres with access to shops and cafes.

The pharmacy department has approximately 240 staff. The 2 sites provide dispensary services to inpatients & outpatients, medicines information, procurement services and full clinical service to wards; the onsite aseptic and manufacturing services are centralised at CGH. Pharmacy is at the forefront of many exciting projects including an award-winning service provided by pharmacist prescribers in orthopaedic pre-admission clinic. Within the department are specialist clinical teams; the Specialist Mental Health Pharmacy facilitates delivery of Specialist services for Mental Health & Learning Disabilities. The cancer services team provide a pharmacy service at both sites for oncology & haematology and satellite pharmacy. We are a friendly, inclusive department who wish to nurture and develop our staff at all grades.

Date posted

04 July 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

318-23-T1069-A

Job locations

Cheltenham General Hospital (cross-site working may be required in future)

Sandford Road

Cheltenham

GL53 7AN

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Result Areas

1. Dispensary

The Pharmacist will:

- For allocated sessions or agreed periods each week act as the supervising pharmacist or Responsible Pharmacist in the dispensary.

- Clinically assess in-patients and Discharge prescriptions by reviewing current in-patient medication chart against Discharge prescriptions on ePMA

- Check the prescriptions for: legality, legibility and intention of prescriber, that the medication is suitable for the patient, any errors in dose, frequency, form and route, determine specific patient requirements, resolving any queries with the prescriber and determining specific patient requirements

- May occasionally have to make decisions when prescribers are not available to clarify their intentions regarding ambiguous prescriptions.

- Assess Out Patient prescriptions as above

- Check the dispensing of the pharmacy dispensers

- Issue dispensed items to outpatients with appropriate information and advice on their medicines and how to take them, in language that is appropriate for them to understand, to promote effective use of medicines and concordance and answer queries raised by them.

- Ensure that out of stock items are assessed for urgency, notified to the patient/ward staff, obtained as soon as possible and dispensed promptly, to maintain treatment

- Check calculations for range of prescription types including paediatric prescriptions and complex dosing regimes.

- Dispense on occasion using the Pharmacy system for issuing medication. Input patient specific information on the system which will be held as part of the patient record

- Respond to queries from medical staff and all other hospital staff.

- Supervise the clinical standards within the dispensary.

- Lock the department, ensuring it is fully secured/alarmed at the end of the working day to maintain safe and secure storage of all medication including controlled drugs.

- Help to supervise and train new Pharmacy staff working in the dispensary.

- Contribute to dispensary late night rota

- Be part of weekend and Bank Holiday pharmacy service during which the post holder may supervise other pharmacy staff providing that service.

2. Clinical Pharmacy

During the daily clinical pharmacist ward visit, the Pharmacist will:

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

- Provide information and advice to nursing staff and patients on a daily basis, about drugs, doses, administration and potential side-effects

- Provide similar information and advice to junior medical staff on a daily basis, and to Consultants as and when needed in both verbal and written form (e.g. Make entries in patient records)

- Access and interpret clinical information for patients, and use it to individualise and monitor treatment

- Arrange for drugs to be supplied to patients, wards and departments

- Undertake risk management and ensure compliance with legislation and relevant national policies and guidelines, along with local policies and procedures including the Trust Formulary.

- Work in an effective team with, and clinically supervise, pharmacy technicians involved in Trust Medicines Management scheme on designated wards

- Responsible for deciding stock holdings with the senior nurse for the ward

- Usually work unsupervised. The post holder is professionally accountable to the Clinical Pharmacy Manager, and can seek advice from a range of senior colleagues as and when required.

3. Training and CPD

The pharmacist will

- Undertake further postgraduate qualifications as identified at Individual Performance and Development Reviews.

- Undertake Continuing Professional Development to comply with General Pharmaceutical Council code of ethics

4. Communications and Working Relationships

Post holder must demonstrate good communication skills as they will have daily contact/working relationships with the following people. On the wards they will work as part of the multidisciplinary team including:

- Doctors & Nurses, Patients, Carers and relatives

- Medical staff of nursing homes/rest homes, General Practice

- Other healthcare professionals

- All the other Pharmacy Staff - Various management, patient and service issues

External

- GP Surgeries

- Community and PCN Pharmacists

- Community based healthcare staff

5. Safe Systems of Work

- Accountable for own professional actions and activities, guided by legislation, national and local policies, procedures and protocols.

- Responsible for ensuring a safe working practice and environment through legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH regulations, along with local policies and procedures including manual handling.

6. Physical Effort & Working Conditions

- Use of a VDU/PC throughout the day

- Daily manipulation of materials for the accurate dispensing of prescriptions including preparing aids and demonstrating devices to help patients manage their medicines at home

- Working at the patients bedside may lead to potential exposure to risk of infection and occasional exposure to body fluids.

- Daily walking between various locations and standing for periods of time

- Occasional measurement of small quantities of raw materials and ability to manufacture one-off creams, suspensions etc.

- Rarely handling of potentially hazardous substances (e.g. cytotoxic agents) in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures and COSHH regulations

- For ward work the temperature on wards can be warm. The post holder will have to adjust to creating their own workspace in a crowded / busy ward environment

Mental & Emotional

- Dealing with patients who may occasionally be distressed or aggressive including those with terminal illnesses receiving palliative care and those with impaired communication, e.g. dementia and those who have had strokes.

- Occasional exposure (approximately once a month) to highly distressing circumstances ( e.g. cardiac arrest)

- Coping with the pressure of dealing with staff and patients waiting in a queue.

- Frequent interruptions of concentration during the day, to answer queries from pharmacy staff and telephone calls from all types of people.

- Prolonged periods of concentration needed all through the day for checking prescriptions, doing calculations and collating relevant published information.

- Occasional need to enforce policies with medical staff that they disagree with

- May occasionally have to make decisions when dealing with ambiguous prescriptions and prescriber not available, using other means to check requirements e.g. medication history, patient, usual protocols etc.