Neurosciences Specialist Clinical Pharmacist - Neuro-Critical Care

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post-holder will:

• Provide specialist pharmacy services to the neurosciences directorate, specifically the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit.
• Participate in and develop clinical pharmacy services to neurosciences areas including Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Outpatients, as determined by the need of the service and by team objectives.
• Promote and ensure the safe and effective use of medicines within the directorate to achieve high standards of medicines related aspects of patient care.
• To encourage the cost effective use of medicines and to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care for patients.
• To provide specialised professional and technical education to enable the clinical units to meet high standards of patient care and safety

Main Tasks and Responsibilities (Applicable to all Specialist Pharmacists)

Professional Practice

1. Provide a comprehensive clinical pharmacy service according to Trust agreed standards including:

• Individual prescription review to optimise therapy
• Confirmation of the patients medication history
• Advice on dosage, side-effects, cautions and monitoring required
• Advise on administration of medicines
• Appropriate and clear endorsing of prescriptions to ensure safe practice
• Monitor the effect and appropriateness of medication
• Education of patients with regards to managing their medication
• Communication with other pharmacists to ensure efficient transfer of care and to ensure resident and weekend pharmacists have all necessary information.
• Discharge planning, including accreditation to list discharge prescriptions.

1. Participate in ward rounds, clinical meetings or out-patient clinics as appropriate in order to provide pharmaceutical advice to prescribers and other health care professionals.
2. Contribute to the monitoring of safe, effective and economic use of medicines in the directorate in accordance with national and local guidelines, working in collaboration with the Medicines Safety and Medicine Effectiveness Teams.
3. Participate in the production, critical appraisal and reviews of medicines with evidence-based practice for formulary applications, Medicines Information Leaflets and as part of PGDs relevant to the Directorate.
4. Contribute to the development, implementation and monitoring of protocols for medicines, particularly for high cost, high use and high risk medicines, in response to clinical and business needs of the Trust and Directorate, ensuring these are integrated across the Trust as appropriate in accordance with acknowledged local and national standards, guidelines and legislation.
5. Be aware of Medicines Management/Medicines Safety issues for clinical area/directorate and where appropriate pharmacy, ensure incident forms are completed, risk assessments are undertaken, and any learning is implemented and shared.

1. Participate in clinical audits and the development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for use of medicines within the clinical area.
2. Act as a role model and mentor for clinical pharmacy.
3. Contribute to local, national and international specialist interest groups and conferences/meetings.
4. To contribute to and implement the clinical governance plans of the clinical area and the pharmacy clinical governance plans.
5. Act as knowledge base/resource for the specialist area and to keep up to date with current trends and research.
6. If suitably qualified, to undertake to prescribe for patients under the care of the post-holder, adhering to local, national and professional guidance and protocols.
7. Support the dispensaries by participating in the screening and checking prescriptions and dispensed items at a mutually convenient time as part of a rota (current commitment is 2 hours per working week, one whole weekend day every six weeks and an evening late duty commitment this is subject to change).

Collaborative Working Relationships

1. Develop good working relationships and communication with all clinical and managerial staff within area of specialist practice and provide a link regarding all aspects of the Pharmacy Service and Medicine Management, including patients/carers and healthcare professionals both within and outside of the Directorate/Trust who are associated with the continuing care of the patient.
2. Where necessary, liaise with external agencies e.g., aseptic service providers to ensure safe, timely and appropriate medicines supply to patients
3. Be an active member of the pharmacy department and an integral member of your specialist areas multidisciplinary team to ensure continuous two-way exchange of information to maintain high standards of medicine use within the Trust.
4. Use available information to influence prescribers. Keep up to date with prescription protocols and legislation at a local and national level and openly relate and discuss this with all members of the clinical team as well as adapting/responding quickly to new evidence-based information when it becomes accredited and available.
5. Work with Divisional & Directorate Team Leaders and Pharmacy Operational Managers to ensure cover for sickness, vacancies and leave of any type across all sites.
6. Work with Education and training team to support pre-registration training and the tutoring of pharmacists completing the post-graduate diploma.
7. Work with colleagues in the Pharmacy directorate to support strategic developments and achieve Directorate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) e.g., Completion of Medicines Reconciliation, TTO turnaround
8. Link with the Antimicrobial Pharmacist and Trust Infection Prevention and Control team to deliver Antimicrobial Stewardship Agenda.
9. Link with the Tissue Viability Team to ensure appropriate supply of wound care products.

Leadership & Management

1. Accept professional accountability for all actions and advice.
2. Use experience and clinical judgement to assist in problem-solving and troubleshooting within the Pharmacy department.
3. Give professional support to the site operational managers.
4. Promote relevant national, regional or local initiatives e.g., Antimicrobial Stewardship, WHO Medicines Without Harm.
5. Actively promote the clinical pharmacy service and share achievements locally, regionally and nationally
6. Contribute to local, national and international specialist interest groups and conferences/ meetings.
7. Lead by example and act as a role model and mentor for rotational pharmacists.
8. Maintain confidentiality at all times
9. Attend Directorate meetings to share detailed financial and medicines use reports and learning from medication incidents to further improve the safe and cost effective use of medicines.
10. Contribute to and implement the clinical governance plans of the clinical area and the pharmacy clinical governance plans.

1. Contribute to development and implementation of PGDs, Non-Medical Prescribing and other extended prescribing, supply and administration of medicines functions within the directorate.

Education, Training & Development

1. Complete and maintain all statutory and mandatory training required by the Trust
2. Participate in annual appraisal process.
3. Maintain clinical expertise and develop particular areas of interest as appropriate and in accordance with the Trust and Pharmacy strategy.
4. Be aware of developments within own area of practice, the wider division and Pharmacy/ Medicines Management in general
5. Provide specialised professional and technical education at a professional, post-graduate or under-graduate level and at a level that patient/carers can understand in both inpatient and outpatient clinical environments across the primary and secondary care settings.
6. Develop recognition as a national and/or international expert within your speciality, using the RPS Faculty or equivalent processes where appropriate and to demonstrate excellence level expert professional practice.
7. To be aware of training and competency assessment of pre-registration pharmacist trainees, diploma pharmacists and student pharmacy technicians and participate in their training and competency assessment as required.
8. To keep abreast of new developments by a regular commitment to continuing education and to undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in accordance with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) requirements.

Research & Evaluation

1. Participate in audits forming part of the Pharmacy Directorate audit portfolio.
2. Complete local service evaluations and audit relevant to area of practice
3. Support the appropriate management of clinical trials and unlicensed medicines.
4. Contribute to the establishment and running of clinical trials within the Directorate
5. Develop personal practice research in accordance with the Trust and pharmacy strategy.

Effort and Environment

1. High levels of concentration may need to be maintained for extended period
2. The majority of a pharmacists work requires precision and accuracy.
3. Physical effort may be necessary to stand for prolonged periods, move between departments, lifting & handling equipment or medicines.
4. Emotional effort effort may be required to maintain a calm and compassionate disposition when dealing with distressed patients or relatives. Duties may on occasion be considered to be distressing and/or emotionally demanding
5. There is potential for exposure to cytotoxic or cytostatic medicines and bodily fluids.

Participate in any future 7 day working patterns should the pharmacy department change its current working patterns.

Any other reasonable duties as requested by the Clinical Director of Pharmacy & Sterile Services.

Person Specification

offline shortlisting

Essential

• Add "2" for interview, "0" for rejected

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Pharmacy Department, Oxford University Hospitals

Headley Way Headington

Oxford

OX39DU

Employer's website

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)