Job summary
Healthcare organisations must have clearly defined processes for obtaining and prescribing medications, ensuring all staff including prescribers are confident and competent when handling medicines. This is outlined in Outcome 9 of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) outcomes. The organisation must meet the standards required by NHSLA at level one, two and three in Medicines Management. The post holder will be a clinical nurse with previous medicines management experience who will be responsible for ensuring that the systems and processes in place provide an appropriate framework for safe administration of medicines by the appropriate professional groups and that assurance can be provided regarding the competency of such staff. They will have delegated authority from the Medicines Safety Officer and the Director of Pharmacy to manage the medicines management agenda as it relates to the practice of all professional groups involved in the medication process. The overall objectives of the post will be to optimise medicines management systems within the Trust to ensure safe outcomes for patient care, i.e. medicines are prescribed and administered safely, effectively and appropriately.
Main duties of the job
The Specialist Nurse Medicines Management will be an inclusive, transformational, autonomous professional at the same time as being a quality advocate and clinical leader. Alongside the Medicines Management Lead Nurse, the post holder will have the responsibility to ensure continual staff and ward development with robust medicines management practices with an ethos of continual listening and engaging. They will have responsibility to ensure all clinical, quality and safety metrics relating to Medicines Management are agreed and delivered upon.
The postholder will work closely with the COAST team to ensure that all wards and clinical areas across the Trust are achieving Safe S4 standards in Medicines Management.
The postholder will also support the Medicines Management Lead Nurse to ensure the safe and secure management of controlled and restricted drugs, managing the enhanced check programme on wards who have challenges around CD's.
About us
Pharmacy services are provided in-house at both Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and Clifton Community Hospital under the direct management of the Director of Pharmacy. Outpatient dispensing is provided onsite by a third-party contractor.
The pharmacy team consists of 179 WTE staff when at full establishment.Pharmacy has a strong and visible presence on the wards with an average of almost 80% of inpatient beds visited daily by a clinical pharmacist and 83% of pharmacist time spent on clinical activities. We have a bustling dispensary which in the last 12 months alone output 275,421 items and a new, state of the art dispensing robot.
Clinical pharmacy services are provided within the Trust's emergency department, paediatric department, Level 3 Haematology Services and the regional Lancashire Cardiac Centre.
Technical services are fully supported in the department. There is a very busy Aseptic Unit, preparing around 15,000 items per year to support chemotherapy, Total parenteral nutrition and high-risk medicine needs within the Trust. The Aseptic Unit underwent substantial refurbishment in early 2023 with the replacement of four isolators and maintenance to the air handling unit.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To plan, develop and co-deliver Trust-wide Medicines Management initiatives and training
- To plan, develop and co-deliver Trust-wide safe medicines practice
- To plan and carry out audits on standards of Medicines Management and safe medicines practice across the Trust
- To work flexibly across the whole Trust.
- To provide compassionate to colleagues through being visible, accessible, authoritative and influential. The post holder will be a presence to who staff, patients, families and carers can rely, to ensure the fundamentals of care around medicines management are delivered effectively and efficiently.
- To promote an environment where staff feel they are autonomous, in control with a sense of belonging as well as the competence to deliver safe and quality medicines management principles.
- Provide leadership to nurses, midwives, AHPs, pharmacy staff and ward managers around the principles of medicines management, acting as a role model within the Trust ensuring that competence is both developed and maintained.
- To work collaboratively on medicine management issues with Medicines Management Lead Nurse, the Director of Pharmacy, the Deputy Director of Pharmacy and the Medicines Safety Officer.
- To review and monitor the implementation of subsequent Medicine Management action plans at ward level.
- To review and monitor Trust wide multidisciplinary audit cycles for all relevant medicine management issues.
- To promote and maintain positive, effective communication systems across the organisation in respect of medication practice.
- To continually develop and deliver systems and processes to provide assurance that all newly registered nurses, and nurses commencing employment with the Trust complete a formal assessment of competency to administer medicines prior to their taking full responsibility for this role.
- To support the development of staff involved in the processes of medicines management, to ensure safe and effective practice, in response to service and patient need.
- To communicate and work with the Pharmacy Education and Training Lead to develop and deliver medicines management training.
- To liaise with the Lead Pharmacists/Medicines Safety Officer regarding doctors involved in medication errors.
- Support existing frameworks that facilitate the sharing of good practices.
- To promote awareness of current literature on developments in practice and research in relation to medicines management and act as an information resource.
- To promote effective communication systems of safe medicines use between all members of the health care team within the Trust.
- To establish, support and maintain proactive learning environments within the Trust and identifying training needs based on clinical reviews and audit.
- To utilise a sophisticated level of skill in training, motivating and negotiation to receive, assimilate and disseminate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in order to achieve agreement and cooperation or to overcome significant barriers to acceptance in potentially antagonistic or highly emotive situations. This may involve communication with large groups of staff.
We have a thriving Medicines Management team made up of a Medicines Management audit and improvement manager, a specialist Medicines Management nurse and a lead Medicines Management nurse.
We recommend that all individuals employed in patient facing roles, or those located on a ward or department where patients receive a service should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To plan, develop and co-deliver Trust-wide Medicines Management initiatives and training
- To plan, develop and co-deliver Trust-wide safe medicines practice
- To plan and carry out audits on standards of Medicines Management and safe medicines practice across the Trust
- To work flexibly across the whole Trust.
- To provide compassionate to colleagues through being visible, accessible, authoritative and influential. The post holder will be a presence to who staff, patients, families and carers can rely, to ensure the fundamentals of care around medicines management are delivered effectively and efficiently.
- To promote an environment where staff feel they are autonomous, in control with a sense of belonging as well as the competence to deliver safe and quality medicines management principles.
- Provide leadership to nurses, midwives, AHPs, pharmacy staff and ward managers around the principles of medicines management, acting as a role model within the Trust ensuring that competence is both developed and maintained.
- To work collaboratively on medicine management issues with Medicines Management Lead Nurse, the Director of Pharmacy, the Deputy Director of Pharmacy and the Medicines Safety Officer.
- To review and monitor the implementation of subsequent Medicine Management action plans at ward level.
- To review and monitor Trust wide multidisciplinary audit cycles for all relevant medicine management issues.
- To promote and maintain positive, effective communication systems across the organisation in respect of medication practice.
- To continually develop and deliver systems and processes to provide assurance that all newly registered nurses, and nurses commencing employment with the Trust complete a formal assessment of competency to administer medicines prior to their taking full responsibility for this role.
- To support the development of staff involved in the processes of medicines management, to ensure safe and effective practice, in response to service and patient need.
- To communicate and work with the Pharmacy Education and Training Lead to develop and deliver medicines management training.
- To liaise with the Lead Pharmacists/Medicines Safety Officer regarding doctors involved in medication errors.
- Support existing frameworks that facilitate the sharing of good practices.
- To promote awareness of current literature on developments in practice and research in relation to medicines management and act as an information resource.
- To promote effective communication systems of safe medicines use between all members of the health care team within the Trust.
- To establish, support and maintain proactive learning environments within the Trust and identifying training needs based on clinical reviews and audit.
- To utilise a sophisticated level of skill in training, motivating and negotiation to receive, assimilate and disseminate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in order to achieve agreement and cooperation or to overcome significant barriers to acceptance in potentially antagonistic or highly emotive situations. This may involve communication with large groups of staff.
We have a thriving Medicines Management team made up of a Medicines Management audit and improvement manager, a specialist Medicines Management nurse and a lead Medicines Management nurse.
We recommend that all individuals employed in patient facing roles, or those located on a ward or department where patients receive a service should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered nurse with current professional registration
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- A minimum of two years' experience in a clinical leadership role
- Presentation experience
- Teaching experience
- Management experience
- Broad range of clinical experience
- Evidence of CPD
- Evidence of effective partnership working
- Ability to work within deadlines
- Can demonstrate a real patient safety and patient experience focus
- Evidence of innovative clinical practice
- Successfully and realistically manages pressures and demands of work
- Experience of supporting staff following an incident
- Experience of medicines management responsibilities during clinical practice
- Systems and process orientated
- Able to manage multiple day-today queries
- Ability to empower and coach staff
- Experience of undertaking clinical audit
Desirable
- Coaching and mentoring experience
- Experience of working with Electronic Prescribing Systems (EPMA)
Knowledge
Essential
- Evidence of post registration development
- Knowledge of current national policies and legislation relevant to medicines management.
- Knowledge of risk assessment and management
- Understanding of the principles of root cause analysis
- Experience of managing services
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- High level of interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with resistance and conflict
- High standards of verbal and written communication skills
- Leadership and team working
- IT literate
- An ability to implement and evaluate service developments
- Ability to transform systems and process in response to incidents, complaints and investigations
- Able to respond to incidents in a timely and appropriate manner
- Ability to produce written reports which are accurate and concise
- Managing and supporting staff who routinely undertake medicines management activities
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Self-awareness Understands own emotions, strengths, weaknesses and drivers, and the impact this has on others and the delivery of goals
- Self-regulation Recognises and actively manages unhelpful and disruptive emotional impulses and moods
- Motivation Pursues goals with energy and persistence, and is driven to achieve beyond expectations to make a difference for patients
- Empathy Understands the emotional makeup, feelings and needs of others, and uses this understanding to make intelligent decisions Social skill Builds rapport with stakeholders to develop professional networks and achieve positive outcomes for patients and staff
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered nurse with current professional registration
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- A minimum of two years' experience in a clinical leadership role
- Presentation experience
- Teaching experience
- Management experience
- Broad range of clinical experience
- Evidence of CPD
- Evidence of effective partnership working
- Ability to work within deadlines
- Can demonstrate a real patient safety and patient experience focus
- Evidence of innovative clinical practice
- Successfully and realistically manages pressures and demands of work
- Experience of supporting staff following an incident
- Experience of medicines management responsibilities during clinical practice
- Systems and process orientated
- Able to manage multiple day-today queries
- Ability to empower and coach staff
- Experience of undertaking clinical audit
Desirable
- Coaching and mentoring experience
- Experience of working with Electronic Prescribing Systems (EPMA)
Knowledge
Essential
- Evidence of post registration development
- Knowledge of current national policies and legislation relevant to medicines management.
- Knowledge of risk assessment and management
- Understanding of the principles of root cause analysis
- Experience of managing services
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- High level of interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with resistance and conflict
- High standards of verbal and written communication skills
- Leadership and team working
- IT literate
- An ability to implement and evaluate service developments
- Ability to transform systems and process in response to incidents, complaints and investigations
- Able to respond to incidents in a timely and appropriate manner
- Ability to produce written reports which are accurate and concise
- Managing and supporting staff who routinely undertake medicines management activities
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Self-awareness Understands own emotions, strengths, weaknesses and drivers, and the impact this has on others and the delivery of goals
- Self-regulation Recognises and actively manages unhelpful and disruptive emotional impulses and moods
- Motivation Pursues goals with energy and persistence, and is driven to achieve beyond expectations to make a difference for patients
- Empathy Understands the emotional makeup, feelings and needs of others, and uses this understanding to make intelligent decisions Social skill Builds rapport with stakeholders to develop professional networks and achieve positive outcomes for patients and staff
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).
