Job summary
Join a dynamic, innovative team driving excellence in virtual healthcare!
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is looking for an enthusiastic and experienced pharmacist to lead and support the Virtual Ward and Hospital @ Home services across both sites of the organisation. Are you a Clinical Pharmacist passionate about transforming patient care through Virtual Wards, Hospital at Home (H@H), and OPAT? Ready for a role that challenges, inspires, and rewards you? This could be your perfect opportunity!
You will work closely with the consultant microbiologists and consultant antimicrobial pharmacist, acute physicians, specialist nurses and the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure safe, effective, and patient-centred therapy.
You will oversee and coordinate the pharmacy clinical service for Virtual wards and hospital@home, investigating medicines-related safety incidents, monitoring financial and clinical governance, and leading on evidence-based prescribing. You will also be responsible for developing guidelines on prescribing, administration, and storage of IV antimicrobials, ensuring seamless care across primary and secondary settings.
You will be a GPhC-registered pharmacist with strong clinical experience, excellent communication skills, and a passion for clinical pharmacy. Prior experience in antimicrobial pharmacy is desirable but not essential--you just need the drive to develop in this area.
Main duties of the job
To lead and develop an advanced specialist clinical pharmacy service for Bedfordshire Hospitals Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services, which is consistent with the priorities and needs of the relevant Clinical Service Line. This should also be in line with local, regional and national policies and best practice including compliance with Medicines legislation. This will ensure the safe, clinical and cost effective use of medicines and staff resources.
To be responsible for delivering the defined service Key Performance Indicators and include close working with other Lead or Specialist Pharmacists.
To be responsible for the cross site provision ofHospitals Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services.
Clinically validate prescriptions medication according to Trust protocols and locally agreed standards and guidelines.
Responsible for the local development and adaptation of prescription templates for Hospitals Virtual Ward (inc virtual ward (VW) step-up, VW step down, hospital at home (H@H) and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services.
About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the the attached job description to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the job.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the the attached job description to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the job.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor/Master of Pharmacy degree
- GPhC registration
- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
Desirable
- Independent non-medical prescriber or working towards
- Accredited Trainee pharmacist/ Diploma Tutor
- Member of the RPS
- Appropriate management courses
- Quality Improvement Training
- Train the trainer qualification
Experience
Essential
- Extensive post registration hospital pharmacy experience at band 7 or 8a level
- Experience of influencing members of the multidisciplinary team in delivering patient care
- Experience of managing and delivering a project
- Experience of clinically supervising and training staff
- Experience of policy and service development
- Relevant continued professional development
Desirable
- Experience of working as a specialist pharmacist
- Experience working within virtual wards, OPAT and Hospital at home services
- Risk Management and patient safety processes
- Presentation to trust wide meetings
- Demonstrable evidence of undertaking research and audit and using the results to improve patient care
- Experience of staff line management
- Experience of delivering education and training to undergraduates and postgraduates of various healthcare professions
Personal Skills
Essential
- Organised and able to devise, plan and manage and prioritise work programmes
- Critical review/analysis and interpretation of clinical literature and medicines legislation
- Appropriate IT skills are required to utilise clinical information systems, pharmacy computer systems, databases and other software to improve patient care
- Demonstrable advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement. Ability to apply logical and analytical skills to manage clinical risk during the use of medicines
- Adheres to Trust Values
Desirable
- Ability to formulate, lead and implement directorate service strategies
- Ability to integrate research into practice
Knowledge
Essential
- Strong clinical knowledge of drugs and therapeutic management within acute care
- Knowledge of delivering pharmacy services across the interface between primary and secondary care
- Understanding the need of confidentiality awareness at all times
- Knowledge and awareness of implications of current developments in pharmacy practice and NHS strategies
- Ability to assess patient medication suitability and monitor therapy effectively
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS digital systems relevant to virtual wards and remote monitoring
- Awareness of the current commissioning arrangements in the NHS
- Recognised as a specialist within the defined speciality
- Advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement. Ability to apply logical and analytical skills to manage clinical risk during the use of medicines
Other
Essential
- Enthusiastic about development of pharmacy services
- Able to thrive on development/change
- Good interpersonal skills
- Self-motivated and flexible
- Accurate and precise
- Confidence to deal with medical consultants/ senior manager level and wider healthcare professionals
- Honest and Trustworthy
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor/Master of Pharmacy degree
- GPhC registration
- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
Desirable
- Independent non-medical prescriber or working towards
- Accredited Trainee pharmacist/ Diploma Tutor
- Member of the RPS
- Appropriate management courses
- Quality Improvement Training
- Train the trainer qualification
Experience
Essential
- Extensive post registration hospital pharmacy experience at band 7 or 8a level
- Experience of influencing members of the multidisciplinary team in delivering patient care
- Experience of managing and delivering a project
- Experience of clinically supervising and training staff
- Experience of policy and service development
- Relevant continued professional development
Desirable
- Experience of working as a specialist pharmacist
- Experience working within virtual wards, OPAT and Hospital at home services
- Risk Management and patient safety processes
- Presentation to trust wide meetings
- Demonstrable evidence of undertaking research and audit and using the results to improve patient care
- Experience of staff line management
- Experience of delivering education and training to undergraduates and postgraduates of various healthcare professions
Personal Skills
Essential
- Organised and able to devise, plan and manage and prioritise work programmes
- Critical review/analysis and interpretation of clinical literature and medicines legislation
- Appropriate IT skills are required to utilise clinical information systems, pharmacy computer systems, databases and other software to improve patient care
- Demonstrable advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement. Ability to apply logical and analytical skills to manage clinical risk during the use of medicines
- Adheres to Trust Values
Desirable
- Ability to formulate, lead and implement directorate service strategies
- Ability to integrate research into practice
Knowledge
Essential
- Strong clinical knowledge of drugs and therapeutic management within acute care
- Knowledge of delivering pharmacy services across the interface between primary and secondary care
- Understanding the need of confidentiality awareness at all times
- Knowledge and awareness of implications of current developments in pharmacy practice and NHS strategies
- Ability to assess patient medication suitability and monitor therapy effectively
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS digital systems relevant to virtual wards and remote monitoring
- Awareness of the current commissioning arrangements in the NHS
- Recognised as a specialist within the defined speciality
- Advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement. Ability to apply logical and analytical skills to manage clinical risk during the use of medicines
Other
Essential
- Enthusiastic about development of pharmacy services
- Able to thrive on development/change
- Good interpersonal skills
- Self-motivated and flexible
- Accurate and precise
- Confidence to deal with medical consultants/ senior manager level and wider healthcare professionals
- Honest and Trustworthy
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).
