Specialist Clinical & Medicines Information and Advice PharmacistinNorthamptoninNorthamptonPUBLISHED WED 23 OCT 2024

Specialist Clinical and Medicines Advice Pharmacist

Are you a passionate pharmacist eager to fully utilise your clinical skills while developing new, in-depth expertise? Join our Medicines Information and Advice Team today!

At Northampton General Hospital, we offer the flexibility to rotate through various clinical specialties every six months or focus on a specific area that you are passionate about --we're interested in what drives you and your career goals. You'll collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure safe and effective medicines optimisation for our patients. In this dynamic role, you'll lead projects, contribute to guideline development, advance Patient Group Directions (PGDs), investigate medicine-related incidents, and train fellow healthcare professionals.

We're committed to supporting your growth, helping you develop new expertise in information retrieval, interpretation, and evaluation. As you progress, you'll have the opportunity to mentor and train others, significantly contributing to service evaluation and development.

At the heart of our department is a strong team ethos. You'll be supported by an experienced team of peers, senior pharmacists, and technicians, all dedicated to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. Working closely with our team of clinical pharmacists, you'll be part of exciting advancements like the implementation of electronic prescribing and medicines administration across all inpatient wards.

Hear from Our Team:

• "An opportunity that I'm happy I didn't let get away."
• "Lovely."
• "Fully supportive of development."
• "Good energy."
• "Everyone was very welcoming."
• "Promotes good wellbeing."

You will also support our Medicines Advice Service, working with a team of pharmacists and technicians to provide medicines advice to patients and healthcare professionals. You will be supported to develop new expertise in information retrieval, interpretation and evaluation. Over time, you will also get the opportunity to train and develop others in these areas. As a valued member of the team, you will be expected to contribute to service evaluation and development.

Throughout our department, we have a very strong team ethos and you will have good support from your peers, the senior pharmacists and technicians. You will work closely with our team of clinical pharmacists. We are in the process of implementing electronic prescribing and medicines administration on all our inpatient wards.

Applicants without the qualification will be supported through the course after the probation period.

About us

To work within the Pharmacy Clinical Team and Medicines Information & Advice Team, to provide a comprehensive Pharmacy Service throughout the locality. The split will be approximately 50% in each of these areas.

To be part of the Team, working to maintain and develop the Medicines Information & Advice Service, to facilitate the safe and cost-effective use of medicines through the provision of robust, up-to-date advice.

To use your pharmaceutical expertise for the benefit of patients and the organisation.

To manage and develop staff to ensure that the objectives of the Trust and Pharmacy Service are achieved.

Specialty Clinical Pharmacy Service:

To provide information, advice and guidance on the safe, effective and economical use of medicines and to challenge poor practice.

To maintain appropriate standards of service and safety; to enforce guidelines, policies and procedures to ensure standards are met.

To optimise medicines management by reconciling drug histories, performing medication reviews and using patients own medicines.

To optimise medicines, through prescribing role, operating within areas of competence (where appropriately qualified and authorised via the Trust NMP register)

To undertake adverse drug reactions reporting where necessary.

To record your clinical activity and to monitor the outcome of your advice.

To monitor interventions in treatment, to identify training and information needs.

To participate in CQUINs and QIPPs pertinent to your area of specialty.

To lead and support on medicines audits.

To implement countywide and local prescribing strategies within the Trust.

To facilitate the expansion of the tools within EPMA.

To support the development and implementations of medicines related guidance, policies and procedures within speciality area.

To fulfil the requirements of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Good Professional Practice.

To implement the Duty of Candour.

Medicines Information and Advice Pharmacist:

To develop specialist skills in the evaluation and provision of medicines related information and advice.

To work in a team alongside pharmacist and technician colleagues, to provide an enquiry answering service offering expert advice to patients and other healthcare professionals.

To train Pharmacy staff and other disciplines to enable them to provide safe, high quality advice on medicines; to be involved in the support and supervision arrangements for staff working in the Medicines Information & Advice service, such as Pharmacists undergoing the Clinical Pharmacy Diploma course and Trainee Pharmacists.

To actively contribute to the development of the Medicines Information and Advice Service.

To work with the wider Pharmacy team to facilitate staff to keep up-to-date with pharmacy practice and therapeutic developments within their areas of specialism.

To provide information and advice to address local medicines issues, e.g. through production of guidelines, policies and bulletins.

To provide support for the Trusts Formulary Medicines process to ensure that the best possible evidence is available for decision-making.

To provide support for the development of county wide shared care agreements for medicines.

To deputise for the Lead Pharmacist, Medicines Information & Advice Service as required.

To promote the reporting of adverse drug reactions to improve the safe use of medicines.

To maintain standards and to monitor the effectiveness of the service.

To help to maintain efficient and effective systems for storing and retrieving information

To ensure that activities are carried out in accordance with the latest UKMI advice.

Education, Training and Supervision

Attend clinical pharmacy team meetings and education/training schemes relevant to post.

To take part in formal and informal training of pharmacy staff and other healthcare professionals.

To be a supervisor on the Clinical Pharmacy Diploma course.

To supervise aspects of pharmacist trainee training.

To line manage and lead those staff allocated, undertaking appraisals, supervision and identification of training and development of their skills and knowledge.

To assist in the induction of staff into the service; to help identify training and development needs.

To provide information to patients, parents and carers on admission, discharge and in outpatient clinics regarding treatment and medication to optimise patient concordance.

To maintain up-to-date clinical knowledge in clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice to ensure a broad base of pharmaceutical knowledge, clinical reasoning and judgement.

To take responsibility for own personal CPD by participating in education and training programmes to improve competence.

To develop specialist expertise in chosen speciality area.

To obtain/maintain prescribing qualification and support speciality clinics and ward rounds as appropriate.

To help provide the training for Technicians enhanced patient counselling skills and Medicines Management Technician training.

Other Duties

To undertake duties elsewhere in the locality, if required.

To undertake on-call duties

To provide a pharmacy service at weekends.