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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main responsibilities of this role are listed below but further information on duties and responsibilities for each clinical rotation, please read the Job description attached.

Throughout all rotations the post-holder will contribute to the safe, clinically effective, and cost-efficient use of medicines to optimise patient care.  The responsibilities include:

Clinical Services

• To contribute to the development of clinical pharmacy services in line with local and national objectives.
• To contribute to and assist with the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the specialist area.
• To undertake and support relevant project work.
• To provide high-quality ward based clinical pharmacy service according to the Trust agreed standards including:
  • Individual prescription review to optimise therapy
  • Medicines reconciliation
  • Advice on dosage, side-effects, cautions, and monitoring required
  • Advice on administration of medicines
  • Appropriate and clear endorsing of prescriptions to ensure safe practice
  • Monitoring the effectiveness and appropriateness of medication
  • Education and counselling patients on their medication to enhance compliance and understanding
  • Involvement in discharge planning and provision of discharge medication
  • Active participation on ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings where possible
  • Undertaking medicines management responsibilities at ward level in line with CQC requirements
• To promote high-quality, cost-effective prescribing and to challenge inappropriate prescribing.
• To ensure medicines are used appropriately, safely, and cost-effectively in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating procedures, and medicines legislation.
• To participate in ward-based clinical audits, quality improvement projects and the development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for the use of medicines within clinical areas.
• To develop their clinical pharmacy knowledge, skills, and experience to meet service standards and the needs of patients and healthcare staff.

Clinical Governance

To contribute to the continual improvement of clinical governance including participation in:

• Clinical audit programme
• Identification of areas of risk
• Reporting of adverse drug reactions and incidents
• Ensuring all aspects of prescribing, storage and administration of medicines comply with local policies
• To assist in the preparation of drug evaluations for presentation at the Drug and Therapeutics Committee.
• To research and critically evaluate published medical literature in support of Medicines Information and Drugs and Therapeutic Committee activities.
• To contribute to the development of procedures and protocols relevant to the role e.g. clinical pharmacy procedures, relevant dispensary based procedures.
• To assist with the development of and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelin

Finance and Reporting

• To identify local and national changes in prescribing practice that may impact on clinical practice and the drugs budget.
• To produce, analyse and present medicines expenditure reports.
• To contribute to the pharmacy cost improvement initiatives.

Education and Training

To contribute to the departmental appraisal and development programme for junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.  This includes:

• Assisting with the competency-based training of junior pharmacy staff
• Contributing to the development of training packages for junior pharmacy staff
• Help in setting objectives or updating rotation objective training packages for junior pharmacy staff (including Band 6 pharmacists and technicians)
• Supervision and support of junior pharmacists at ward level
• Act as an educational supervisor/practice supervisor for junior pharmacists
• Contribute to the education and training of pharmacy, medical, nursing staff and other healthcare workers.

Leadership and Management

• To deputise for more senior members of the clinical pharmacy team, as required.
• To act as an effective role model and provide advice and support on clinical pharmacy issues to junior pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team.

To recommend changes to own/ others practice ensuring development of services for specialist clinical areas. To support an innovative approach to practice, whilst being aware of boundaries and limitations.

• Day to day clinical management of the of the satellite pharmacies depending upon the rotation.
• The post-holder will offer an information source for all hospital staff and patients on the optimum use of medicines.

Medicines Advisory Service

During the Medicines Advice Service rotation, they will be responsible for:

• Provision of accurate, evaluated and impartial information and advice regarding the safe, clinically efficacious and cost-effective use of medicines in patients in response to enquiries from the specialist areas and within the Medicines Advice (MA) centre
• Analysis and interpretation of medicines information to provide advice to clinicians and healthcare professionals and ensure that this information is utilised in a systematic and appropriate way to optimise patient care.
• To answer requests for medical information from health care professionals from within

and outside the Trust and to members of the general public following procedures and protocols, responding to enquiries within the bounds of clinical and technical knowledge.

• To receive, analyse and interpret verbal/written/electronic enquiries of varying degrees of complexity.
• To make decisions with limited information in complex or clinically sensitive situations and demonstrate an advanced level of reasoning and judgement.
• To participate in the maintenance and development of electronic systems for the collection, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information in the MA centre in accordance with UKMI standards including the electronic in-house enquiry database.
• To provide induction and training in all aspects of MA to new pharmacy staff.
• To prioritise and participate in day-to-day management and workload in the MA centre including supervising junior staff
• Co-ordinate regular weekly clinical meetings for continuing education of all pharmacy staff (drug lunches, case presentations etc).
• To research and critically evaluate published medical literature in support of Medicines Information and Drugs and Therapeutic Committee activities

Research and Development

• To support relevant medical, nursing and pharmacy staff to ensure that trials within the specialist area are run efficiently and effectively in line with trial protocol.
• To participate and support consultant or specialist pharmacists on their research areas in data collection and interpretation
• Conduct service evaluations, audits and partaking in research within each rotation area
• Utilising audit or service evaluation findings to drive service improvement within rotation area where relevant
• To contribute to the research and evaluation strategy by
  • Critically evaluating and reviewing literature
  • Identifying where there is a gap in the evidence base to support practice
  • Facilitating or conducting clinical audits and publishing or presenting these findings