Rotational Clinical Pharmacist

We are looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic pharmacists to help us provide a patient focused service to the wards and departments of the Trust, whilst ensuring the optimal use of medicines within the organisation. These posts represent a great opportunity for pharmacists to progress their career in a clinically focused, innovative and supportive environment.

The post holders will have the opportunity to gain experience, working on rotation through all areas of the pharmacy clinical services, and as a prescriber, be able to support with patient's achieving access to medicines in a timely manner.

The post holders will also undergo training to support our Anticoagulant Clinics, rotate into specialist clinical areas (e.g. Palliative Care, Frailty and Surgery prescribing) be part of our comprehensive Clinical Supervision programme, and contribute to the weekend and on call service.

There will be opportunities to develop leadership skills when taking a more senior role in the delivery of various projects and audits.

Main duties of the job

• To provide clinical pharmacy input and maintain high standards of medicines management.
• To carry out medication histories, medicines reconciliation and clinical chart checks for patients admitted to hospital.
• To clinically and accuracy check discharge prescriptions, ensuring patients receive counselling and the opportunity for a discharge medicines service referral to improve transfer of care.

To provide advice and support to patients to ensure that they get the best from their medicines.

As part of the team you will work closely alongside other pharmacy colleagues, taking part in supervision of other team members including pharmacy technicians, students and more junior pharmacists during clinical supervision sessions and teaching.

You will provide rotational clinical support to the directorates of emergency care, medicine, care of the elderly, surgery and dispensary.

To take part in audits and projects within rotations to improve patient safety, experience and support service development.

Work to deliver the 7-day clinical Pharmacy service by supporting the late night, on call and weekend rota.

About us

Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon Urgent Care Centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronymICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

Job responsibilities

Post holders will be required to communicate with the directorate pharmacists, supporting with adherence to KPIs, achievement of cost reduction initiatives and medicines management audit within the clinical MDT is essential and requires the post holder to become an integral part of the team to support patient safety, medicines optimisation and promote efficient discharge.

They must have skills for analysing and interpreting medicines information, drug charts and patient information.

Post holders will be responsible for arranging their workload, requesting support and advice when needed and ensuring they uphold the RPS pharmacist standards. They will offer support to the directoratepharmacists and well as more junior members of the team.Ability to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the patients, the service and the Trust is essential.

The role is patient facing, with high importance of involving the patient in their care. Consultation skills will be key to ensuring the patient journey is positive, ensuring patients receive all relevant medications, information and counselling and are signposted for further services in the community.Investment in patient feedback and patient voice to support the patient engagement project in relation to pharmacy services is expected.

Post holders will be expected to follow departmental SOPs, supporting evolving medicines management policies and ensuring these are adhered to.They will be expected to offer support to the directorate pharmacists in developing departmental SOPs and treatment guidelines and developing innovative practice.

Post holders will hold a key for the department, taking responsibility for the overall safety and security of the pharmacy.They will participate in systems for achieving efficient and effective stock control e.g. stock checks, using stock in rotation, accurately charging out stock, recording and reporting any damaged expired stock.They are responsible for supporting the Trust and departmental Cost Reduction Programs.

Post holders will be required to support the mentoring, teaching, advice and training to trainee pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, students, nurses and junior doctors. This will be achieved via clinical supervisionsessions, participation in student visits and sharing skills and knowledge with trainee staff members.

The post holders will need to action, file, archive and destroy paperwork associated with procurement, dispensary, stores and aseptics inaccordance with local and Trust Record Management Policy.They will accurately use and maintain all pharmacy digital systems, as well as wider hospital systems, and ensure confidentiality and secure data management is always maintained, for example concerning issues ofbusiness sensitive, personnel information and patient confidentiality.

Post holders will take part in audit and quality improvement projects.

Post holders will take part in the responsible pharmacist rota in the dispensary. They will also be responsible for their own clinical practice, ensuring they are up to date in terms of registration and CPD.They will take leadership from the Senior Pharmacy Team and directorate leads in ensuring departmental procedures/legislation is followed and maintained.They will report incidents and errors to support our learning culture to promote positive changes and allow for lessons learned.

Post holders must be open and honest, reflecting and sharing errors and other near miss incidents with the pharmacy team.On occasion they may be exposed to emotional or distressing circumstances. Support and training for these circumstances will be offered.They are required to offer support to colleagues.

Person Specification

• Current Band 6 Pharmacist employed by GHFT
• Current prescriber or willing to obtain prescribing qualification

Experience

• At least 1 year post qualification experience

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.

Lead Clinical Pharmacist -Community Services & CSS