Job summary
We are seeking an innovative and driven Advanced Pharmacist with a passion for Frailty, Elderly, and Stroke medicine to join our forward thinking and friendly clinical pharmacy team. The successful candidate will play a crucial role within the stroke and geriatric multidisciplinary teams to lead, develop and improve the pathways for our acute frailty, elderly and stroke patients. Your expertise will transform the approach to care and improve the outcomes for some of our most vulnerable patients.
As the Advanced Frailty, Elderly and Stroke Pharmacist will work alongside the enthusiastic specialist pharmacists to elevate the clinical service to the Frailty, Elderly and Stroke wards. You will support and mentor junior pharmacists rotating through the speciality, sharing your knowledge and expertise to aid their professional development. You will be able to use your prescribing skills along side our MDT
Main duties of the job
To lead the Pharmacy Service to the Geriatric medical wards, Stroke wards and the Acute Frailty Pathway, alongside the Specialist Pharmacists.
To operate as an Advanced Pharmacist for Elderly, Stroke, and Frailty patients. To develop the dedicated pharmacy service (DWP) with the priority on frail patients.
To communicate highly complex information relating to medicines with clinicians, nurses, independent prescribers, carers, and patients.
To lead, develop and evaluate the delivery of a responsive, proactive, patient-focused Clinical Pharmacy Service to the Elderly, Stroke and Frailty wards.
To lead the strategic planning of pharmaceutical issues relating to the Elderly, Stroke and Frailty wards e.g., consideration of medicines management post stroke.
Facilitate achievement of clinical standards for 7-day Pharmacy Services.
To supervise and train Pharmacy staff rotating through the clinical specialities within the Medicine and Urgent Care Group.
To play a lead Trust role in promoting and developing the optimum use of medicines as per Primary and Secondary policy use of medicines.
To contribute to the delivery of the Trust Medicines Optimisation Strategy.
To undertake/support projects or developments within the speciality (eg. Quaility Improvements, Audits and Research.
To contribute towards the development and maintenance of guidelines and PGDs within the speciality.
About us
Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.
Our Excellence Values
Compassion
Accountability
Respect
Integrity
Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.
The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.
We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.
We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical ServicesLead and continue to develop aspects of the delivery of clinical pharmacy and medicines management services to the Frailty and Stroke Pathway under the auspices of the Principal Pharmacist for Medicine, and in liaison with the Specialist ClinicalPharmacists in DWP.
To proactively promote safe and evidence-based prescribing with all grades of doctors, prescribers, and nursing staff in admission areas by communicating and providing highly complex information on medication and challenging poor practice.
To implement high quality specialist prescribing and effective use of medicines in patients presenting in the Acute Frailty Unit, Stroke and Elderly wards, either as a defined cohort of patients or as part of the flow of management of patients with clinicians.
To prescribe safely in the interests of the patients and in line with the formulary, policy,procedures, or guidance.
To provide general and specialist pharmaceutical advice and support to the Stroke, Elderly and Frailty Team staff, to enhance the quality of patient care which will include all patient aged groups and of many morbidities.
To liaise closely with medical, pharmacy and nursing staff to develop and implement complex therapeutic guidelines eg, Antimicrobial Guidelines, standard operating procedures and medicines-related policies in Elderly and Stroke, to provide advicewhere information is lacking, or medical opinions may differ.
To manage and participate in the delivery and development of the Clinical Pharmacy Service eg, proactive participation in ward rounds, input into medicines management review, acting as a clinical pharmacy role model being accountable for your ownprofessional actions.
To develop standards of clinical pharmacy practice which align with national frameworks and performance management measures with Principal Pharmacists.
Maintain an up-to-date clinical expert knowledge in clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice to ensure a broad base of pharmaceutical knowledge and an advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement.
To optimise medicines management by reconciling drug histories, performing medication reviews, and using patients own medicines.
To promote and develop strategies for effective, safe, and timely discharges from Urgent Care settings with close liaison with community health professionals, to ensure complex medication is reconciled in Primary Care and patients have access to medicines eg, linking with external agents, care homes.
To detect, record and report adverse drug reactions during admissions to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and via Datix as per Trust Policy.
To record your clinical activity and to monitor the outcome of your advice.
To fulfil the requirements of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Good Professional Practice.
To implement the Duty of Candour.
Please see Job Description for further information.
Person Specification
Educations, Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in Pharmacy.
- Registered with GPhC.
- Achieved postgraduate clinical qualification or equivalent knowledge and experience, diploma Masters in Clinical Pharmacy.
- CPD portfolio.
- Independent prescriber or working towards.
Desirable
- Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
- RPS faculty recognition.
- Member of UKCPA or other society.
Knowedge and Experience
Essential
- Extensive Post-graduate hospital clinical pharmacy experience.
- Good clinical knowledge.
- Experience of working with respiratory team or at consultant ward rounds.
- Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Skill mix issues, role of Technicians in Clinical Services.
- Awareness of interface issues.
- Teaching, supervising and training staff.
- Appraisals and personal development.
- Appraisal and personal development.
- NHS arrangements, eg CCGs, NICE, CQC, Clinical Governance.
- Staff supervision.
- Experience of prescribing within respiratory or urgent care to optimise medicines for specific patient groups.
Desirable
- Pharmaceutical care of respiratory or urgent Care patient.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication.
- Ability to prioritise.
- Ability to delegate.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Computer skills, eg databases.
- Ability to work alone and as a team member.
- Time management.
Key Competencies, Personal Qualities and Attributes
Essential
- Both full time and part time candidates should have the ability to work shifts that will cover 7 days of the week as the NHS moves towards 7 day service provision
- Smart appearance.
- Enthusiasm.
- Confidence.
- Influential.
- Credible with medical, nursing staff.
- Innovative.
- Willingness to learn and develop personally.
- Ability to be flexible and respond to the needs of the organisation.
- Strives for excellence.
- Candidates should have the ability to work shifts that will cover 7 days of the week as the NHS moves towards 7-day service provision.
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 .
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 .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
Northampton General Hospital
Address
Northampton General Hospital
Cliftonville
Northampton
NN1 5BD