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SalaryMAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical / Professional Provide a clinical pharmacy service to patients on the general medical inpatient units as allocated to promote safe, effective and economic use of medicines, including attendance at consultant ward rounds, providing pharmaceutical advice. Contribute to the prescribing process by daily ward visits. Complete an accurate and timely medicines reconciliation for all new patients Prioritise patients in need of specialist pharmacy input Review the clinical appropriateness of all drugs prescribed. Monitor the effectiveness of all drugs prescribed. Identify and promptly resolve any pharmaceutical problems. Ensure compliance with local and national prescribing guidelines. Counsel patients, relatives and carers on the use and storage of medicines to ensure they obtain maximum benefit from their medication, where appropriate. Ensure each patient receives their prescribed medication while on the ward, by regularly reviewing the ward stock list and by ensuring the supply of any non-stock medication in an appropriate formulation and quantity Provide continuity of pharmaceutical care to patients being discharged or transferred to another care setting Ensure discharge medication is provided in a prompt manner, Communicate any relevant pharmaceutical information to community pharmacists, GPs or nursing/residential homes. Ensure medicines are prescribed and administered in line with local and national policies, and within the legal framework. Provide evidence-based advice on the choice, administration, monitoring and storage of medicines to medical and nursing staff. Participate in the medicines management system: screening (a review of the clinical appropriateness and legality of prescriptions and prompt resolution of any identified problems) of discharge prescriptions to specified wards one-stop-dispensing and the use of patients own medicines Assist in the provision of clinical pharmacy services to other areas, as appropriate With support of senior colleagues provide advice on the pharmaceutical and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs required and alterations in these parameters based on special groups, such as the older patient and optimise medicines for the individual patient to healthcare colleagues, patients and carers as necessary, e.g. at MDT meetings Review and interpret clinical data with support each day for patients requiring therapeutic drug monitoring To cover for other ward pharmacists as required, during periods of absence To promote compliance with the South and West Devon Joint Formulary To assist with antimicrobial surveillance for the inpatient areas and contribute to the organisations wider antimicrobial surveillance programme With the support of senior colleagues contribute to public health campaigns, including flu vaccinations, and adult immunisation programmes To support in the development of other pharmacy staff, including pre-registration pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and student pharmacy technicians To provide some dispensary cover including dispensing and checking of medication following local SOPs. To provide evidence of Continuing Professional Development on an annual basis at appraisal, in accordance with guidance issued by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Potential for integrated working with primary and secondary care services across the healthcare system in Plymouth and surrounding areas. Analytical and Judgemental Skills Analysis, interpretation and monitoring of clinical data including drug levels, U&Es, blood counts and microbiological sensitivities to guide diagnosis and drug therapy with support from senior colleagues Clinical screening of prescription charts and discharge prescriptions when necessary to support the service, to ensure prescriptions are safe, detailed and complete to enable better transfer of care for patients across care settings Responding to medicines information requests from prescribers and other healthcare professionals and providing advice on medicines proactively, with support from senior colleagues. In many cases this is a complex task involving specialist up-to-date knowledge, effective search strategies, evaluation of the evidence base and formulation of an appropriate response Under the direction of the Governance and Patient Safety Pharmacist and other senior colleagues, contribute to investigations and monitoring of medicine related incidents within areas of practice Support the delivery of the ICBs medicines optimisation agenda in primary care Participate in audit and project work with respect to clinical pharmacy services in the organisation under the direction of senior staff Assist in the management of clinical risk associated with the use of medicines: Report all prescribing/drug errors Planning and Organisational skills Organise and prioritise own workload to respond to urgent and varied requests in a timely manner. Be flexible according to the needs of the service, which are often unpredictable Ability to work under pressure to ensure that deadlines are achieved Service Development Actively contribute to the development of the Clinical Pharmacy Service initiatives that improve patient care and access across the system Contribute to the delivery of initiatives that help with the seamless transfer of patients between different healthcare settings To take part in audit work Health Safety and Security To work safely in the dispensary or ward environment ensuring any risks identified to health and safety are managed or escalated to line manager To ensure safety and security of medicines, prescription stationery and other patient identifiable documents according to locally agreed standard operating procedures To inform line manager of any breaches of safety or security or if agreed procedures are thought to be inadequate to manage the risk Training and Development This is a training post to develop a pharmacist for their future career. Study at clinical pharmacy post-graduate diploma level will be encouraged Study to achieve Independent Pharmacist Prescriber status will also be possible With support from senior colleagues deliver appropriate training and education to healthcare colleagues, carer groups and outside agencies in order to promote the safe use and clinical application of drugs Provide training and mentorship to trainee pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and Pharmacy assistants, work experience students, volunteers and any other members of staff needing support as required. Assist with training pharmacy technicians in particular the medicines reconciliation and discharge facilitation modules. Freedom to Act Pharmacists are expected to work largely unsupervised and to act on their own professional judgement. Support mechanisms exist within the clinical pharmacy service by contacting other team members on a mutually beneficial basis. If studying for a specific qualification a suitable mentor and/or facilitator will be made available as necessary. Line manager support is available as required. Clinical supervision from another health professional can be arranged and is to be encouraged Clinical roles are supported by policies, SOPs and guidelines within which the registered professional is allowed to exercise professional discretion / interpretation Personal Indemnity Insurance is a requirement of the GPhC for Independent PrescribingPharmacists, Livewell Southwest will provide corporate indemnity insurance for tasks undertaken in accordance with policy as an independent non-medical prescriber. The post holder will be expected to undertake any other reasonable duties as deemed necessary by senior management within the pharmacy team. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS Well-developed verbal and written communications skills are essential to the role Communicate medicines information (e.g. medicines doses and side effects) in the appropriate form, e.g. oral or written at the appropriate level to patients and/or carers, as well as other Health Care Professionals Work with the Pharmacy team to manage day to day medicines queries, including face to face consultations with patients identified to have compliance or other problems in medicine administration Be actively involved in patient counselling With support from senior colleagues deliver patient/carer health educational groups across the organisation With support refer patients to other community services where appropriate Discuss and resolve medication problems with prescribers, ensuring treatment is appropriate, safe and effective Input and maintain clinical and pharmacy records, for example using System-one IT, controlled drugs, unlicensed medication Work collaboratively and effectively with all levels of healthcare staff in every area of work, including: Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants within the team and from other Organisations, including the Medicines Optimisation Team at NEW Devon CCG and UHP pharmacy colleagues. Patients and carers Other Health Care Professionals including, Nursing, consultant and junior medical staff, including ward managers, GPs, community nurses and community pharmacists, Support workers, nursing assistants, Occupational, speech and language, physiotherapists and social workers External agencies as required PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB There is a need to travel between sites, therefore ability to drive or commitment to attaining a driving license is essential, and to use own car is an advantage Good keyboard / computer skills are essential. Dispensing and checking of medication including blister packs as needed Manual handling may include small static loads and some patient handling
