Senior Pharmacist - Cancer Services

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

We are looking for an enthusiastic Senior Clinical Pharmacist to join our well-established Cancer Pharmacy team at NUH, to start or continue your specialist career in cancer pharmacy.

You will provide a specialist clinical pharmacy service to the oncology and clinical haematology specialties, working closely with the Specialist Clinical Pharmacists and other members of the multidisciplinary team to provide excellent patient care. In this exciting post you will rotate through the cancer service and gain exposure to a wide range of sub-specialties. These include oncology, haematology, palliative care, specialist admissions, bone marrow transplant and CAR-T. You will support the specialities to ensure the safe and appropriate use of anticancer medicines in-line with national and regional guidelines.

You can expect structured personal development and the opportunity to contribute to high level clinical and service delivery projects. You will be fully supported by senior members of the Pharmacy team.

Main duties of the job

This post presents an opportunity to join an established cancer pharmacy team embedded in one of the UK's largest and busiest acute NHS teaching hospital Trusts. Having previous experience of caring for people with cancer would be desirable but is not essential.

What we offer:

• A supportive and friendly cancer pharmacy team
• Established collaborative relationships with the wider cancer multidisciplinary teams
• Opportunities to rotate through the main clinical areas of oncology, haematology, specialist admissions and palliative care
• Development of clinical knowledge and decision making for patients undergoing chemotherapy and other cancer treatments
• Structured and supported training and development, both personal and professional
• Involvement in the process for introducing new cancer therapies to the trust
• Opportunities to contribute to service improvement, with the aim of improving patient experience
• Opportunity to manage/mentor junior colleagues

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

To partake in clinical pharmacy duties, ensuring core clinical pharmacy activities are undertaken in the CAS Division (including Oncology and Clinical Haematology)

Leadership, management and Divisional/Specialty support roles

To line manage and support more junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in pharmacy CAS team

To take full part in the 7 day shifted rota and bank holidays duties

The post holder will be predominantly based at the Nottingham City Hospital Campus.

Key Job Responsibilities

Core clinical pharmacy activities

• To work in accordance with relevant pharmacy and Trust policies and procedures relating to the management of medicines.
• To ensure safe, rational and effective prescribing by undertaking medication reconciliation, assessing suitability of prescribed medication (including chemotherapy and associated medicines), enabling use of patients own medicines and patient self-administration, counselling (to optimise medicines use), and ensuring continuity of patient care at transitions of care.
• Providing medicines for individual patients during their stay in hospital, at discharge and during day case and out-patient visits.
• Interpreting and requesting clinical tests to monitor and make recommendations to improve effectiveness and safety of drug therapy.
• Proactively liaising with other members of the multidisciplinary team (medical staff, nurses, microbiologists, physiotherapists, dietitians etc) in order to ensure safe and effective use of medicines.
• Actively making recommendations about medicines to improve patient outcomes and to encourage adherence to hospital formulary and national guidelines.
• Providing advice and guidance in relation to the prescribing of unlicensed and clinical trial medicines under the direction of the senior pharmacist for clinical trials.
• To professionally screen prescriptions for Systemic Anticancer Therapy in accordance with local and national guidelines.
• To support the Pharmacy Production Services when required, predominantly in a checking role.

Other

• To contribute to, facilitate or conduct clinical audits according to the Pharmacy audit plan.
• To participate in research, communicate results and if suitable register for a further degree.
• To act as lead pharmacist for a specified area within the cancer pharmacy team.
• To undertake and document continuing professional development.
• To contribute to the teaching and training of undergraduate, postgraduate students and other healthcare professionals.
• To undertake any other duties that may reasonably be required as agreed by senior staff.

Leadership, management and Divisional/Specialty support roles

• Support the Divisional Lead and specialist clinical pharmacists in delivering clinical pharmacy and medicines management services to the assigned clinical specialties.
• Liaise and work alongside relevant pharmacy colleagues and directorate staff and managers in ensuring continuity and development of clinical pharmacy services within the specialty.
• Maintain contact with and actively participate in regional and national specialty groups, and in also identifying best practice and incorporating it into NUH practice.
• Support the Divisional Lead and Assistant Head of Pharmacy (Clinical Services Lead) in delivering the best possible clinical pharmacy service.
• Support the Assistant Clinical Services Lead and Assistant Head of Pharmacy (Clinical Services Lead) by developing KPIs that clearly demonstrate the contribution made by the pharmacy team.
• Report all KPIs (delivered by the clinical pharmacy service) at regular intervals, as directed by the Assistant Head of Pharmacy clinical services lead e.g. activity data, contributions, service development contributions etc.
• Deputise for the relevant specialist clinical pharmacist(s) in the cluster in relation to issues linked to the cluster e.g. attending relevant specialty meetings.
• Supporting the respective specialist clinical pharmacist(s) in the submission of business cases to secure funding for service developments/new pharmacy posts within the specialty.
• Assist specialist clinical pharmacists in monitoring drug usage, prescribing patterns and expenditure in order to support the service in achieving a balanced drugs budget and planning for new drug developments.
• To contribute to the multidisciplinary identification, review, ratification and implementation of policies, treatment guidelines (including NICE guidance) in the specialty.
• Act as a role model.
• Undertake and support relevant project work within the department.
• Assist in the recruitment of new staff.

Line manage and support more junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the pharmacy CAS cluster

• Direct, mentor and support the more junior pharmacists and other members of the team in the cluster.
• Support and encourage more junior pharmacists in accomplishing their objectives.
• Take significant role in education and training of staff (rotational and diploma pharmacists, technicians, pre-registration pharmacists, pharmacy students) that are linked to the specialties.

To take full part in the 7 day shifted rota and bank holidays duties

This post-holder will be required to provide clinical cover on weekends (half-day both weekend days) approximately once every two months this may vary with staffing levels. For each weekend worked, a full-day will be recompensed in either the week before or after the weekend cover. There will also be a requirement to be part of the senior pharmacist on-call rota as well as participating in rostered flexible shift working including evening, weekend and bank holiday arrangements over a 7 day period, in line with service requirements.

In addition to the brief list above you must familiarise yourself with the full job description and person specification attached to this advert prior to applying.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

• MPharm/BPharm
• Registered with GPhC
• Diploma/MSc in clinical pharmacy or other appropriate post graduate qualification/experience
• Independent prescriber
• Member of RPS

Experience

• Wide/broad post registration hospital clinical pharmacy experience
• Experience of teaching/supervision
• Broad Clinical Knowledge base
• Evidence of project work completed
• Experience of caring for people with cancer
• Experience of screening chemotherapy

Communication and Relationship

• Good interpersonal, negotiating and presentation skills, both written and verbal skills
• Empathy with patients, relatives and pharmacy customers
• Teaching experience
• Evidence of management

Analytical and Judgement

• Able to assess and minimise the risk in medication process
• Evidence of critical evaluation of clinical information with application to practice

Planning and Organisation

• Organised, able to prioritise own work and assist others to prioritise

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.