Specialist Clinical Pharmacist Rotational - Paediatrics

Specialist Clinical Pharmacist Rotational - Paediatrics

An exciting opportunity for a pharmacist with an interest in paediatric medicine to join our dynamic and diverse paediatric pharmacy team based at Leeds Children's Hospital at Leeds General Infirmary. Being part of the paediatric team will present excellent opportunities for continued learning and development, alongside challenges and job satisfaction. No two days are the same!

You will deliver an excellent clinical pharmacy service to the Leeds Children's Hospital, involving optimising patient care with respect to medicines and collaborating with the multi-disciplinary teams. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with an interest in paediatrics looking to develop specialist knowledge and skills, whilst being supported by both Medical and Pharmacy teams.

This post is suitable for resolute and enthusiastic pharmacists with clinical pharmacy experience (paediatric experience not essential). We would be looking to support you to gain the non-medical prescribing qualification if you are not currently a prescriber.

If you are excited about being part of a dynamic, forward-thinking team, delivering improvements in paediatric patient care and experience, then we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide a specialist optimisation service to paediatric inpatients, both specialty and general patients, daily. You will be reviewing medication and facilitating patients to manage their medications. Working alongside an Advance Clinical Pharmacist you will provide an excellent level of service to the Paediatric Medicine team and their patients. This rotational post will give you the opportunity to be an integral part of the MDT collaborating with advanced practitioners and national and international experts across a range of specialities such as neonates, renal, oncology, haematology, cardiology, PICU, general/specialist medicine. You will be responsible for delivering high-quality clinical care alongside the safe and cost-effective use of medicines within paediatrics. There is an advantage of annual rotation amongst the sub specialities within Paediatrics which allow you to further your knowledge base while becoming an integral member of the wider MDT. The rotations steer you through the RPS Advanced Pharmacy Framework. Development will be supported by a team of ACPs and will receive training to conduct your role. You will have the opportunity to supervise undergraduate students, rotational trainees, and foundation level pharmacists.

About us

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) is one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the country, MMPS is nationally recognised as an exemplar service. The CSU responsibilities span the provision and use of medicines across all patient pathways.

The paediatric pharmacy team are passionate about providing exemplary care for all children, working together to share expertise and knowledge amongst the team and with multi-disciplinary teams. We are a supportive team, working collaboratively to provide the best possible service to all areas. If you're keen to know more, we'd encourage you to come and meet us and see for yourself how we could support and welcome you into the next step in your career. For informal enquiries or to arrange a visit please contact us.

Please note this job may close if a high number of applications are received. Interviews will be held w/c 5/5/25.

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

To deliver and develop specialist clinical pharmacy services to the Leeds Children's Hospital within the Trust, through provision of.

JOB DIMENSIONS

There are no line management responsibilities attached to this post.

Reporting to the Advanced Clinical Pharmacist the post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day clinical pharmacy service to inpatients ward at LTH. The post holder will communicate across multi-disciplinary teams providing specialist advice on appropriateness of medicines prescribed, across paediatric clinical specialities.

Ensure medicines are used appropriately, safely, and cost effectively in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating procedures, and medicines legislation.

Monitors use of medicines within inpatient prescribing. This includes recording of significant clinical interventions, risk management and some basic financial aspects.

Support other members of the team with specialist advice regarding the development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for use of drugs within the clinical areas.

Responsible for training pharmacists, and other health care professionals, on aspects of drug use within the outpatient clinics.

Provides service cover in the dispensary, aseptics with ward cover when and if required. Participates in the departments weekend and Bank Holiday rotas and where appropriate, out of hours services.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

• Master of Pharmacy degree (4 years), or equivalent qualification, plus 1 year pre-registration training.
• Registrant of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Ability to demonstrate competency in all domains of the General Level Framework (GLF).
• Substantial post-registration experience as practising pharmacist.
• Experience of dealing with complex clinical issues, that require the analysis of a variety of sources of information, these may not be in agreement when reaching an appropriate response. The pharmacist will have experience in negotiating with and persuading other members of the multidisciplinary clinical team, or patients/clients, to agree on a course of action.
• Experience of dealing with clinical and non-clinical staff, typically at junior grades, but occasionally at higher consultant and managerial levels.
• Ability to comprehensively counsel patients on use or sales of medication ensuring appropriate advice is supported by written information using patient information leaflets.

The Leeds Way Values

• Professional attitude.
• Deal with patients, colleagues, and other customers in an honest and open manner with integrity.
• Strict adherence to patient confidentiality.
• Committed to CPD.
• Reliable.
• Support, advise and value others.
• Empathy to patients, carers, and other service users.
• Commitment to high standards of service delivery.

Core Behaviours and Skills

• Work within standard operational procedures, Trust policy, and wider professional guidelines.
• Team player.
• Lateral thinker.
• Confident.
• Good time management.
• Adaptable.
• Use initiative.
• Negotiation and influencing skills.
• Self-directed management of own workload.
• Works accurately under pressure.

Core Knowledge and Understanding

• Comprehensive knowledge of current government legislation relating to pharmacy and patient care.
• Thorough understanding of medicine legislation.
• Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge in clinical pharmacy practice, over a wide range of specialities.
• Be professionally accountable for action and advice.

Principal Duties & Areas of Responsibility

• Provide specialist clinical pharmacy service to patients and other members of the multi-disciplinary team over a wide range of specialities. This will include:
• Individual prescription review to optimise therapy.
• Utilising patient medication records to support review of medicines suitable for use.
• Advice on dosage and side effects.
• Advise on safe administration of medicines of both prescribed and over the counter sales.
• Responsibility for medicines risk management in a variety of clinical areas, including investigating clinical incidents, recording significant clinical interventions/near misses, and ensuring compliance with medicines legislation, and local policies.
• Assist in the introduction of new drugs, including unlicensed medicines, into the clinical specialty.
• Organisation and planning of own workload on an ongoing basis e.g. ward cover, training and CPD, audit, project work, attendance of meetings etc.
• Supervise, teach and assess junior pharmacy staff completing training in outpatient dispensaries. This could involve:
• Providing support for student technicians.
• Being a named tutor for a pre-registration pharmacist.
• Being a mentor to junior pharmacists.
• Participate in any medicines related clinical trials relating to outpatient services speciality.
• Propose and carry out clinical pharmacy practice research within outpatient areas and participate in any larger pharmacy research and audit.
• Work within standard operational procedures, Trust policy and wider professional guidelines.
• Involvement in reviewing and implementing clinical policies and procedures relating to outpatient services.
• Advise on over the counter sales of medicines to customers and patients.
• Deals with prescription charges and sales from patients.
• Provide a service commitment within the pharmacy department i.e the dispensary.
• Provide clinical ward cover when and if required.
• Participate in weekend and bank holiday pharmacy service and contribute to the emergency out of hours service where appropriate.

Health and Safety/Risk Management

All staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service users. This always includes complying with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Policies, including Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Trust Incident Reporting system.

Infection Control

The jobholder must always comply with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Infection Control policies, in particular by practising Universal Infection Control Precautions. Hand hygiene must be performed before and after contact with patients and their environment.

Equality and Diversity

The job holder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

Patient and Public Involvement

The Trust has a statutory duty to involve patients and public in evaluating and planning services. All staff have a responsibility to listen to the views of patients and to contribute to service improvements based on patient feedback.

Training and Personal Development Continuous Professional Development

The job holder must take responsibility in agreement with his/her line manager for his/her own personal development by ensuring that Continuous Professional Development remains a priority. The job holder will undertake all mandatory training required for the role.

Respect for Patient Confidentiality

The job holder should always respect patient confidentiality and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Communication & Working Relationships

Communicate complex information about medicine use to pharmacy staff, consultants and junior doctors, nursing staff, patients, managers, and other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

Special Working Conditions

i) PHYSICAL EFFORT:

The post requires a combination of sitting, standing, and walking with little requirement for physical effort, excepting an occasional need to move pharmacy boxes, fluids, enteral nutrition packs. These typically weigh approximately 10kg per box.

ii) MENTAL EFFORT:

The post requires frequent amounts of concentration for clinical and accuracy checking, reviewing prescriptions, performing complicated calculations etc. Post holders will frequently be interrupted by urgent or non-urgent clinical enquiries, received verbally, or by telephone or bleep, at any time, including during breaks.

iii) EMOTIONAL EFFORT:

The post holder may be exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances due to their work with very ill patients. More occasionally, they may be exposed to emotional or distressing circumstances when investigating drug misadventures or explaining to relatives or patients an unpleasant drug regime.

iv) WORKING CONDITIONS:

The post holder will spend a significant part of their working day in a dispensary. If covering wards, they may be in the vicinity of, but not having to deal with, body fluids, smells, foul linen etc.

Person Specification

Skills & Behaviours

• Team Player
• Enthusiastic
• Self-motivated
• Able to work under own initiative
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Highly Adaptive to changing circumstances

Qualifications

• Registrant of GPhC
• Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
• Non-medical prescriber
• Hospital Pharmacy Experience

Additional Requirements

• Lateral thinker
• Exceptional communication skills

Experience

• Substantial post qualification experience as a practicing pharmacist
• Specialist clinical pharmacy knowledge over a wide range of specialities.
• Hospital Pharmacy Experience
• Paediatric pharmacy

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.