Lead Pharmacist

To lead, deliver, develop and evaluate pharmacy services to LivingCare group. 

• Leads the clinical pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team within LivingCare group. Ensures medicines are used appropriately, safely, and cost-effectively in accordance with LivingCare policy, standard operating procedures and medicine legislation. The post holder is expected to determine how the outcomes are best achieved in specific circumstances. 
• Works directly and regularly with consultants, senior nursing staff and managers within the clinical team. Monitors and interprets expenditure on medicines within LivingCare. 
• Provides the Director of Clinical Services & Governance regular reports to assist in the safe use of medicines, the management of the drug budget and clinical governance issues. The report also includes risk management such as the recording of significant clinical interventions and near misses. 
• Supervise, along with other members of their multidisciplinary team, the development and implementation of treatment protocols, and guidelines for use of drugs within the clinical area. 
• Responsible for training health care professionals, on aspects of drug use within the clinical area. 
• To act as the Responsible Pharmacist in line with local procedures when required and Medication Safety Officer within LivingCare Group.

Main Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Lead the pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team within LivingCare group. 
• Supports the Organisations Prescribing Standards and challenges practice where prescribers have not adhered to the Medicines Code. 
• Demonstrate the ability to provide safe, clinically effective and cost-effective use of medicines in accordance with policies and standard operating procedures and medicine legislation. This will include individual prescription review to optimise therapy, advising on dosage and side effects and on safe administration of medicines. The post holder is expected to determine how the outcomes are best achieved in specific circumstances. 
• Pharmacists who are registered as prescribers will, with the agreement of the directors, prescribe within their level of competence, to support patient care. 
• Participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings. 
• Manage difficult and ambiguous problems, often when information is limited. 
• Undertake risk management, including investigating clinical incidents in the clinical area and ensuring compliance with medicine legislation. 
• The post holder will be expected to identify, where necessary, areas that require service changes and develop a strategy to carry out the change through consultation with senior colleagues within and outside the pharmacy. 
• Manage the introduction of new drugs, including unlicensed drugs, into the Organisation. 
• Develop and update policies for the safe, effective and economic use of medicines through discussion with medical and nursing staff. 
• Communication with Primary Care about medicines policies or guidelines specific for their area of practice. 

Management 

• Monitor and interpret expenditure on medicines within LivingCare. Provide the Directorate with regular reports to assist in the management of the drug budget 
• Attend the management meetings to advise on medicine use and financial implications Horizon scan for new drugs and advise the clinical speciality meetings on the financial implications 
• Review prescribing data from out-patient clinics 
• 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 LivingCare Policies, including Health and Safety policies, by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Incident Reporting system. 
• Infection Control 
• The jobholder must always comply with the Organisations 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 jobholder 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 Organisation 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 jobholder 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 jobholder will undertake all mandatory training required for the role. 
• Respect for Patient Confidentiality 
• The jobholder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role. 

COMMUNICATION & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS 

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

All registered healthcare professionals must ensure adherence to professional codes of practice 

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 and fluids. These typically weigh approximately 10kg per box. 

ii) MENTAL EFFORT: 

Concentration required when checking and reviewing prescriptions and performing complicated calculations. Concentration required for periods of time when preparing financial reports, papers reviewing medicine use. Interruptions for urgent advice occur frequently via telephone or in person at any time, including during breaks. 

iii) EMOTIONAL EFFORT: 

Depending on the clinical specialty the post holder may be exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances due to their work with sick patients. They may occasionally be exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances when investigating drug misadventures and explaining to relatives the consequences of a medicine related incident. 

iv) WORKING CONDITIONS: 

The post holder may spend a significant part of their working day in clinical areas. This means they will regularly be in the vicinity of, but not having to deal with personally, body fluids, smells, foul linen etc. Exposure to unpleasant working conditions outside of a clinical area will be rare, exception for pharmacists who undertake work where they will occasionally experience noxious fumes and could be at increased risk of exposure to cytotoxic drugs.