Highly Specialist Pharmacist - Medicine

Chelwest; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced clinical pharmacist to deliver and develop highly specialist pharmacy services within the Emergency & Integrated Care division across acute and community settings.

The role requires registration with the GPhC, postgraduate qualifications, and evidence of independent prescribing or progress toward IP, with strong leadership and teaching abilities. A proactive, patient-centered approach is essential.

Qualifications

• Registered pharmacist with GPhC registration.
• Diploma in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent training.
• Independent Prescriber or working towards IP.
• ICH GCP Training.
• Postgraduate qualifications in medical specialties.

Responsibilities

• Deliver highly specialist clinical pharmacy services within Emergency & Integrated Care (EIC) for sub-specialities in Medicine.
• Deputise for Lead Directorate Pharmacist – Emergency & Integrated Care.
• Supervise less experienced pharmacists within the EIC Division.
• Review prescriptions for accuracy, safety and legality; ensure appropriate supply and labeling for discharge.
• Participate in ward rounds and multidisciplinary teams to raise pharmacy standards.

Skills

Clinical Pharmacy

Specialist practice

Ward rounds

Leadership

Education

GPhC registration

Diploma in Pharmacy Practice

Independent Prescriber or IP training

Tools

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Job description

We are an award winning organisation providing care at two main hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—and a number of community-based services across London, such as sexual health and HIV clinics.

With 6,700 members of staff, we are proud to care for a diverse population of one million people. We are committed to ensuring that our workforce is just as diverse with a strong mix of skills and abilities.

Our staff are at the very heart of our organisation and we recognise the valuable contribution that each and every person working at the Trust makes. One of our Trust priorities is to be an employer of choice—a place where people want to start their career and to grow with us through continued education, professional development and support .

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, and motivated clinical pharmacist to join our established, friendly clinical pharmacy team.

The post holder will be responsible for delivering clinical pharmacy services to a chosen sub-specialty of Medicine, which include Respiratory, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Care of the Elderly, Rheumatology, and Emergency Medicine.

Main duties of the job

• Acting as a role model and to deliver, develop and evaluate highly specialist clinical pharmacy services in accordance with the objectives set by the line manager.
• Providing a highly specialist clinical pharmacy service to patients within the Emergency & Integrated Care (EIC) Division ensuring high quality, safe, effective, legal and accurate use of medicines.
• Deputizing for the Lead Directorate Pharmacist – Emergency & Integrated Care.
• Supporting and supervising less experienced pharmacists within the EIC Division.

Working for our organisation

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children’s services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.

We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.

The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background.

Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates.

Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven’t heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General Practice

• Be responsible and accountable for the clinical pharmacy service provided to the sub specialities listed above within the Medicine Directorate.
• Review prescriptions for accuracy and legality and identify actual or potential problems.
• Ensure the effective supply of medicines suitable for use as an inpatient and appropriately labelled for discharge if applicable.
• Ensure the effective outcomes of treatment with medicines.
• Monitor patients for potential and actual adverse effects of their medicines.
• Take steps to ensure patients understand the purpose of their medicines and deal with any practical issues that may prevent the optimal use of their medicines.
• Support the planning of patient discharge with respect to medication, including the transcription of requests for dispensing.
• Demonstrate professional accountability to patients.
• To act as a clinical role model within medicine and demonstrate the ability to provide high quality, safe, clinically effective and cost efficient use of drugs in these patients.
• Provide highly specialist pharmaceutical care to patients including medication reconciliation on admission, at discharge, and medication review during inpatient stay.
• Participate in ward rounds to integrate into the multidisciplinary team and raise the pharmacy profile via contributions at consultant level.
• Manage the allocated patients’ medication and make appropriate referrals.
• Manage difficult and ambiguous problems.
• Demonstrate a whole-system patient-focused approach.
• Demonstrate advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement.
• Communicate highly complex issues in all areas of work including communication with medicine patients, patients having language difficulties and patients with physical and mental disabilities.
• Manage pharmaceutical care issues in palliative patients in a sensitive and empathetic way.
• Effectively deal with supply issues and liaise with the buying office as necessary in order to maintain necessary medication.
• Support all clinical staff in the use of medicines outside of the product licence (“off label”) and unlicensed medicines in the directorate in order to ensure that all medication use is of a high quality and safe.
• Develop recognition as a national and/or international pharmacy expert within the chosen medical speciality.
• Make appropriate referrals where necessary; ensure the clear and effective communication of patients’ pharmaceutical needs to other pharmacists and health care professionals both within the trust and in other health care environments

Leadership

• Identify and promote best practice in medication use.
• Act as a role model for trainee pharmacists, specialist and junior pharmacists in their Medicine rotation.
• Ensure delivery of the clinical governance agenda in relation to drug use in medicine in order to minimise the number of drug related incidents.
• Motivate and inspire others (both within pharmacy and the directorate) in order to create and maintain a good working environment and facilitate staff retention.
• Proactively develop clinical pharmacy services in line with local and national objectives.
• Demonstrate innovation in the highly specialised chosen field within medicine pharmacy practice.
• Work collaboratively with pharmacy and medical staff, the multidisciplinary team and management in the natural agenda for pharmacy services in accordance with the agreed objectives.
• Represent the Trust at appropriate medical speciality external meetings in order to network and share knowledge and experience with other pharmacists at a national level.
• Deputise for the Lead Divisional Pharmacist – medicine when required.

Refer to the attached job description for further details.

Person specification

Education and Qualificiation

• Registered as a practicing pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Diploma in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent training
• Independent Prescriber or currently working towards IP
• ICH GCP Training
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) faculty membership
• Postgraduate qualifications in Medical specialities

Experience

• Relevant and extensive post registration ward pharmacy experience including in medicine and surgery specialist areas
• Recent experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist in medicine or surgery, able to demonstrate a high level of competency e.g. equivalent to achieving Mastery in the majority of competencies within the Advanced Level Competency Framework
• Variety of clinical practice to include Acute Medicine and Surgery rotations
• Supervision of pharmacy staff in training
• Completion of clinical audit(s)
• Meets the necessary GPhC requirements in order to undertake role of GPhC Trainee pharmacist Tutor
• Support in the education and training of hospital staff outside of pharmacy

Important

• There may be some occasions when we have to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date, this will be due to a high volume of applications. You are therefore advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please check your emails regularly (and your junk folder) as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.
• In submitting an application, you authorise the Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process, should you be appointed to the post.
• During the recruitment process your identity documentation (ie passport, driving licence, visa etc) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, infrared and machine-readable zone security features of the documents provided.
• Employment at the Trust is offered subject to successful completion of a six month probationary period.
• We operate a joint recruitment hub across the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative Group. As part of this, your application and personal data may be shared with partner trusts within the group for recruitment and workforce purposes, in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Right to work

If you need sponsorship to work in the UK, please visit the Home Office website for information on sponsorship and visa status before you fill in your application form. Due to recent changes in the UK immigration rules which affect Skilled Worker Visas, Global Business Mobility, Higher Skill Level and Increased Salary Thresholds, please ensure that you are able to meet the requirements to live and work in the UK before applying. Further information about eligibility is available on UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.