Lead Pharmacist

Integrated Care System; Colchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A community health services provider in Colchester is seeking an experienced pharmacist to lead on medication safety and governance. The role involves managing pharmaceutical services, ensuring safe and effective use of medicines, and supporting clinical research. Ideal candidates will have at least 3 years of relevant experience and a pharmacy degree. This position offers a chance to significantly impact patient care in the community.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years experience in community health services.
• Experience in governance and risk management for medicines.
• Evidence of working across systems.

Responsibilities

• Ensure safe and effective medicines use across Provide services.
• Act as Deputy Chair for the Medicines Governance and Safety Group.
• Lead on the Medicines Optimisation and Non-Medical Prescribing.

Skills

Community Health Services experience

Governance and risk management

Presentation skills

Education

Pharmacy degree

Job description

• Ensure all medicines optimisation and pharmaceutical processes undertaken across Provide services are safe, effective and evidence based.
• Act as the Medication Safety Officer and Lead on medication safety
• Lead on Non-Medical Prescribing
• Support and advise on governance and risks associated with medicines governance and assurance

Main duties of the job

To actively contribute to, and participate in the provision and development of pharmaceutical services across Provide

Participate as an active member of the Pharmacy and Medicines team and support the safe and effective use of medicines across Provide services

Provide clinical pharmacy advice and support on the management of patients within our care to maximise benefit and minimise risk in relation to medicines

To support the development of patient pathways and redesign to ensure effective processes are adapted in relation to medicines optimisation

To deputise for the Head of Medicines Management as required

To support and participate in clinical research and audit

About us

Provide is a Community Interest Company (social enterprise). We deliver a broad range of health and social care services in the community, and are committed to making sure that they are safe, responsive and of high quality. Provide is owned by its employees and has primarily social objectives. Any profits we make are reinvested into the local community or back into delivering services.

We work from a variety of community settings, such as community hospitals, community clinics, schools, nursing homes and primary care settings, as well as within people's homes to provide more than 40 services to children, families and adults across Essex, Dorset, East Anglia and the North of England.

A highly respected, award winning health and social care provider. We expect our staff to demonstrate and uphold our values at all times:

Vision:Transforming Lives

Values:Care, Innovation and Compassion

Mission:An ambitious, employee owned social enterprise, growing in size and influence. We transform lives by treating, caring and educating people.

Provide is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills, proud to have LGBT+, Ethnic Minority and Men's Networks.

We welcome applicants from underrepresented groups. If you have the skills and experience for the job, please apply regardless of your background.

Job responsibilities

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Communication and Relationships

Support the provision and presentation of written and verbal reports in relation to medicines governance and assurance to all levels across Provide services

Develop, maintain and support communication with all levels of staff from a variety of organisations and agencies on complex medicines management related matters and evidence base practice issues. This may include situations in which there is a resistance to change

Motivate, persuade and negotiate with key stakeholders to implement clinical and cost effective changes in relation to prescribing and medicines optimisation, being aware that opinions may be challenged by clinicians

Provide expert clinical, therapeutic, legislative and best practice advice to all Provide services, service users and the public as necessary, in order to promote safe and effective medicines use, including clinical advice in areas where information is lacking and where medical or other opinions differs

Work collaboratively with all the local partners which include health and social care agencies, third sector and the independent organisations to ensure a unified and coordinated approach around the development of seamless pharmaceutical care for patients

Key Relationships

Internal

Head of Medicines Management

Pharmacy and Medicines Management team including Community Collaborative partners

Directors ad Divisional Leads

Health and Social Care Directorate Business Units

Contracts Management Team

External

Community Health Service Pharmacists across East of England

Specialist Pharmacy Services

Independent contractors e.g. GP Practices, community pharmacists

Third Sector Partners

Patients and Patient Groups

Mid Essex Hospital Trust

Colchester University Hospital Trust

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Healthy Living Partnership (HLP)

Essex County Council Services

Suffolk County Council

ANALYTICAL AND JUDGEMENT

Support the identification of Provide pharmaceutical and medicines management needs, through analysis and interpretation of data submitted by primary care providers, public health, directorate colleagues and other information resources, and the comparison of a range of options for delivery of effective pharmaceutical provision

Work with the Governance Lead Pharmacy and Medicines and lead on the analyses, monitoring and reporting of information from Epact data associated with non-medical prescribing, ensuring that prescribing is evidence based, within the NMP Scope of Practice and cost effective and in accordance with local formularies and guidance

PLANNING AND ORGANISATION

Coordinate the Medicines Management work programme, identifying innovation and service re-design in collaboration with affected services and other partner organisations ensuring that Provide key performance indicators are met within agreed timescales

Lead on the Medicines Optimisation and Non-Medical Prescribing to influence innovation and service redesign where applicable

PATIENT AND CLIENT CARE

Give specialised pharmaceutical advice to Provide services regarding the safe and effective evidence based use of medicines to support the provision of care to patients

Provide pharmaceutical care to patients including medicines reconciliation as required within services

Work with the Head of Medicines Management and Divisional Leads to demonstrate compliance with the Standards for Better Health relating to prescribing and medicines optimisation across services

Contribute to the development and delivery of medicines optimisation training programmes, support the medicines champions in delivering medicines optimisation training

Ensure all aspects of controls assurance relating to medicines management are met e.g. medicines procurement, handling, storage and destruction, through the development , review and promotion of medicines policies, audit and the provision of advice and training to medical, nursing and other staff as appropriate

Support Directors and Divisional Leads in the review of medicines management related complaints, incidents and near misses, including risk assessment, root cause analysis and implementation of related actions

POLICY AND SERVICE

Responsible for the interpretation of national, regional and local medicines management guidance or regulations and the development and maintenance of medicines management related policies and procedures for local implementation

Responsible for the implementation if medicines management related alerts, including patient safety alerts. This includes the establishment of any working groups to implement the action plans developed as a response to alerts

Work with the Accountable Officer to lead on the implementation and assurance around the governance framework for controlled drugs

Act as Deputy Chair for the Medicines Governance and Safety Group

Human Resources

Identify, develop and deliver training regarding policies and procedures relating to medicines and prescribing to staff and patient/service users

Liaise with other healthcare professionals to enable development and delivery of competency tools and training packages for the implementation of new and on-going roles within community care, including new prescriber roles and the use of patient group directions

Research and Development

Lead on the identification, development and implementation of medicines management related audits and data collection tools and contribute to the annual audit plan

Work with the Research Development Facilitator to identify medicines related research projects and act as lead on identified research projects

Freedom to Act

Responsible for the interpretation of national and regional medicines management guidance or regulations, the development of strategy, policies and procedures for local implementation

Lead on the implementation if the medicines management components if the National Service Framework, NICE guidance and locally develop prescribing guidelines across all relevant services

Act as a Senior Pharmacist for the development of patient group directions and develop and support the Senior Pharmacy Technician to maintain the process to manage these controlled documents

Witness the destruction of Controlled Drugs as instructed by the Accountable Officer across Provide in line with the Misuse of Drugs Regulations

Additional Duties

In addition to the above, the post holder will also be expected to perform the key activities below in line with your job role;

Complete Mandatory training in line with Provide policy and procedures

To participate in the staff appraisal process and to undertake for any staff you manage

To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy To provide management supervision where appropriate

You will be expected to work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary teams in delivering services across Provide

Person Specification

Skills and knowledge

• Evidence in Application
• Minimum 3 years experience with significant Community Health Services experience
• Experience of working on wards
• Evidence of working across systems
• Experience in governance and risk management for medicines

Governance and Risk management

• Evidence of medicines safety and review
• Evidence of presentation skills

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.