Lead Pharmacist - Oncology

Cleveland Clinic London; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious health institution in Greater London seeks a Lead Pharmacist Oncology to provide expert pharmaceutical care and operational leadership within the Oncology service. This senior position involves developing and managing the Oncology pharmacy service, leading innovation, and ensuring compliance with clinical standards. The ideal candidate should have significant hospital pharmacy experience and a Master's degree in Pharmacy. The role offers competitive compensation and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Significant experience in hospital pharmacy across various specialties.
• Extensive experience in complex pharmacy services including aseptics and clinical governance.
• Experience leading clinical audits and analyzing key performance indicators.

Responsibilities

• Lead oncology pharmacy services and operational planning.
• Ensure compliance with legislative and professional standards.
• Foster relationships with multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical Governance

Change Management

Data Analysis

Team Collaboration

Education

Master's degree in Pharmacy

Post graduate clinical diploma in clinical pharmacy or oncology

Job description

The Lead Pharmacist Oncology is accountable for providing expert pharmaceutical care and operational leadership within the Oncology service at Cleveland Clinic London (CCL). This senior post plays a pivotal role in developing, managing, and transforming the Oncology pharmacy service, aligning with Cleveland Clinics strategic priorities.

Main duties of the job

In addition to clinical responsibilities, the postholder will lead service innovation, workforce development, performance management, and contribute to hospital-wide medicines governance. This includes driving continuous quality improvement, leading programs, managing budgets, and shaping the future of oncology pharmacy services. The Lead Pharmacist will act as the deputy to the Clinical Services Manager and represent CCL in internal and external strategic forums.

This role includes supporting the Clinical Services Manager to develop and implement strategic and business plans for the clinical roles in the Oncology Institute. It will also coordinate high level clinical tasks, operations, training and education, and acting as a liaison between caregivers and management. This post holder will lead and promote the implementation and expansion of Oncology services.

About us

Cleveland Clinic London offers a brand-new high-acuity environment with the very latest equipment, where caregivers are encouraged to grow their expertise across multiple specialties, and in collaboration with expert clinicians. Our Mission, Caring for life, researching for health, and educating those who serve, assures our unwavering commitment to professional development.

Patient safety is at the heart of all our pharmacy services. At Cleveland Clinic London, well be using automation, unique to the UK, digital infrastructure, secure storage systems, and bar-coded medicines administration to achieve a closed loop medicines administration system. Our Pharmacy services will enable patients to be fully involved in their own care and to make shared decisions about their treatment.

Job responsibilities

Leadership

• Develop and articulate a clear strategic visionfor oncology pharmacy services in alignment with CCL and Pharmacy Departmentgoals.
• Lead the design, planning, and execution ofservice transformation initiatives, including business cases and innovationpipelines.
• Represent CCL at national and regional oncologynetworks, building strategic partnerships and promoting the organisationsreputation.
• Drive a culture of clinical excellence,innovation, and accountability, embedding leadership at all levels of the team
• Deputise in the absence of the Clinical ServicesManager,
• Work collaboratively with external agencies andhold responsibility for the Oncology pharmacy service across CCL, includingmedicines management and risk management relating to medicines use.
• Be a representative for Pharmacy at seniorhospital wide medicines governance meetings.
• Assist in the development of a vision andstrategic direction and lead on the development, planning / implementation andevaluation of long-term strategies, operational policies and standards forOncology clinical pharmacy services and ensure that these are aligned with andsupport the Pharmacy Department and CCL strategies.
• Provide effective and enabling leadership in theOncology team and contribute to the culture of leadership promoting equalityand the value of diversity.
• Represent CCL at external networks, influencing,contributing to and maintaining awareness of national and regional clinicalpharmacy strategies, policies, standards and changes in political agendas.
• To work with Pharmacy colleagues to promote thereputation of the Pharmacy Department and CCL to patients and potential staff,through professional papers, conferences and provision of high-quality care andtraining

Management

• Lead operational planning and delivery foroncology pharmacy, ensuring safe, efficient, and patient-centred care acrossinpatient and outpatient settings.
• Oversee workforce and skill-mix planning, talentmanagement, and succession planning within the oncology pharmacy team,including the aseptics team.
• Monitor and evaluate key performance indicators(KPIs), ensuring data-driven improvements and reporting outcomes at seniorleadership forums.
• Actively contribute to the annual budgetplanning process, developing strategies for cost containment, serviceefficiencies, and income generation
• To support the Clinical Services Manager in thedevelopment and delivery of a business plan for pharmacy aimed at developingthe service, (including risk management strategies) which details futureservice provision and incorporates set objectives for all key areas andpersonnel.
• To undertake workforce/capacity planning andskill mix reviews ensuring staff resources are used optimally and staffinglevels and capabilities are always maintained at safe levels.
• To be responsible for ensuring that pharmacyOncology related incidents and risk are investigated, and remedial measures /mitigations are implemented and communicated / promoted to all staff.
• To be responsible for ensuring all clinicalpharmacy service health and safety risks are reduced to a minimum and wherehigh-risk situations remain insufficiently mitigated, they are placed on theRisk Register and action plans developed and implemented.
• Assist the Clinical Pharmacy Manager inproviding the pharmacy response to formal complaints liaising with otherdepartments and the complaints officer as necessary.
• Ensure that statements are taken according toCCL Policy and time deadlines are met.
• Utilise the feedback from complaints toinfluence strategic developments and business planning.
• Supervise and support a team of pharmacists andpharmacy technicians to ensure high quality pharmaceutical care is delivered toall patients of CCL.
• Provide guidance, mentorship, and training tostaff to foster professional development and enhance team performance.

Legislative Compliance

• Support the Clinical Pharmacy Services Managerin ensuring that legislative, ethical and professional standards are met,including:
• The Medicines Act - Department of Health, e.g.controlled drugs
• Medicines and Healthcare products RegulatoryAgency, e.g. unlicensed medicines, recalls.
• The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Standards forHospital Pharmacy Services
• National guidance, e.g. NICE NG05
• Regional and local guidance

Pharmacy Operations and Patient Care

• The post holder is responsible for defining thestrategy for the Oncology service to meet the needs of the organisation.
• Undertake non-medical prescribing if needed forservice requirements.
• Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive orcontentious information relating both to medicines management and peoplemanagement and actively supporting others in pharmacy when unable to managethese situations alone.
• Advise clinical staff on the development ofclinical guidelines and protocols.
• Regularly review, develop and implement plans to improve the quality and efficiency of the Oncology service.
• To ensure effective communication systems aremaintained and developed.
• Oversee the procurement, preparation anddispensing of medications, ensuring accuracy and adherence to standardoperating protocols, including the provision of cytotoxic medicines (from CCLaseptics unit and external partners)
• Work closely with the outpatient pharmacydepartment at 40GP to ensure seamless patient care for oncology patients (andothers using this service).
• Ensure all pharmacy services comply withCleveland Clinic standards, national regulations, and best practices.
• Support the clinical pharmacy services acrossCCL, including the 24/7 and unit dosing/BCMA models
• Identify and implement new models of care,including advanced clinical roles, digital systems, and cross-site integrationto improve service delivery.
• Initiate and lead clinical service developmentprojects and audits, translating findings into service improvement initiatives.
• Promote a learning environment that encouragescontinuous professional development and service innovation.
• Lead strategic development of oncology clinicaltrials pharmacy services, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards andintegration with clinical services.
• Monitor and evaluate medicines related protocolsand guidelines across a range of tumour groups throughout the organisation,working in partnership with multidisciplinary caregivers where necessary todevelop new ways of working.
• Propose policy or service changes which improveclinical pharmacy services and may have multidisciplinary and resourceimplications or may lead to improved efficiency or cost improvementopportunities.
• Lead Oncology service improvement projects.
• Lead and promote the implementation andexpansion of Oncology services such as clinical trial services.
• Promote innovation and evidence-basedpractice.
• Develop and deliver research and development,quality improvement activities and audit of practice throughout the Pharmacyservices.
• Ensure medicines related clinical audit isundertaken by self and staff to provide assurance of effective medicines useacross CCL and to support continuous quality improvement and risk reduction.
• Ensure work is published in peer reviewedjournals, presented at national conferences and disseminated throughprofessional and/or other networks

Collaboration and Communication

• Foster strong relationships withmultidisciplinary healthcare teams, ensuring seamless integration of pharmacyservices into patient care.
• Ensure timely and accurate communication ofcritical medication information to all stakeholders, including patients,physicians, and staff.

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant experience in hospital pharmacy, across a range of specialties.
• Extensive experience in a broad range of complex pharmacy services including aseptics, formulary, Clinical Governance and Risk management related to Oncology
• Experience and advanced ability to review and lead clinical audits and provide a high-level critical analysis of Key Performance indicators for Pharmacy and using data to improve and transform pharmacy services

Qualifications

• Completion of a masters degree in pharmacy.
• Post graduate clinical diploma in clinical pharmacy (hospital) or oncology related field
• Full registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

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.