Clinical Effectiveness & Clinical Economy Pharmacist

Job overview

• To facilitate and promote safe, effective and efficient use of medicines within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUHFT).
• To promote the economic use of medicines within the OUH NHS Foundation Trust by actively participating in the Trust's "Cost-Effective Use of Medicines" Project
• To promote and ensure the economic use of medicines whilst actively contributing to the activities of the pharmacy department to ensure high standards of quality of pharmaceutical care for patients.
• To deputise for the Medicines Effectiveness Lead Pharmacist as appropriate.

Main duties of the job

To be the pharmacy lead in promoting cost-effective, evidence-based and safe prescribing of medicines within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

To manage the Trust Medicines Management and Therapeutics Committee as well as communication and day-to-day implementation of its decisions. This includes triage of one-off non-formulary requests for the MMTC chair.

To work with neighbouring NHS and other organisations (including the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Area Prescribing Committee) to ensure consistency of prescribing guidance.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Effectiveness (Formulary)

The formulary is managed by the Medicines Management & Therapeutics Committee (MMTC) on behalf of the Clinical Governance Committee (CGC). The formulary limits the range of medicines that may be prescribed in the trust to those that are established as gold-standard in their class and/or best value for money. The MMTC meets monthly to consider and evaluate applications for new medicines and decides whether to include, restrict or exclude new medicines from the formulary. The committee also produces and circulates Medicines Information Leaflets (MILs), which provide guidelines for the prescribing and use of medicines across a broad range of indications. The post holder will provide professional support to the MMTC:

• To support the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacist in developing and managing the OUHFT Formulary by:
• Drawing up the agenda for the MMTC meetings.
• Creating and providing evidence-based reviews of new medical technologies to inform decisions.
• Carrying out preliminary evaluations of applications and meeting with applicant for clarification if appropriate.
• Disseminating, publicising and implementing the committees decisions
• To contribute actively to the OUHFT MMTC,
• To keep abreast of current information on newly launched medicines and those in development.
• To contribute to the writing and dissemination of Medicines Information Leaflets and other information to promote quality and cost-effective prescribing in the Trust.
• To liaise with Specialist pharmacists on Formulary issues and MMTC applications
• To be actively involved in the implementation of Formulary decisions.
• To be involved in and/or supervise audit of current practice against nationally recognised standards.
• To authorise supply of non-formulary medicines in accordance with the Trusts Medicines Policy.
• To participate actively in the Trusts Cost Effective Use of Medicines (CEUM) project and other initiatives to manage expenditure on medicines within the local health economy.
• To support the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacist in implementing the Trust Policy on the use of unlicensed Medicines.
• To deputise for the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacists on committee meetings within and outside the ORH Trust; for example the Area Prescribing Committee of Oxfordshire

Clinical Economy (Cost Effective Use of Medicines)

The Cost Effective Use of Medicines Project is a Cost Improvement and Transformation project that is steered by the Cost Improvement and Transformation Steering Group. The objective of this project is to reduce the Trusts drugs expenditure by implementing a number of schemes, such as therapeutic substitution and reduction of waste from repeat prescribing. The job holder will play an active role in the day to day implementation of this project by carrying out the following:

• To support the Medicines Effectiveness Team in the day to day implementation of this project by: Supporting the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacists in identifying and implementing opportunities for cost reduction by therapeutic substitution. Supporting wards, clinics and theatres to ensure safe and effective switches as agreed by the directorate and by the drug cost savings group.
• Supporting the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacists in identifying and implementing opportunities for cost reduction by therapeutic substitution.
• Supporting wards, clinics and theatres to ensure safe and effective switches as agreed by the directorate and by the drug cost savings group.
• To participate actively in the Trusts Drugs Cost Savings Project and other initiatives to manage expenditure on medicines within the local health economy.
• To support pharmacy divisional team leads, directorate pharmacists and other directorate staff in implementing drug cost savings initiatives at the directorate level.
• To contribute actively to the drug cost savings project group meetings and be actively involved in implementing its initiatives
• To contribute to writing, disseminating and publicising of Medicines Information Leaflets and other information to promote good quality and cost-effective prescribing.
• To analyse data on drug expenditure to identify opportunities for drugs savings
• To create and present reports on drugs expenditure and drug cost savings.
• To be actively involved in the implementation of the Trust Formulary.
• To support the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacist in implementing the Trust Policy on the cost-effective use of unlicensed Medicines.
• To deputise for the Medicines Effectiveness Pharmacists as appropriate on committee meetings within the ORH Trust for discussions and decisions that affect the cost-effective use of medicines.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.