Highly Specialist Pharmacist, Respiratory

Job overview

This is a fantastic opportunity for a committed, innovative and experienced pharmacist to join our Respiratory team.

Working closely with the Respiratory Consultants and the established multidisciplinary asthma and COPD teams, you will play a key role in supporting patients to get the maximum benefit from their medicines. The post supports the delivery of local and national priorities aimed at improving lung health and reducing health inequalities for the population we serve.

This role offers significant opportunities to contribute to and publish practice‑based research, deliver education and training to a wide range of pharmacy, medical and healthcare professionals, and develop professionally and personally.

This vacancy is open to all internal and external candidates. NHS Employees should ideally secure their manager’s agreement for a secondment arrangement ideally prior to applying, as this will be a condition of any offer made.

This vacancy is advertised on a fixed term basis as it has been established to provide cover for maternity leave and will end after a period of 12 months or when the substantive postholder returns.

Whilst this post is advertised on a fixed term basis there is the potential that this post may become permanent in the future.

Main duties of the job

• To deliver, develop and evaluate medicines optimisation services within the Respiratory Medicine team, primarily focusing on airways disease (asthma and COPD).
• To provide a high-quality, patient‑centred and innovative pharmaceutical service in line with the Trust Clinical Strategy, NHS priorities and national standards.
• To work collaboratively with the Respiratory team and wider MDT to agree and deliver service objectives.
• To support and enhance the care of patients with respiratory disease across the primary and secondary care interface.
• To promote medicines adherence and optimise therapy, including support for home administration of biologic therapies where appropriate.
• To contribute to audit, service evaluation and research activity within respiratory pharmacy practice.
• To deliver clinical services across the Trust, including to the wider Live Well and Urgent Care division.
• To support the Principal Pharmacists for Live Well and Urgent Care and the Senior Leadership Team in delivering Trust, divisional and departmental objectives.
• To lead and support junior pharmacists.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

• Report to the Principal Pharmacist for Live Well and Urgent Care and support them in delivering and developing, Pharmacy, speciality, divisional and Trust objectives.
• Deliver highly specialist clinical pharmacist services to your area of responsibility within the Trust including directorate level support such as horizon scanning, cost benefit analysis, ensuring PGDs / Shared Care Protocols are appropriate and assurance reporting is provided to the Division.
• To be a non-medical prescriber.
• Working in partnership with other professionals and partners, to reduce the number and severity of medicines related adverse events by identifying and implementing new systems of work.
• Thematically review existing medication practices, incident reporting and other intelligence to support safer medication practices within specialist area.
• Investigate serious errors related to the use of medicines and report findings to manager. Alongside implementing action plans to improve practice.
• Develop, implement and audit unit wide policies, procedures and guidelines related to medication prescribing, supply, administration or disposal. Publish findings and undertake pharmacy practice research.
• Ensure compliance with medicines management guidance issued by the Trust, GMMMG or national bodies.
• Ensure compliance with Medicines Law and CQC requirements.
• Provide support for specialist and general areas primarily within the Live Well and Urgent Care Division.
• Support other divisions within the Trust when required by senior managers.
• Provide formal education to pharmacists and MDT members such as medics and nurses. Including Trust induction and Trust level events.
• Produce, update and review: clinical guidelines, monographs, PGDs, governance procedures and other documents requested by senior managers.
• Attend ward rounds and support junior colleagues to attend ward rounds when service provision allows. Provide specialist pharmacy input on these rounds alongside MDT members.
• Ensuring medications provided to patients are licensed, and where this is not possible supporting the division to implement and abide by the Restricted Medicine Policy.
• Horizon scanning for matters affecting the Medicine Division. For example, new products or new guidance, for example, NICE, RCPCH, GMMMG
• Encourage service development within the scope and funding received into Pharmacy. Explore and implement novel ways of working.
• Provide support to primary care providers, other secondary care providers and tertiary centres when required for issues that affect our patients.
• Provide a point of reference for medical and nursing staff for any pharmacy queries.
• Ensure local medicines management policies adhered to. This would include monthly CD audits
• Review of ward stocks together with medicines management technicians.
• Ensure high-cost drugs are appropriately managed, ie Blueteq and PBR drugs.
• Provide directorate and clinical support to the Division.
• Support other Divisions if required by senior managers.
• Cross-site working.
• Implement quality improvement projects.
• Support senior pharmacy and Trust colleagues in delivering objectives and implementing change.
• Contribute positively to the vision and direction of the department.