Pharmacist - Aseptic Services

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Pharmacy Aseptic Services at King’s College Hospital. The Denmark Hill site houses two unlicensed aseptic units operating under the Section 10 exemption, preparing high risk medications including chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, clinical trials and CIVAS products for our patients. Along with the Quality Assurance team, we provide quality assurance expertise and aseptic preparation services to the wider pharmacy department and across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work with senior pharmacists and technicians in the Section 10 aseptic units at Denmark Hill. Key duties include clinical validation of parenteral nutrition orders, technical verification of chemotherapy prescriptions, worksheet checking, and the final check and release of prepared products.

The role also involves providing a daily clinical pharmacy nutrition service to wards, liaising between wards and other departments to ensure  patient and ward needs are met.

Operational responsibilities include supporting the day-to-day running of the aseptic pharmacy service and collaborating with Specialist and Senior Pharmacists to manage and develop aspects of the service. This includes developing and maintaining training programmes and resources for trainee pharmacists, preparing staff rotas for pharmacists working in aseptic units, and organising the daily technical workflow for chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition production.

The post holder will contribute to research and audit activities and disseminate findings across the Trust using the production service.

The role includes late duties, weekend and bank holiday working as part of a 7-day pharmacy service, and participation in the wider pharmacy rota. Flexibility is required to work across other King’s College Hospital Trust sites when necessary to support cross-site service delivery.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Policy and Service Development

• To co-ordinate day to day preparation of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, parenteral nutrition and clinical trial patient doses.
• To liaise with Pharmacy/Aseptic Technicians to ensure the safe, efficient and timely delivery of aseptic products.
• To promote safe, effective and economical use of medicines across the Trust.
• To actively encourage the adherence to all procedures relating to the aseptic services department and Good Manufacturing Practice, and to suggest changes in practice and procedures as appropriate.
• To complete, process and file all documentation in line with Trust and departmental policies.
• To be accountable for own professional actions, ensure compliance with national protocols and frameworks, KCH Formulary and other local policies and procedures.
• To support specific service initiatives and changes affecting the clinical pharmacy services and pharmacy aseptic services in the department and across the Trust.
• To support the implementation and audit of plans, guidelines, procedures, policies and service changes within the aseptic units.
• To monitor workload patterns in all areas of Aseptic Services to establish and maintain a safe, cost-effective workflow with the senior aseptic team.

Patient/Client Care

• To provide expert advice on medicines including dosing, mechanisms of action, calculations, dose benefit effects, choice of medicines, formulations, adverse effects, drug interactions, chemical compatibility and stability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, etc. to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals individually and in multidisciplinary groups.
• To provide and counsel complex information about medicines (including doses, side effects, administration details) to patients and the general public to ensure compliance and promote health.
• To ensure appropriate and timely supply of medication to patients.
• To liaise with other pharmacists to ensure efficient transfer of clinical and medicine management issues.
• To participate in the medicines management/clinical ward pharmacy services involving any of the following: ensuring accurate drug histories are taken and documented; patients own drugs are appropriately assessed; dispensing of medicines on the ward for patients to take home; educating patients on the use of their medicines. Staff Management and Training
• To supervise staff working in the pharmacy aseptic units and deputise for the Senior Pharmacists in their absence.
• To support training and supervise trainee pharmacists, technicians, student and other junior pharmacy staff.
• To monitor the quality of the Pharmacy Aseptic Services and the performance of junior pharmacy staff.
• To undertake the aseptic unit induction for all new staff in the department.
• To lead on error reporting record keeping for the aseptic unit, maintain the error database and prepare quarterly quality monitoring reports for discussion in quality meetings.
• To act as a role model for pharmacy staff working in the aseptic units.
• To undertake CPD to ensure that knowledge is continually updated.
• To work effectively as part of a team in a multi-disciplinary and pharmacy environment, and maintain rapport with medical and other colleagues.

Research and Development

• To undertake the dispensing of aseptically prepared clinical trials.
• To undertake audits, service evaluations and quality improvement initiatives.
• To liaise with clinical trial and pharmacy staff, support monitoring and continuing supply of trial medicines to patients.