Senior Mental Health Pharmacist

Job overview

We are seeking a Specialist Pharmacist to work clinically within Early Intervention Service (EIS) and as Education (Joint) and Audit lead. Acting as an expert source of pharmaceutical advice promoting safe, cost effective and evidence-based prescribing and medicines use. In addition to the focus above, as part of the SHPU pharmacy team you will also work to provide specialist mental health pharmaceutical support to across the trust to help achieve best outcomes with medicines There will be a requirement to undertake on call support out of hours and bank holidays.

Main duties of the job

• As part of the pharmacy service, to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the Trust.
• To be a specialist pharmacist working with the EIS.
• To lead on medicine optimisation within EIS and support other areas of pharmacy practice within the Trust.
• To practice as a specialist pharmacist and pharmacist prescriber within EIS and undertake face to face reviews as required. Also be responsible for evidencing competence in area of prescribing.
• To lead on audit within the pharmacy department and lead on POMH audit across the organisation.
• Delegated responsibility for Trainee pharmacists (Manager and tutor).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Improvement in quality of reports and learning from medicines related incidents. Sharing learning and supporting embedding of best practice within teams.
• Supporting the Chief Pharmacist in ensuring that effective medicines management and medicines safety systems operate throughout the Trust, including implementation of any MHRA or other medicines alerts.
• Contribute to the governance functions of the pharmacy service by critically appraising emerging clinical evidence, coordinating clinical audits, developing and reviewing clinical guidelines and evaluating new medicines.
• Lead on pharmacy audits and also the use of medicines in accordance with best practice, e.g. POMH.
• Provide good and comprehensive specialist clinical pharmacy services to designated teams in order to ensure pharmacological treatment is in line with national standards and to achieve best outcomes with medicines.
• Support the delivery of specialist clinical pharmacy services to other areas of the Trust.
• Advise medical, nursing and other staff on pharmaceutical or therapeutic problems and promote the rational prescribing and use of medicines.
• Participate in and support the development of departmental clinical medicines information systems and answer queries resulting from medicines use within the Trust.
• In conjunction with other senior pharmacists, deputise for the Chief Pharmacist or deputy, as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain personal expertise in the use of medicines, to enable practise as a specialist pharmacist.
• Work towards or continue membership of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy.
• Review and advise on the management of service users receiving complex pharmacological treatments or not responding to existing treatments.
• Monitor and advise on the pharmacological management of patients who fall outside of or are not covered by national guidance or guidelines.
• Produce and review policies, guidelines and SOP’s associated with the use of medicines within the Trust.
• Participate in governance meetings within the pharmacy meetings and within designated community or in-patient team.
• Responsibility for encouraging cost-effective prescribing of medicines.
• Responsibility for monitoring medicines expenditure within area of responsibility.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.