Senior Specialist Respiratory Pharmacist for Biologics

Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Senior Specialist Respiratory Pharmacist for Biologics

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: Part time - 15 Hours

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Senior Specialist Respiratory Pharmacist to lead and support the development of a specialist COPD biologics service.

This is an exciting opportunity for a clinically ambitious pharmacist to work at the forefront of respiratory medicine, supporting the identification, assessment and ongoing management of patients with severe, uncontrolled COPD who may benefit from biologic therapy.

As part of our team, you will you will work closely with respiratory consultants, specialist nurses, physiotherapists and the wider multidisciplinary team to deliver a high-quality, evidence-based service centred around patient outcomes and personalised care.

This role offers the opportunity to shape and develop a specialist COPD biologics service at an exciting time in respiratory medicine. You will have the opportunity to influence clinical pathways, improve access to innovative treatments and make a measurable difference to patients living with severe COPD.

You will also benefit from:

A supportive and forward-thinking multidisciplinary team. Opportunities for professional development and specialist training. Involvement in service development, research and quality improvement. The opportunity to develop expertise in an emerging area of respiratory medicine. A role with significant clinical autonomy and scope to influence practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the pharmacy contribution to the COPD biologics pathway, supporting patient identification, eligibility assessment, initiation and ongoing monitoring.
• Provide expert clinical advice on biologic therapies, including efficacy, safety, interactions, administration and monitoring requirements.
• Review complex patient histories, laboratory results, exacerbation history and treatment response to support appropriate biologic selection.
• Develop and implement robust prescribing, monitoring and governance processes for COPD biologics.
• Support medicines optimisation and ensure biologic therapy is used safely, effectively and cost-effectively.
• Monitor treatment outcomes, adverse effects, adherence and response, contributing to decisions around continuation, optimisation or discontinuation.
• Work collaboratively with respiratory clinicians and the multidisciplinary team to develop individualised treatment plans.
• Provide specialist education and training to healthcare professionals on COPD biologics and emerging respiratory therapies.
• Contribute to clinical audit, service evaluation, research and quality-improvement initiatives.
• Support the development of local policies, guidelines and protocols in line with national guidance and emerging evidence.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments in respiratory pharmacotherapy, COPD management and biologic treatments.

About You:

• We are looking for a pharmacist who can demonstrate:
• Significant post-registration clinical experience, ideally within respiratory medicine.
• Specialist knowledge of respiratory medicine including COPD, respiratory pharmacotherapy and medicines optimisation.
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team in a specialist clinical environment.
• Strong clinical assessment, decision-making and communication skills.
• Experience of developing or improving clinical pharmacy services.
• An understanding of biologic medicines, including patient selection, monitoring, safety and governance.
• The ability to work independently while providing effective leadership within a multidisciplinary team.
• A commitment to evidence-based practice, patient safety and improving outcomes for people living with COPD.

Every pharmacist in Division B is expected to cover late night once a week. If feasible, once every 6 weeks this ‘late’ shift will be on a Friday instead to share the burden amongst the team.

All pharmacists are included in the weekend rota where you will work either a Saturday or a Sunday 9 - 5pm once every 6 weeks. This involves clinical pharmacy cover of either AMU or downstream medicine/elderly care wards and supporting dispensary as workload dictates.

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.