Advanced Clinical Pharmacist - HIV and Sexual Health

at  Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a lead specialist HIV and Sexual Health pharmacist. We are looking recruit an experienced pharmacist with a keen interest in antiretroviral medicine and sexual health clinical pharmacy to become an integral part of our well established multidisciplinary team.
The successful applicant will take lead responsibility to support and implement quality-driven Sexual Health services alongside our lead consultant and specialist nurses. This will ensure antiretrovirals and antimicrobials and are used in a safe, effective, prudent, patient-centred and efficient manner.
The post holder will promote safe and cost-effective antiretroviral prescribing across the Trust in collaboration with the consultant and lead nurse in sexual health. You will lead in drug usage analysis, identification of budget pressures arising from new products, co-ordination of projects and audits and the development and maintenance of guidelines, policies and protocols relating to HIV and sexual health treatment. You will have significant input into the choice of therapy prescribed for people with HIV based upon their comorbidities and response to treatment, and prescribing of appropriate treatment.
In addition to supporting our HIV and sexual health service, the post holder will provide a clinical pharmacy service to our acute medical wards.
The Trust is currently undergoing the implementation of EPMA and the post-holder will have a significant input into improved prescribing and therapeutic drug monitoring using electronic systems.
The post holder will benefit from significant training and support of their knowledge in HIV and sexual health medicine from the previous post holder.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

KEY DUTIES

Designated Speciality role
To assist the Head of Pharmacy and all other pharmacy staff in providing and developing an efficient and comprehensive pharmaceutical service for the patients of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
To assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager to develop and deliver comprehensive and progressive pharmaceutical services to the medical directorate in line with national and local medicines optimisation strategies.
To lead and deliver high quality clinical pharmacy services to HIV and Sexual Health Services at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, including the development of an advanced pharmacist role.
To develop competencies in HIV and Sexual Health Services and deliver ward based clinical teaching to band 6/7 pharmacists & pre –registration pharmacists within the Trust.
To practice as a Trust approved Independent Non – Medical Prescriber
To participate in clinical audit and practice research relevant to HIV and Sexual Health Services
To participate in the department rota to ensure a pharmacy service is provided efficiently over 7 days.
Assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager in providing clinical training and supervision to other departmental staff.
Clinical Role
To assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager to plan, manage, develop and deliver the pharmaceutical service to HIV and Sexual Health patients within the Trust in line with National strategy, in accordance with the changing needs of the NHS, the requirements of the Trust and taking into account feedback from users of the service.
Act as a pharmaceutical resource for the Trust’s patients, medical staff, pharmacy staff, nurses, midwives, non-medical prescribers etc.
To work closely with pharmacy and other colleagues within local and national networks
To work closely with clinical pharmacy colleagues to support the safe use of medicines.
As a Trust approved Independent Non-medical prescriber, prescribe medication where appropriate in accordance with personal formulary
To assist the department in producing and reviewing guidelines and polices
To analyse medicines expenditure across an allocated directorate as directed by Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager and to identify prescribing trends and potential prescribing cost saving initiatives.
To produce reports of and present such findings at Directorate level as required.
To be involved in audit of current practice to identify compliance with e.g. HIV and Sexual Health Services prescribing or adherence to Trust guidelines, producing reports of results for presentation at a suitable forum.
To critically evaluate and interpret all information obtained from all sources and to apply professional judgement, to provide clinically sound, unbiased, up to date, evaluated information.
To apply sound professional judgement to complex legal and ethical issues and dilemmas.
Be aware of changes to national policies, guidelines, NICE guidance and other medicines/health directives and recommend amendments to the formulary and medicines management policies as appropriate.
Scan national medical and pharmaceutical news by using recognised medical and pharmaceutical databases and websites to identify current and future developments in the pharmaceutical care of surgical patients.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• To provide an advanced clinical pharmacy service to specified wards in accordance with professional, departmental and Trust policies. This will include:
• Taking drug histories on admission
• Checking medical notes of each new patient to ascertain presenting complaint, past medical history, working diagnosis and relevant biochemical, haematological and microbiological test results to ensure safe and effective medicines use.
• Ensuring each medicine has an appropriate indication and that each diagnosis has appropriate therapy.
• Ensuring that existing therapy is safe to take with, and has not contributed to, the presenting complaint.
• Ensuring that new treatments are compatible with the patients’ conditions.
• Making recommendations on changes to drug therapy in line with the above.
• Reviewing recommendations in the light of new results and treatment plans.
• Advising on which medications to continue and which to stop during the peri-operative period, if appropriate
• Monitoring for adverse drug reactions and submit ‘yellow cards’ to the CSM where appropriate.
• Advising on therapeutic drug level monitoring for specific drugs where appropriate.
• Ensuring compliance with formularies, policies and procedures.
• Educating patients about their drug therapy.
• Developing evidence-based treatment protocols for use within specialities or across the Trust where appropriate.
• Providing advice on the availability of alternative formulations suitable for use in patients who are nil by mouth.
• Providing information on the use of drugs outside their licensed indications
• Monitoring use and ensure adequate stock levels of crucial drugs on a daily basis.
  To participate in consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary meetings where appropriate
  Provide specialist pharmaceutical information to medical and nursing staff and patients in your speciality and to General Practitioners and other staff where appropriate.
  Liaise with General Practitioners and other primary care professional to obtain accurate drug histories.
  Record clinical interventions in line with departmental policy.
  Report any drug errors you detect to the Head of Pharmacy or their deputy. Ensure that the appropriate error form and prescriber feedback are completed.
  Participate in the departmental therapeutic drug monitoring service, interpreting drug levels and providing advice to medical staff on appropriate dosage, including on call.
  Liaise with appropriate healthcare professionals within local Primary Care Trusts to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources across the primary/secondary care interface and where necessary develop shared care protocols.
  Provide professional and legal supervision to the dispensary. Duties will include:
  Professional checking of inpatient requisitions and TTO’s
  Ensuring all prescriptions comply with the Medicines Act
  Ensuring all prescriptions comply Misuse of Drugs Act where appropriate.
  Final checking of prescriptions for accuracy prior to release
  Labelling and dispensing of medication as required.
  Providing advice to patients on how to take their medicines and potential side effects.
  Advice to Doctors, nurses and other professionals as required.
  Order, receive and dispense controlled drugs in accordance with the Misuse of Drugs Act
  To develop competencies in designated specialty and deliver ward based clinical teaching to band 6/7 pharmacists & pre–registration pharmacists within the Trust.
  Supervision of pre-registration graduates and junior pharmacists
  Comply with the legal and other requirements related to the purchase, supply, use safe custody and destruction of drugs within pharmacy and other areas of the hospital.
  To assist medical staff in undertaking of such clinical trials as have been approved by the Ethical Committee and to arrange under the direction of senior members of staff of the Pharmacy department the necessary supplies and aspects of clinical trials protocol affecting the pharmaceutical service.
  Assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of The Clinical Pharmacy Standards across the pharmacy department.
  To act as a clinical tutor for pharmacists undertaking the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
  To assist the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager in the recruitment of staff including participation on interview panels
  To assist the department in the review of patient group directions
  Return unwanted or patients own Controlled drugs from the wards in accordance with the departmental policy and the Misuse of Drugs Act
  Assist in the delivery of pharmacist teaching of junior doctors.
  Participate in the training of medical and nursing staff and other paramedical disciplines either within or external to the Trust.
  Participate in individual performance review and the use of personal development plans including performing appraisals where appropriate.
  To participate in clinical audit and practice research as instructed by senior pharmacists within the department including presentation of results where appropriate.
  To assist in the organisation and participate in the weekly clinical meetings and continuing professional development feedback sessions for the pharmacists.
  To attend appropriate training courses for pharmacists and to encourage other staff to undertake further training.
  To participate in Continuing Professional Development and Professional Revalidation as per department policy and national guidelines from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
  To assist other pharmacists in ensuring that work carried out in the departments at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is performed in accordance with the recommendation contained in the Guide to Good Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practice and its supplements, and the safe systems of work documentation.
  To comply with Health and Safety at Work legislation, COSSH Regulations, Data Protection Act and other appropriate legislation
  To participate in a rota which enables the department to provide a full 7-day service.
  To participate in the on call, Saturday, Sunday, Bank Holiday and emergency duty rotas
  To maintain the security of the in-patient and out-patient dispensaries especially whilst working alone (for example on call or whilst locking the department)
  To participate in the department late night and locking up rota and ensure the safe custody of all pharmacy keys in your possession both on and off site.
  To undertake any other related duties which may be require