Advanced Specialist Pharmacist Antimicrobials & HIV Attracts £5000 RRP

at  University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Are you an enthusiastic, motivated and dynamic clinical pharmacist with an interest in Antimicrobials & HIV?
Would you like to work alongside our Consultant Pharmacist in Antimicrobial Stewardship providing clinical expertise and leadership to patients requiring complex infection management alongside delivering a high-quality antimicrobial stewardship service across the Trust?
Are you at the stage of your career where you are looking to develop your clinical skills and manage the pharmacy service to Sexual Health and HIV patients?
Would you like to work towards credentialing for a consultant post alongside utilising your skills as a Non-Medical prescriber?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
Depending on the stage of your career, further study will be encouraged and supported. Practice research is also encouraged in this role.
This role is envisaged as an equal split between Antimicrobial Stewardship and HIV – but there is flexibility around this dependent on candidates’ knowledge and experience.
This post will attract a Recruitment & Retention Premia (RRP) totalling £5,000, payable upon appointment, (covering 36 months of service) in addition to a relocation allowance (subject to eligibility). The RRP payment is for external candidates only and is pro rata for part time employees.

If you would like further information, or to know the full terms of the Recruitment and Retention Payment and/or the Relocation Allowance, please contact Vivek.soni@nhs.net for further details.

• Responsible for the provision of a high-quality patient focused clinical pharmacy service.
• Promoting the safe, rational, and effective use of antimicrobials across the trust
• Lead on and provide an advanced clinical pharmacy service to the HIV team.
• Working to establish clearly defined roles for pharmacist non-medical prescribers within the HIV and antimicrobials.
• Developing the delivery of pharmacy services to ensure efficient use of resources and systems including monitoring drug expenditure, delivery of financial savings within and across the trust through best use of antimicrobials and enabling early discharge.
• Work closely with pharmacy, microbiology/infection control, medical and nursing staff to co-ordinate and undertake programmes of work identified by the Trust’s antimicrobial steering group.
• Develop a framework to promote safe, cost-effective, and rational prescribing medicines for patients with HIV .
• Work with the antimicrobial steering group, clinical and governance teams to develop guidelines, protocols and PGDs covering the use of antimicrobials & HIV / Sexual Health.

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and ‘At Risk’ status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.
University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS is the largest hospital on the Southwest Peninsula providing comprehensive secondary & tertiary care to a population of around 2,000,000 people who can access our specialist services including cardiothoracic surgery, kidney transplantation, neurosurgery, & the regional trauma Centre. Our specialist cancer treatments include bone marrow transplant, sarcoma surgery and hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgery (not exhaustive). We work closely with our community partners delivering health & social care.
From September 2024, the highly-ranked University of Bath MPharm degree will be available to study at the University of Plymouth. There will be opportunities to participate in educational activities, with the potential for formal roles in the future.
The pharmacy department has recently undergone an exciting refurbishment including the installation of state-of-the-art robots and automated controlled drug cabinets alongside the opening of a new outpatient pharmacy.

This post will be an integral member of both the microbiology and Sexual Health & HIV multidisciplinary teams joining clinicians, nurse specialists and other allied healthcare professionals providing a dedicated service to sexual health & HIV patients alongside working closely with various clinical specialties as an expert in infection management, promoting antimicrobial stewardship and educating and training colleagues on appropriate use of antimicrobials.

• Responsible to the Consultant Pharmacist Antimicrobial Stewardship and the Lead Pharmacist for Paediatrics and Sexual Health for strategic planning and delivery of clinical pharmacy services to patients.
• Support the Chief Pharmacist / Deputy Chief Pharmacist / Associate Chief Pharmacist Consultant Pharmacist Antimicrobial Stewardship and the Lead Pharmacist for Paediatrics and Sexual Health in developing, monitoring and reporting on drug expenditure and medicines budget and the delivery of financial savings as part of the pharmacy CIP.
• Development, implementation, and update of clinical pharmacy policy in conjunction with senior pharmacists to ensure the safe and appropriate supply of antimicrobials and antiretrovirals.
• Work as a member of the Clinical Pharmacy Team, wider UHP pharmacy team, HIV, microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection control teams.
• Monitor, review, and report on medicines related relating to the use of antimicrobials and antiretrovirals.
• Provide specialist clinical pharmacy care to patients in the requiring infection management.
• To support the co-ordination of the antimicrobial and HIV team including junior pharmacists and technicians in the provision of a safe, effective and efficient clinical pharmacy service in accordance with local and national standards and strategy and to ensure all members of the pharmacy team are trained and competent for their roles.
• To act as a role model as a clinical pharmacist and team leader, to pharmacists, technicians, pharmacy support assistants and all other members of the multidisciplinary team.
• To be a lead and role model in the field of antimicrobial and HIV therapy locally, regionally, and nationally.
• To practice or work towards practicing as an independent prescriber.
• To work towards advanced clinical practice.
• To engage with Quality Improvement and practice research.
• To write and review policies and procedures relevant to antimicrobial use.
• Monitor and evaluate medicines related protocols and guidelines which suggest the use of antimicrobials and antiretrovirals.
• Support the clinical pharmacy service by providing regular clinical commitment to ward based pharmacy service as required.
• Propose policy or service changes which improve services and may have multidisciplinary and resource implications.
• Configure and implement inductions for pharmacists in antimicrobial therapy and antibiotics in the outpatient setting and the pharmacy department with support from the Consultant Pharmacist Antimicrobial Stewardship, Lead Pharmacist Education and Training pharmacist, Associate Chief Pharmacist Clinical Services and Lead Pharmacists.
• Assist in the development and implementation of PGD’s and non-medical prescribing initiatives, when appropriate.
• Ensure that expertise within your area is seen as a resource within and outside the Trust and form working partnerships with other health and social care service providers.
• Recommendation of appropriate therapy for individual patients where evidence is not available, controversial evidence exists or other professionals may challenge advice.
• Contribute to the organisations wider antimicrobial surveillance programme, implementing local programmes ensuring appropriate antimicrobial prescribing.
• Attendance at Consultant/GP white board/MDT meetings/ward rounds to actively facilitate and provide advice on treatment, including highly complex patients.
• Promote compliance by prescribers and other healthcare staff with local/national policies and the South and West Devon Formulary.
• Application of highly complex knowledge of the evidence base behind drug therapies used.
• Manage day to day medicines queries, including face to face consultations with patients identified to have compliance or other problems in medicine administration.
• Refer patients to other community services where appropriate.
• Liaise with all levels of healthcare staff, patients and carers in all areas of work.
• Analysis, interpretation and monitoring of clinical data including but not limited to: drug levels, U&E’s, blood counts and microbiological sensitivities to guide diagnosis and drug therapy.
• Assess clinical requirements of patients as a clinical pharmacist and an independent prescriber through interpretation of clinical data and examination. If required request appropriate tests and examinations for patients directly under your care.
• Contribute to pharmaceutical initiatives that help with the seamless transfer of patients between different healthcare settings.
• Provide education and training to all healthcare professionals including medical students.
• Pharmacists are expected to work largely unsupervised and to act on their own professional judgement.
• Clinical supervision from another health professional can be arranged and is to be encouraged.
• Clinical roles are supported by policies and guidelines within which the pharmacist is allowed to exercise professional discretion / interpretation.
• Participate in any wider departmental rotas where needed.
• To work closely with all pharmacy, microbiology/infection control, medical, nursing staff, HIV team, & the divisional management structure to co-ordinate & undertake programmes of work identified by the Trust’s antimicrobial working group.
• To liaise with Microbiologists and infection control to develop systems for resistance surveillance and infection control strategies.

Please refer the Job description for details