Lead Pharmacist (Oncology and Haematology preparative services)

at  Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

To provide senior aseptic services support to the aseptic unit and SACT reconstitution services, by providing Quality Assurance support and supervising the day to day preparation of products and release for use in accordance with national and local standards of Good Manufacturing Practice. Assess and complete exception and error reports and where needed CAPA, critically analysing the impact and actions required to maintain a safe and risk managed service. This will involve making recommendations and completing action plans for any changes in service delivery. Managing the change control process under the oversight of the Accountable pharmacist.
Assessing the impact of change and creating action plans for implementation of change. Supporting in the development and delivery of key validation required for the safe delivery of aseptic services, recommending and implementing changes as required following analysis of the results. Develop systems for collection of KPI data and for expanding the KPI data for reporting to the Pharmacy Governance Committee. Support the accountable pharmacist in the implementation of the Aseptic Audit (Farwell) action plan as detailed within the IQAAPS system, including leading on actions delegated from the Accountable pharmacist.
Develop and personally deliver training to pharmacists, technicians, pre-registration pharmacists and students using a variety of methods including class based sessions, patient centred training, workshops and one to one training and mentoring. Assist and lead in the development of appropriate competency based training packages in aseptic services and ensure that training is delivered in a timely manner to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in the area of oncology and chemotherapy to maintain a safe and effective service. Driving forward technician development in the area of aseptic services including robust implementation of pre-process checking by our technician team. Support in the development and maintenance of the SACT work sheets and stock management system.
To act as a point of contact for the SACT day unit team and others service users, responding to any complaints regarding service delivery and to actively engage with the teams to drive forward service developments. Develop and maintain standard operating procedures to ensure that these are relevant, accurate and reflective of current practice. Undertake pharmaceutical risk management for the cancer services provided and ensure medicines legislation is complied with in those areas. Providing a specialist chemotherapy and aseptic pharmacy service to Haematology and Oncology patients and ensuring the chemotherapy regimes prescribed for patients by haematologists and oncologists at WAH are safe and appropriate for administration to individual patients given their diagnosis and health status, are in line with standard protocols or approved clinical trials, and are prepared accurately and safely in a timely manner.
Ensuring individual patients entered into clinical trials are treated according to the trial protocol, that their medicines are prepared as specified in the protocol, that any randomisation codes are allocate appropriately, and that all records are maintained correctly and stored suitably. Substantiating clinical pharmacy recommendations at the highest level and against challenge from Consultants, where necessary, and effectively communicate any required actions to other medical and nursing staff. Providing specialist clinical advice to other health care professionals on all pharmaceutical issues arising within the specialist area of cancer services. This will include the extrapolation of clinical and complex medicines information where data may be lacking and analysing, interpreting and comparing differing opinion or facts to determine the best prescribing strategy for an individual patient or patient group.
Contributing towards the pharmacy service development plan for chemotherapy and aseptic services. Assisting with the creation of clinical guidelines relating to all areas of medicines use within the cancer services. Assisting in the delivery of key pharmacy modernisation initiatives within cancer services and assisting in the assessment of the impact of such service development initiatives on medical and nursing staff within the post-holders area and the WAH pharmacy department as a whole. Provision of Specialist Clinical Services Provide a specialist clinical pharmacy and medicines management service to patients and undertake pharmaceutical risk management for the haematology/oncology beds.
Ensure compliance with medicines legislation, the Trust Medicines Policy, and medicines related national and local guidelines within haematology/oncology beds at WRH. Contribute to the development and implementation of appropriate technical and professional SOPs and associated policies to ensure that the haematology/oncology medicines management systems are safe, robust, guided by national directives, standards, guidelines, and the post-holders own specialist knowledge, and are quality assured. Evaluate prescribing practices and amend according to evidence-based practice, national/regional directives and clinical governance targets on a daily basis, during consultant ward-rounds, and at multidisciplinary team meetings Substantiate pharmaceutical recommendations and advice to medical and nursing staff and communicate effectively any necessary actions to medical and nursing staff. Construct pharmaceutical care plans for patients, assess and monitor clinical progress and outcome with regard to their medication and actively intervene to ensure that patients receive optimal care with minimal side effects.
Provide specialist advice to healthcare professionals on all pharmaceutical issues arising within the post holders specialist clinical area. Be responsible for the therapeutic blood monitoring of identified drugs within the post-holders clinical area including Managerial responsibilities Manage pharmacists as allocated including delivery of PDR and management of sickness based around trust policies. Undertake the day to day supervision of pharmacists, technicians, assistants and students Ensure that staffing is managed within approved funded establishment Develop and maintain good internal communications within the department. Ensure that the capability, conduct and performance of every member of staff within their responsibility are continually assessed and appropriate action is taken to address shortfalls and resolve issues Provision of Professional Dispensary Services: Providing the clinical pharmacist check on all prescriptions dispensed by the Hospital Dispensary acting as the sole pharmacist providing this check on a rota with other pharmacists.
This will require the scrutiny of prescriptions from medical and other practitioners. Questioning and challenging the prescriptions of all prescribers including Consultants whenever the post holder perceives it to be professionally appropriate and in the best interests of the patient. Use the Electronic Discharge System for processing discharge prescriptions. Participate in the Dispensary Saturday and Bank Holiday rotas and the departmental on-call rota

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