Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holders will lead pharmacy services for agreed portfolios, primarily at Bethlem Royal Hospital. Portfolios may include inpatient wards, specialist services and dispensary services, with support to Croydon community mental health teams or other Trust services as required. Each post holder will report to the relevant Principal Pharmacist or Pharmacy Site Lead and may manage or supervise Band 6 and Band 7 pharmacists and other pharmacy staff as allocated.

Clinical pharmacy and patient care

• Lead and maintain clinical pharmacy services for allocated wards, teams or specialist services in line with local and national priorities.
• Maintain high standards of practice and implement the Trust's medicines optimisation programme, medicines safety priorities, clinical guidelines and agreed procedures.
• Apply advanced clinical knowledge and a person-centred approach, keeping patients' needs and preferences central to the service.
• Provide specialist medicines information and evidence-based advice to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
• Keep patient safety and experience central, provide timely pharmacist input and support safe transfers of care and medicines-related communication across organisational boundaries.
• Prescribe within Trust policy and the post holder's scope of practice if registered as an independent prescriber.

Leadership and supervision

• Provide clinical and operational leadership for allocated services and manage, supervise and develop pharmacy staff as agreed.
• Support pharmacists and other staff with clinical decision-making, recognising when further advice or escalation is required.
• Provide and participate in clinical and professional supervision and contribute to appraisal and staff development.
• Make accountable clinical and service decisions and respond to changing priorities, including support to Croydon community mental health teams or other Trust services when required.
• Lead by example, encourage innovation and contribute to the development of pharmacy practice and services.
• Provide leadership and operational oversight for dispensary services where these form part of the agreed portfolio, supporting safe, efficient and patient-centred medicines supply.

Education and training

• Identify learning needs and coordinate medicines-related training and support for patients, carers, healthcare professionals and other staff.
• Provide education and training to pharmacy, medical, nursing, occupational therapy and other allied healthcare staff.
• Use opportunities to teach and share professional knowledge with colleagues.

Quality improvement audit and research

• Lead quality improvement and service evaluation initiatives, including the collection, analysis and reporting of patient and service outcome data.
• Implement and audit policies and guidelines as directed by the relevant Principal Pharmacist or clinical lead.
• Contribute to updates of medicines management policies, bulletins and departmental standard operating procedures when requested.
• Lead or contribute to audit, research and medicines evaluation according to service priorities, disseminating findings through reports, presentations, posters or publications where appropriate.

Communication and working relationships

• Work as an integral member of multidisciplinary teams and maintain effective relationships with pharmacy colleagues, primary care, acute hospitals, community pharmacies and partner organisations.
• Communicate promptly, openly and inclusively, encouraging colleagues to share ideas and keeping relevant people informed of issues affecting the service.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal, written and non-verbal communication and effective listening skills.
• Respond promptly to requests and explain when a response can be expected.

Professional and service responsibilities

• Maintain high professional standards, undertake continuing professional development and participate in performance review.
• Comply with Trust policies and procedures relating to confidentiality, information governance, equality and diversity, health and safety, infection prevention and control, safeguarding and finance.
• Support service standards that remain responsive to patients, carers and clinical teams.
• Travel between Trust sites and participate in emergency duty, Saturday, late-clinic and bank-holiday rotas as required.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to the role, as specified by the Chief Pharmacist or Principal Pharmacist.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for the full requirements of the post.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• MPharm or equivalent
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), with mandatory CPD
• Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy practice or equivalent

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in psychiatric or mental health pharmacy
• Independent prescribing qualification
• Member of the RCP and/or member/associate member of CMHP

Experience

Essential

• Relevant experience of providing specialist clinical pharmacy services in mental health in an NHS hospital, community or equivalent setting
• Experience of participating in audit, including developing audit tools and collecting and collating data
• Experience of teaching or delivering training
• Experience of leading or coordinating a clinical pharmacy service, service area, workstream or project
• Experience of supervising and developing pharmacists or other healthcare professionals

Desirable

• Experience of formal line management, including appraisal or performance management
• Experience implementing and evaluating a service improvement or change
• Experience of leading, supervising or improving hospital dispensary or operational pharmacy services

Knowledge / Skills

Essential

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with patients, carers, the public and colleagues at all levels
• Good time-management skills, with the ability to meet deadlines, prioritise and organise their own work and that of others in response to changing service needs
• Ability to use initiative, provide leadership, make accountable clinical and operational decisions and recognise when to seek further advice
• Patient counselling skills, with empathy and understanding of the medicines-related issues faced by people with mental health problems and their carers
• Able to communicate effectively with individuals from all agencies and levels, including patients, carers and the public

Desirable

• Research and service-evaluation skills, including critical appraisal, study or project design, and the collection and analysis of data
• Demonstrated research or scholarly output, such as peer-reviewed publications, conference abstracts, posters or presentations, or contributions to books or book chapters
• Mentorship skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bethlem Royal Hospital

Beckenham

BR3 3BX

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)