Lead Pharmacist, Community Services (Sutton Health and Care)

Job overview

The post holder will provide strategic, operational and professional leadership in relation to medicines optimisation to ensure the delivery of effective pharmacy support across all Sutton Health and Care (SHC) services.  The post holder will also play a lead role in developing the medicines related model of organisational and cross sector working locally.

The post holder will also provide a strategic partnership focus on issues that relate to medication management and optimisation alongside our partners.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for leading, providing and developing the strategic direction and operational delivery of medicine management services within SHC by

• Providing expert medicines optimisation advice and support, based on current best practice and evidence based medicine
• Providing professional pharmaceutical advice on policies and practice to a diverse range of specialist community health services e.g. community nursing, health visiting, continence, podiatry
• Contributing to clinical governance policies through interventions which optimise the management of medicines in all relevant areas of practice
• Contributing and supporting audit related to medicines management
• Influencing the community teams (children and adults) in the use of appropriate medicines in line with ICS Formulary and pathways ensuring that services provided are progressing and support new models of delivery patient care
• Developing partnerships and facilitating collaborative working between multidisciplinary teams/agencies and across all sectors
• Managing other pharmaceutical staff within SHC, who provide medicines management services to the virtual ward and to community services
• Supporting the NMP lead and NMP staff cohort through audits, supervision and updates

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To promote evidence based, safe and cost effective prescribing and use of medicines within SHC in line with RPSGB and National Standards and national/local guidelines and policies
• To identify the need for, and lead development of pathways and guidelines relating to prescribing and the use of medicines across SHC in collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders
• To support and contribute to the monitoring and review of service levels
• To support the service managers in the provision of professional advice to other agencies
• To work with other pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the provision of quality pharmacy services across Sutton PLACE
• To lead on coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of medicines management
• To lead on the implementation of NICE quality standards pertaining to medicines
• To represent SHC on medicine management issues at required meetings
• To plan, manage and prioritise own workload ensuring any deadlines are met
• To work with the Chief Pharmacist, ESTH and deputy in supporting the Controlled Drug Accountable Officer with respect to any controlled drug issues relating to SHC
• To support the development of strategic plans for medicines optimisation in SHC alongside colleagues at PLACE
• To support the development of new initiatives such as electronic prescribing
• To support the NMP  lead (and staff) in SHC with the development of policie, review and audit of prescribing practice and relevant medicines management meetings
• To support the delivery of vaccination services as required for SHC
• To be responsible for ensuring appropriate systems are in place for the oversight, security and monitoring of FP10 prescriptions.

Policy and Procedure Development

• To support the review and update of medicines management policies, procedures and competencies
• To facilitate development of consistent standards of practice and policies in line with best practice in use of medicines
• To support the development and adoption of best practice care pathways to improve outcomes for frail older people identified as having medicines related needs
• To advise on and support the development of PGDs in highly specialist areas as required.

Relationship Management

• To work collaboratively with pharmacy colleagues to ensure that the needs of the organisation are met
• To develop effective working relationships with the Surrey Downs Health and Care Lead Pharmacist to agree areas of collaborative working
• To liaise and facilitate collaborative work with the ESTH Pharmacy Team, other community providers etc
• To nurture key relationships and maintain networks internally and externally including national networks.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Work with appropriate colleagues to develop systems and processes that facilitate seamless admission and discharge in respect of medicines ensuring that medicines optimisation interface issues are addressed
• Contribute to the wider antimicrobial surveillance programme, ensuring appropriate antimicrobial prescribing in older people and promote the principle of antimicrobial stewardship and good prescribing practice
• Promoting the safer use of medicines
• Supporting SHC staff and patients/relatives/carers through distressing or emotional situations arising from medication incidents

Education and Training

• To support developments in practice involving the use of medicines
• To identify and support professional, personal and learning development needs of support staff
• To support the training and development of trainee pharmacists, pre registration trainee pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy staff as required
• To organise and/or provide training/teaching in specialist areas relating to medicines management and optimisation.

Clinical Governance

• To contribute to the Medicine Governance Group, ensuring robust standards and governance are in place
• To investigate medicine related incidents, complaints, PALs and GP Quality Alerts as required
• To support professional leads in identifying and addressing evidence based practice consistent with requirements of clinical governance.

Risk Management and Impact Analysis

• Provide specialist medicines optimisation support
• Negotiate changes in prescribing behaviour and influence opinions on prescribing issues
• Undertake and carry out clinical audits in relation to SHC existing service areas to ensure practice is robust including monitoring the NMP if clinicians whether V100 or V300
• To work in multidisciplinary forums to facilitate audit of practice against policies and guidelines
• To analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making
• To draft reports summarising status on medicine management issues

Financial and Physical Resources

• To provide advice and prepare strategic reports and briefings on the ongoing expenditure of medicines and the impact of new products
• To contribute to budget management
• To strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of medicines budgets

Research and Development

• Apply a critical approach towards pharmacy practice
• Integrate research evidence into practice and actively improve pharmacy services
• Initiate, undertake and coordinate clinical research, audit projects etc
• Participate actively in practice research and clinical trials as appropriate
• Provide expert input and advice in relation to medicines into clinical trials within a specialist area