Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist

Job overview

If you are looking for a new challenge in a supportive, enthusiastic and caring environment in a lovely part of Sheffield; Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust Pharmacy are looking to recruit well motivated, forward-thinking professionals to join our friendly team.

We are seeking a Specialist Pharmacist to work clinically within designated teams in inpatient and community mental health settings, acting as an expert source of pharmaceutical advice promoting safe, cost effective and evidence-based prescribing and medicines use. In addition to the focus above, as part of the SHSC pharmacy team you will also work to provide specialist mental health pharmaceutical support to across the trust to help achieve best outcomes with medicines. There will be a requirement to undertake on call support out of hours.

You will need to have excellent communication skills and enjoy working as part of a multi-disciplinary team. You will need to be friendly, approachable, adaptable, flexible, willing to learn new skills and be committed to continuous professional development.

Main duties of the job

As part of the pharmacy service, to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the Trust

• To support the use of medicines across the Trust to achieve best outcomes for service users in accordance with best practice.
• To apply clinical skills and expertise in the management of medicines in mental health in accordance with best practice.
• To prevent and reduce medicines related harm.
• To provide a high level of clinical pharmacy services to allocated teams.
• To undertake medications reviews and provide advice on medicines optimisation.
• Competently use electronic based notes and prescribing systems.
• Participate in systems to ensure continuous personal professional development, including any agreed post-registration qualifications. Work towards membership of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (or equivalent).
• Participate in departmental systems of clinical supervision and peer support.
• Responsible for the day to day running of clinical trials service, including pharmacy trial specific procedures.
• To work flexibly and travel to various locations across the city.
• To participate in On-call pharmacist service in accordance with local procedure.
• Participate in weekend, bank holiday and late working rotas in accordance with local procedure.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The following represent a broad outline of tasks the post holder will be expected to perform in achieving their key result areas. These are not intended as a fixed list of duties. The post holder will, under the direction of the Chief Pharmacist or senior pharmacist, perform whatever duties are reasonably necessary to achieve the job purpose and the overall safe provision of pharmacy services throughout the Trust.

• Working predominantly within designated multidisciplinary teams, provide a clinical pharmacy service to teams in order to ensure pharmacological treatment provides best outcomes for service users and is in line with nationally agreed standards for best practice.
• Support designated multidisciplinary teams to develop safe and effective medicines related practice. Aid teams to develop and adhere to medicines related Standard Operating Procedures
• Develop and maintain relationships within designated multidisciplinary team(s) in order to ensure service user’s care plans, reflect the best use of pharmacological treatments.
• Support the delivery of clinical pharmacy services to other areas of the Trust.
• Promote the safe use of medication throughout the Trust and wider health community.
• Provide advice to service users and where relevant, carers on the best use of their medicines. Work with individual service users, carers or groups or to help achieve best outcomes from pharmacological treatments.
• Advise medical, nursing and other staff on medicine related problems and medicines optimisation.
• Perform specialist mental health medication reviews, reviewing and advising on the management of service users receiving complex pharmacological treatments or not responding to existing treatments. Where appropriate collaborate with other health care providers to ensure that physical health considerations are encompassed.
• Participate in SHSC drug information systems and provide expert advice on medication related queries to healthcare professionals, patients and carers.
• Deputise for the senior pharmacists when necessary.
• Responsibility for clinical and other checks within the dispensary, and to act as Responsible Pharmacist. Advise of the legal aspects of prescribing and the clarity and accuracy of prescriptions
• Responsibility to act as a pharmacist for the purposes of the 2012 Human Medicines Regulations and other statutory instruments
• Participate in data collection/audits and clinical trials.
• Participate in the systems and processes which will ensure compliance with the requirements laid down by CQC or other regulatory bodies.
• Participate in department systems to implement any MHRA or other medicines alerts
• Support medicines management training and development within SHSC
• Undertake mandatory and other training as required by the trust.
• When appropriate, supervise teach and assess junior pharmacy staff, technicians, and students.

Service Development

• Support developments in services under the direction of the senior pharmacy team.
• Support development and implementation of new processes and procedures.
• Under supervision, implement policies and propose changes to practices and procedures
• Support senior pharmacists to implement training developments, adapt training materials and organise and deliver training.