Job summary
Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - Clinical Cancer Services, Band 8a (37.5 hours a week)

This newly funded Advanced Specialist Pharmacist for Clinical Cancer Services post will join the growing Cancer Service Pharmacy team.

This clinical post offers the opportunity to provide your cancer services experience and knowledge to a range of roles including screening of complex SACT prescriptions primarily for haematology patients, prescribing weekly in haematology SACT clinics, and training and mentoring junior staff members. Alongside the lead pharmacist for cancer services you will be involved in service delivery projects, writing clinical guidelines and provide clinical pharmacy expertise to high-cost drugs, clinical trials, palliative care as well as clinical haematology.

There could be opportunity for further specialist postgraduate qualifications, if desired.

Pharmacists will provide operational and clinical support to the wider pharmacy department according to the needs of the service. You will participate in weekend pharmacy services, and be involved with the supervision, training and support of junior pharmacists, foundation pharmacists and other pharmacy staff as necessary.

Main duties of the job
The postholder will work within the cancer services team, primarily in haematology

• Screen complex prescriptions for SACT medicines and supervise junior staff to do so
• Participation in prescribing haematology SACT clinics on a weekly basis
• Advising prescribers on funding criteria
• Requesting, reviewing and monitoring lab results and other relevant investigations
• Prescribing and chart rewrites/transcriptions for day case admissions
• Counselling patients on complex medication
• Consultation with patients between appointments where required to resolve medication and prescription issues.
• Respond to medication related questions from other members of the MDT
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, verbal and written documentation.
• Review and write policies and procedures as required
• Implement new medicines when they become available/NICE approved (e.g. formulary, pathways, setting up homecare service where applicable)
• Participation in pharmacy department late night, weekend and bank holiday rotas will be required. Based on the needs of the service and at the discretion of the Associate Pharmacy Directors, the post holder(s) will be required to work at both the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital sites.

About us
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHT) is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. Located between Birmingham (45 miles) and Bristol (32 miles), the beautiful Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, the county is easily accessible by road including the M5 motorway, with convenient links to the M4 and the M50. Together with main line rail networks, this puts Gloucestershire within easy reach of many metropolitan areas and airports.

The pharmacy department has over 200 staff across the two sites in Cheltenham and Gloucester, both sites provide full dispensary services, medicines information, procurement services and a full clinical service to wards. There is a regular free shuttle bus allowing easy transport between hospitals both of which are located in the city/town centres with access to shops and cafes.

The Pharmacy department is committed to supporting the Trust to deliver its vision of best care for everyone, we strive to provide the whole team with the necessary skills and ongoing support to make a real difference to patient care, include a program to develop prescribing roles within the department

Job responsibilities
The post-holder(s), alongside the lead pharmacist for cancer services and their peers, will be responsible for leading and developing the advanced clinical pharmacy service to the Cancer Services Department. They will provide an expert pharmaceutical service for the management of these patients, deliver high quality pharmaceutical care and improve patient safety.

Additional working pattern details: Plus week-end and bank holiday rota

See job description for more detailed information about the role

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Active registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• UK recognised Degree in Pharmacy
• Qualified as a Pharmacist Independent Prescriber

Desirable

• Health assessment skills qualification

Experience
Essential

• Significant clinical experience working in a UK hospital at minimum band 7 level equivalent or above, in cancer services
• Experience delivering and developing a clinical pharmacy service
• Evidence of significant personal development, professionally and managerially

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Extensive knowledge of medicines optimisation acquired through Post graduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma or equivalent experience or training
• Self-motivated, able to use initiative & prioritise workload as well as work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. Able to produce a range of written documents, including drug usage reports, SOPs, policies and guidelines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to challenge inappropriate prescribing and influence prescribing decisions of all healthcare professionals including senior medical colleagues.
• Able to effectively and appropriately escalate concerns to reduce risk & promote safety
• Be proficient in IT and applications including Word, Excel, Outlook
• Adaptable to the changing needs of the service including flexible working patterns (e.g. weekend working and working at both sites) and capable of working in a demanding environment with frequent interruptions
• Has a responsive, solution focused approach to addressing issues and barriers
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service and ensure a stakeholder focused response

Desirable

• Identify and implement measures to improve cost-effective prescribing

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