Clinical PharmacistNHS

Job summary

Our clinical pharmacists describe the department as service driven and patient orientated, A fantastic team and extremely helpful and supportive.

Do you want to be part of an organisation where you will be a key member of the multidisciplinary team working closely with colleagues at ward level to deliver high quality, safe, patient focused and innovative pharmacy services?

Main duties of the job

As the Clinical Pharmacist for our Essex site, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality pharmaceutical care across a designated group of wards. Working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, you will help optimise the use of medicines, ensuring patients achieve the best possible outcomes from their treatment.

You will provide expert pharmacy support and advice at both ward and divisional level, with the backing of the wider Pharmacy Operational Team. Key responsibilities include conducting medication reviews with patients and clinical teams, participating in multidisciplinary meetings, developing and implementing policies and guidelines, leading and contributing to national and local audits, and supporting the supervision and professional development of colleagues.

In addition to your clinical responsibilities, you will work closely with the Pharmacy Operational Team to support the safe and effective supply of medicines across the site.

Experience in mental health pharmacy is desirable; however, we welcome applications from motivated pharmacists with transferable skills and a passion for patient care, as full support and development will be provided for the right candidate.

Job description

Key Responsibilities: Patient Care / Clinical Practice

Optimise patient care in defined wards/divisions by planning, managing, monitoring, advising and reviewing specialist care plans for patients.

Formulate treatment plans for inpatients, considering their presenting symptoms, medical and psychiatric history (including previous responses to medication), and the evidence base for pharmacological approaches in that condition. These treatment plans could be presented at multidisciplinary meetings for discussion and review, or discussed with individual doctors as required.

Discuss future treatment options with medical teams and where appropriate the patient. This will involve the provision of patient specific information and discussion of the risks and benefits of various options, to aid concordance.

Undertake a medication review/history of newly admitted patients to identify problems or medication issues that may influence the patients treatment plan, including simplifying complex regimes.

Attend multidisciplinary team meetings and medicine review sessions making clinical decisions and being able to support these when challenged with a logical rationale and evidence base.

Provide specialist advice and information on the safe, cost-effective and evidenced based use of medicines in mental health and other therapeutic areas.

Provide ongoing monitoring of Consent to Treatment Forms for patients detained under the Mental Health Act.

To provide opinions on a patient's treatment, and discuss these issues with second opinion appointed doctors from the Mental Health Act Commission where required.

Maximise patients concordance and compliance with prescribed treatments by planning and delivering medication education to patients on an individual or group basis, prior to discharge and on request.

Recommend and interpret psychiatric rating scales, laboratory tests and other diagnostic tools to assess the safety and effectiveness of drug therapy for individual patients and recommend changes to practice and policy in light of changes in the evidence base.

Amend prescriptions in line with the agreed Charity protocols and the Medicine Policy.

Promote and implement local prescribing guidelines, and monitor adherence to these guidelines.

Ensure timely and accurate supply of new or changed treatments for individual service users by liaising with pharmacy dispensary.

Clinically check inpatient, leave and discharge prescriptions to ensure appropriateness, safety and legality of prescribed drugs and to ensure that they comply with national and local guidelines.

About us

St Andrews is a charity specialising in complex mental health. Its mission is to help people with complex mental health needs transform their lives.

With its history dating back nearly two centuries, St Andrews today is undergoing significant change to deliver on its mission for years to come.

St Andrews has hospitals in Birmingham and Essex, with its base in Northampton. It delivers inpatient and outpatient services, as well as dedicated care services for adults.