Principal Pharmacist, Frailty & Admissions

Job summary

Due to the establishment of a Frailty Same Day Emergency Care Service (SDEC) within the Trust, we have an exceptional opportunity for a suitably experienced pharmacist to deliver a high quality service to the unit and lead the pharmacy service for unplanned admissions. The Frailty SDEC Unit provides urgent assessment and treatment to elderly and frail patients. The postholder will work with the multi disciplinary team to optimise medicines use to support admission avoidance and avoid unnecessary readmissions. In addition you will provide leadership and expert advice for the pharmacy teams supporting the Emergency Department, Acute Assessment Unit, Virtual Ward and Elderly Care, supporting service development and overseeing the safe and timely discharge or transfer of patients from the Emergency Department. This post will provide opportunities for personal and professional development, both clinical and managerial. The successful applicant is expected to have significant clinical experience and excellent interpersonal skills. To support 7 day working you will be expected to participate in the on-call, weekend, Bank Holiday and late duty rotas. For further information, please contact Roshni Thoppil, Senior Principal Pharmacist on [contact hidden] or [contact hidden].

Main duties of the job

• This is a key role within the pharmacy team, delivering high-quality patient-focused services to the SDEC Frailty Unit and leading the pharmacy service for unplanned admissions.
• The post holder will be an active member of both the pharmacy and clinical teams to ensure continuous two-way exchange of information and maintain high standards of medicines use.
• To provide a highly specialist pharmacy service to patients in Frailty SDEC and provide oversight and leadership for the teams supporting the Emergency Department, Acute Assessment Unit, Virtual Ward and Elderly Care.
• Act as a role model and local / national expert in the field of Frailty and ensure consistently high standards of clinical pharmacy practice at [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] in line with corporate objectives and NHS Plan.
• Support education and training in medicines management for the multidisciplinary team in Frailty and deprescribing.
• Accept case referrals and provide expert opinion on medicines(s) issues where appropriate in Frailty patients.
• Support services across admissions, providing effective clinical governance to manage risk, develop education and training pathways and embed clinical audit practices to ensure safe delivery of the medicines service.
• Undertake research into medicine in Frailty and lead on the development and embedding of research practices in the relevant Clinical Teams and Pharmacy team.

About us

The Trust has defined its culture as one that is patient centred which puts safety first and where all staff take responsibility, are valued and value each other. To support this, our four values are that we are all: Compassionate- we treat everyone with kindness, understanding and empathy; Inclusive- We are respectful, fair and open, embracing everyone's unique contribution; Collaborative- We work together across our teams and with our partners and are helpful, positive and supportive; Inspiring- We strive for the best for patients, staff and partners and are always learning and improving. Our training, policies, procedures, and practices are all intended to support behaviours in line with our values and all staff are expected to uphold these by 'Living Our Values Everyday'.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential:

• Taught Masters Degree in Pharmacy
• Post graduate Diploma or MSc in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent
• Independent Prescribing qualification
• Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable:

• Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)

Experience and Skills

Essential:

• Extensive experience as a senior pharmacist working in admissions/elderly care
• Previous experience of working as a clinical pharmacist on medical wards
• Experience in producing new drug evaluations for the Medicines Optimisation Committee
• The ability to initiate and implement change
• Leadership and mentorship skills
• Proficient in the use of the JAC Pharmacy Stock Control and dispensing computer systems

Desirable:

• Experience in practice research
• Published practice research

Employer details

Employer name: [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]
Address: Kingston Hospital, Galsworthy Road, Kingston, KT2 7QB
Employer's website: https://www.kingstonandrichmond.nhs.uk/