Specialist Clinical Pharmacist- Medicines Information and Paediatrics

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Medicines Information

1. To undertake the core enquiry answering service providing professional, clinical and scientific information and advice to a range of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists and patients.
2. To support and promote the Patient Medicines Helpline by providing relevant and appropriate medicines information to patients, audit of the service and encouragement of colleagues to inform patients of the service.  This also includes the Discharge Medicines Service (DMS).
3. For enquiry answering, responsibilities are to:
   1. Make recommendations tailored to the context of specific patients or situations
   2. Address issues of patients’ co-existing medical diseases and conditions such as renal and hepatic impairment, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and concurrent medications
   3. Make recommendations in high-risk areas of prescribing, including use of medicines in pregnancy, breastfeeding and patients on intravenous medication
   4. Design and execute complex search strategies, using textbooks, electronic databases and websites, and specialist information
   5. Ensure the most appropriate and up-to-date resources are used at all times and to contribute to maintaining these resources
   6. Critically evaluate and interpret evidence from searches and use clinical expertise to apply it to patient context
   7. Liaise where necessary with local and national specialists, including non-pharmacists, in the health service, universities and associated organisations
   8. Offer a personal interpretation to the enquirer or patient based on available evidence and theory where there is no clear answer in information sources
   9. Work to urgent deadlines responsive to the multiple enquiries and re-assign priorities as necessary
   10. Ensure written responses are referenced appropriately.
   11. Communicate complex information effectively to patients and healthcare staff
   12. Use a wide range of communication techniques (verbal, electronic and written forms) including comprehensive telephone communication with effective questioning and listening to obtain and provide detailed & relevant information
   13. Apply sound professional judgement to complex legal and ethical issues and dilemmas.
   14. Ensure that appropriate records are kept to meet legal, professional and audit requirements and to facilitate future planning for the smooth running of the department.
   15. Maintain a service which complies with national Medicines Information (UKMI) standards for documentation, analysis and coverage for comprehensive completion of enquiries as well as internal MI standards

4. To contribute to the quality-assurance processes within Medicines Information by validating work produced by junior staff.
5. To provide medicines information support to all Pharmacy staff within the OUHNHSFT.
6. To follow up clinical enquiries received out of hours and provide constructive feedback to the pharmacy residency team including preparation of standard responses to frequently asked questions
7. To complete Yellow Card adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports as appropriate.
8. To keep up-to-date with advances in Information Technology, particularly within the Medicines Information specialty.
9. To be pro-active in disseminating information within (and outside) the Pharmacy, through personal communication and, when appropriate, through bulletin production.
10. To work with the Lead Medicines Information Pharmacist to develop the service and ensure that it continues to be a highly regarded and effective. This includes participation in audit of the service, and implementation of improvements.

1. To complete incident reports to ensure errors are appropriately investigated.
2. To deputise for the Lead Medicines Information Pharmacist as appropriate, including supervision of colleagues and junior staff.
3. To be aware of the procedures for managing drug alerts and supply problems and to follow these in the absence of the Lead MI pharmacist.
4. To be involved in providing information to support Formulary decisions and to encourage implementation of these decisions.
5. To support the Lead MI pharmacist in their contribution to the medicines management agenda for the pharmacy department and the trust, including promotion of the Medicines Policy and involvement in audit.
6. To contribute to relevant patient safety alerts and rapid response requirements including risk assessment, audit and production of clinical and technical information in collaboration with the Medicines Safety team.
7. To promote publication of work and presentations at conferences.
8. To contribute to maintaining the clinical contents of the Pharmacy intranet site.
9. To contribute to the review and development of the internal injectable monographs.

Clinical pharmacy

1. To provide a clinical pharmacy service according to Trust agreed standards including:

• Individual prescription review to optimise therapy
• Confirmation of the patient’s medication history (Medicines reconciliation)
• Advice on dosage, side-effects, cautions and monitoring required
• Advise on administration of medicines
• Appropriate and clear endorsing of prescriptions to ensure safe practice
• Monitor the effect and appropriateness of medication
• Education of patients on their medication
• Involvement in discharge planning and provision of discharge medication
• Ensuring effective handover and accurate documentation

1. To provide clinical pharmacy cover to other ward areas within the paediatric team on a reciprocal basis.
2. To ensure medicines are used appropriately, safely and cost-effectively in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating procedures and medicines legislation.
3. To monitor medicines use within the ward area.  This includes recording of significant clinical interventions and risk management including:

• Participation in investigating clinical incidents
• Recording significant clinical incidents/near misses
• Ensuring compliance with medicines legislation and local policies

1. To use available information to influence prescribers and ensure the most cost-effective choice of therapy.
2. To participate in ward rounds, clinical meetings or out-patient clinics as appropriate in order to provide pharmaceutical advice to prescribers and other health care professional.
3. To liaise with external agencies to ensure safe, timely and appropriate supply to patients eg Baxter, Clinical Trails Aseptic unit, Home care providers etc where appropriate.
4. To participate in clinical audit and the development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for use of medicines within paediatrics
5. To tutor rotational clinical pharmacists undertaking the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy, following formal accreditation as a tutor by Cardiff University (or other university) and to tutor other pharmacists and pre-registration students in the clinical area.
6. To act as a role model and mentor for clinical pharmacy.
7. To develop personal practice research in accordance with the Trust and pharmacy strategy.
8. To contribute to local, national and international specialist interest groups and conferences/meetings.
9. To prescribe within a scope of practice as appropriate / determined by team objectives or to become a non- medical prescriber as appropriate
10. To undergo accreditation to write discharge prescriptions for patients, where appropriate
11. To provide teaching for the pharmacy and directorate teams as required.
12. To act as knowledge base/resource for the specialist area and to keep up to date with current trends and research in the specialist area.
13. With the rest of the members of the clinical pharmacy team to support the strategic developments of the service e.g. electronic prescribing, improved discharge processes, accredited technician checking etc.
14. Actively contribute to the planning and efficient co-ordination of clinical pharmacy initiatives including discharge planning, prescribing protocols, pharmacists on consultant ward rounds etc.
15. To contribute to and implement the clinical governance plans of the clinical area and the pharmacy clinical governance plans.