Job title - Senior Pharmacist - Cancer Services, Band 7

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and motivated pharmacist with appropriate skills and experience to join the pharmacy cancer services team at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Based primarily at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, the postholder will support the Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) clinics there including being responsible for the safe screening of systemic anticancer therapy prescriptions (including checking of doses and ensuring all supportive care prescribed). Provision of a clinical pharmacy service to oncology wards may also be required as well as providing medicines advice to both patients and clinical staff.

The oncology pharmacy team works very closely with both the medical and nursing teams to ensure that safe and effective systems are in place for use of SACT across all units and that our patients receive the best pharmaceutical care tailored to their needs.

This post is best suited to a candidate who wants to gain greater skills in caring for cancer patients. With guidance from the lead pharmacist, you will work on development of guidelines and protocols, implementation of new drugs, reporting and analysis of medicines expenditure, clinical audit/QI and development of teaching resources.

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities for the role include:

• To provide clinical screening support for the supply of systemic anti-cancer medicines (SACT) including ensuring:
  • • Anti-cancer treatment prescribing is in accordance with an approved protocol or ensuring an 'off-protocol' form has been completed
    • Anti-cancer treatment is in accordance with NICE / CDF guidelines or criteria for use
    • Funding arrangements are in place prior to commencing treatment
    • Doses are correct, taking into account laboratory results, dose reductions and previous treatments
    • Appropriate supportive medicines have been prescribed

• Provision of a clinical pharmacy service to patients on the cancer wards including medicines reconciliation, supply of medicines and timely preparation of discharge medicines.
• Provision of medicines advice to nursing and medical staff
• To contribute to the continuing development of policies and procedures within the specialist area
• Forecasting new drug developments and identifying changes in prescribing practice that may impact on the drugs budget

Education and training of pharmacy, nursing and medical staff on medicines within cancer and palliative care

About us

The Royal Free London NHS Trust is one of the largest in the UK, with around 10,000 staff serving 1.6 million patients. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. It is one of the busiest Cancer Providers in England, receiving the sixth highest two-week wait referrals in England, the highest in London and over 50% of NCL referrals. The Trust also delivers the second highest volume of first cancer treatments in London with a cancer treatment growth of 20% over the last 3 years.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for all.

The Pharmacy department of the Royal Free London NHS Trust is a friendly, progressive, and expanding unit dedicated to providing the highest standards of pharmaceutical care and service in this large, internationally renowned teaching hospital. Quality improvement and cost-effective, safe use of medicines is at the forefront of everything we do. We have over 300 staff working across the 3 sites in all areas of pharmacy. Pharmacy staff work across areas such as dispensary, stores, wards, outpatient clinics, satellite pharmacies, technical services, clinical trials, medicines advice service and QC. The cancer pharmacy team is well respected with plans in place to further expand the team over the next 2-5 years

Job description

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The post-holder will contribute to the safe, clinically effective and cost efficient use of medicines to optimise patient care. The responsibilities include:

• Participate in specialist pharmacy clinics in the cancer area
• Provision of advice to other healthcare professionals on the use and administration of medicines
• Demonstration of a comprehensive level of knowledge within the cancer area
• Delivery of a high quality, ward-based pharmacy service including drug supply, review of highly complex medication regimens, medicine reconciliation, drug interaction monitoring and discharge planning
• Active participation on consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings
• Making evidence-based decisions, in partnership with patients and other professionals within specialties
• Identifying the risks of medicines use within the specialty and assist in implementing strategies to minimise them
• To monitor adherence to local protocols and formulary including Trust Microbiology guidelines
• Demonstrate professional accountability to service users, stakeholders and the profession.
• Providing pharmacy input into all aspects of the home delivery scheme for cancer patients

RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS

The post-holder will provide a patient-focussed approach. Key responsibilities include:

• To provide a clinical prescription screening service to cancer patients (including oral, injectable and clinical trial drugs), resolving any issues and ensuring the timely supply of medications (following a period of competency-based training and assessment) including ensuring
  • Anti-cancer treatment prescribing is in accordance with an approved protocol or ensuring an off-protocol form has been completed
  • Anti-cancer treatment is in accordance with NICE / CDF guidelines or criteria for use
  • Funding arrangements are in place prior to commencing treatment
  • Doses are correct, taking into account laboratory results, dose reductions and previous treatments
  • Appropriate supportive medicines have been prescribed
• To clinically check ChemoCare prescriptions by calculating and checking the doses required and ensuring that patients blood results are acceptable according to written protocols. To ensure all supportive drugs are prescribed safely and appropriately
• To be accredited in the appropriate aspects on handling intra-thecal chemotherapy e.g. screening, issuing etc within the recommendations of current legislation, if appropriate
• To have face-to-face contact with cancer patients in clinics and wards and to provide verbal and written information to them on the use of chemotherapy and other supportive drugs
• To be involved in discharge planning and provision of discharge medication
• To empathise and counsel patients/carers who may be distressed on all aspects of their medication to aid compliance and understanding
• Provision of support on concordance related issues to patients.
• Demonstrate professional accountability to patients.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

The post-holder will support, implement and contribute to any initiatives both within the pharmacy and the Trust aimed at reviewing and developing policies and services. This includes contributing to clinical governance within the pharmacy department and Trust. Responsibilities include:

• To be involved in the development, maintenance and review of cancer chemotherapy and supportive care drug protocols including building regimens on the Chemotherapy prescribing system (Chemocare)
• To be involved in the implementation of relevant local, network and national standards including service guidelines and technology appraisals produced by NICE
• To support the Principal Pharmacist Cancer services in the production and implementation of business plans to develop the role of the pharmacist within cancer services
• To contribute to any KPIs set for cancer services or pharmacy
• To maintain and undertake the role in accordance with the professional code of ethics, Medicines legislation and national or local policies or procedures reporting areas of concern to the Lead Pharmacist, Cancer Services or Clinical Lead Pharmacist at different sites.
• To contribute to the continual improvement of clinical governance including participation in:
  • Clinical audit programme
  • Identification of areas of risk
• Assisting with the development of and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines
• To identify and promote best practice within cancer services
• To report and encourage reporting of adverse drug reactions and incidents relating to medicines in line with agreed Trust reporting mechanisms and national initiatives/schemes
• To support the implementation of the Trust pharmacy strategy including the hospital pharmacy transformation programme by participating in trust and divisional initiatives to develop clinical pharmacy practice.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES

The post-holder will be expected to ensure the cost-effective use of medicines within the Trust in line with local procedures, policies, and initiatives. Additional responsibilities will include:

• Assisting in the forecasting of new drug developments including contributing to the pharmacy departments horizon scanning document
• To be involved in the preparation of new cancer drug submissions for the Trusts Drug and Therapeutics Committee including an assessment of the financial implications of using the drug. To provide resources to ensure safe implementation of new technology into clinical practice
• Assisting in the management of drug expenditure reports within cancer services to identify key prescribing trends and any potential financial risks
• To ensure funding for high cost drugs in the cancer services area including liaising with clinicians and commissioners, ensuring appropriate paperwork and databases are kept up to date (e.g., Blueteq, IFRs, PhRED)
• Contribution to the pharmacy cost improvement programme
• To assist in the implementation of any drug cost savings schemes e.g. generic/ biosimilar switches.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING

The post-holder will be responsible for maintaining their professional responsibilities and for identifying and addressing their own developmental needs. They are expected to ensure their own learning needs are met adequately in order to provide a suitable service to patients. The post-holder will be expected to contribute to the learning and development of other members of the health-care team. Overall these responsibilities include:

• Management of own workload and allocation of work to more junior members of the team
• To act as an effective role model and provide advice and support on cancer pharmacy issues to junior pharmacists and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• To provide professional supervision for more junior members of the cancer pharmacy team
• To recommend changes to own/ others practice to ensure development of services for cancer patients
• To support an innovative approach to practice, whilst being aware of boundaries and limitations.
• Deputise for more senior members of the cancer pharmacy team, as required
• To assist in the induction training of staff new to the cancer services area
• To contribute to the departmental appraisal and development programme for junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This includes:

-Assisting with the competency based training of junior pharmacy staff

-Contributing to the development of training packages for junior staff

-Setting objectives for junior staff (including Band 6 pharmacists and technicians)

-Participating in the departmental teaching commitments

• To contribute to the education and training of pharmacy, medical, nursing staff and other healthcare workers.
• To contribute to local, national and international cancer services specialist interest groups and conferences/meetings

RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION RESOURCES

• To be involved in the development and maintenance of the computerised chemotherapy prescribing system (ChemoCare) for systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) and to ensure that it is used effectively and appropriately. This includes entering the protocols on the system, double-checking the master prescription for accuracy and liaising with the cancer pharmacy team and consultants for final approval of the protocols.
• To be involved in the training and providing support to the users of the computerised chemotherapy prescribing system
• To be competent in the use Cerner, JAC and other relevant hospital IT systems
• To be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Patient Confidentiality policies
• To contribute to the ongoing development of the Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration system (EPMA)
• To generate reports / graphs / presentations using appropriate computer software when required

Person Specification

Royal Free World Class Values

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Educational and professional
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

391-RFL-5459560-A