30 hours per week. We are seeking an exceptional Pharmacist to join our Substance Misuse team and be the link with our Clinical pharmacy team. You will be a confident and motivated individual working closely with other senior healthcare professionals within the organisation to deliver a responsive and pro- active people focused service to substance misuse. You will be responsible for medicine related clinical governance within the team, working in collaboration with the substance misuse and pharmacy teams to achieve this. You will also have your own case-load of clients.

As Advanced Clinical Pharmacist for Substance Misuse and independent prescriber you will have input into the strategic development of Substance Misuse Services and hold a highly visible role. You will be a pharmacist with a passion and commitment in this area who wants to help develop the service, bringing the additional skills of an experienced pharmacist to the team. You will support and help develop a diverse team of enthusiastic and talented healthcare professionals, including NMPs. You will be at the forefront of innovation with an abundance of opportunity.

In this post your personal and professional development will be key to achieving job satisfaction and success. You will be supported in your clinical and leadership development by experienced health care professionals within both Substance Misuse and Pharmacy teams.

Main duties of the job

The Advanced Clinical Pharmacist for Substance Misuse is an essential role within the Substance Misuse and Pharmacy Teams, providing clinical (including prescribing), governance and managerial support to the Substance Misuse and Pharmacy Team. It has the following dimensions:

Assist in delivering the Plymouth Alliance Substance Misuse ambitions reflecting person centered values and the highest ambitions for the people we work with to support their recovery.

Be responsible for leading and delivering a high quality, specialised clinical pharmacy service

Provide expert advice on pharmaceutical matters within substance misuse

Lead and develop clinical and medicine related audits within substance misuse and be involved in research

Work closely with the Pharmacy and Substance Misuse LSW Harbour Senior Management Team to deliver agreed service goals and priorities

Be responsible for clinical governance for substance misuse relating to medicines, including attendance at relevant governance meetings as required.

Be responsible for a caseload of people requiring pharmacotherapies alongside their psychosocial interventions, delivering on individualised prescribing assessments, prescribing and recovery plans and risk plans.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health & social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams & West Devon, as well as some specialist services for people living in parts of Devon & Cornwall. With teams in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, health & wellbeing hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we always value being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. Transforming services to make them sustainable, ensuring that we value, support & empower each other.

We are committed to involving the people we care for, families & carers in everything that we do, working towards co-production where we can. Helping us to deliver the right care for people, in the right place & at the right time. By putting people at the centre of what we do, we ensure to support people to lead, healthy independent lives & be the very best at helping people to live well.

Valuing our employees making an investment in their development a priority. We offer:

Protected CPD time for registered staff

Various development pathways and ongoing regular training packages for all staff

Leadership & mentoring programmes

Access & funding for training including Care Certificate, Assistant Practitioners Course & Scholarship Into Nurse Training

A Robust Preceptorship

A bespoke induction programme

Existing members of the NHS Pension Scheme can continue their membership when they join the organisation.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical / Professional

To be responsible for and lead the provision of a high quality, specialised clinical pharmacy service to ensure the safe, clinically effective and cost-efficient use of drugs within substance misuse.

To be responsible for the delivery of the clinical pharmacy services to substance misuse, including attendance at MDTs, providing expert pharmaceutical advice and setting standards for junior pharmacists and other team members to emulate.

To be an independent prescriber, or working towards, and be part of the prescribing team within the substance misuse service managing a caseload of clients

To be responsible for the provision of professional pharmaceutical advice to healthcare colleagues, patients/clients and carers as necessary.

To develop and monitor pharmacy initiatives such as keeping medicines records updated, communicating with other teams, e.g. community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, PCN pharmacy teams, GPs to promote seamless transfer of care and information

To be responsible for the development of pharmaceutical care initiatives e.g. client/patient and carer counselling, assessing concordance and improved communication with primary and secondary healthcare professionals.

To lead on and develop policy or service changes within Substance Misuse which improve services and be responsible for their implementation.

To provide training both internally and externally regarding prescribing interventions and their effective delivery.

To promote and monitor compliance with the South and West Devon Joint Formulary and to assist in formulary applications and review for medicines to be used in Substance Misuse.

To be responsible for monitoring prescribing practice to promote cost-effective and economic use of resources and contribute to the establishment and implementation of prescribing guidelines within substance misuse.

To be lead on and be responsible for reporting and review of clinical and other pharmacy/medicine related audits within substance misuse

To be responsible for the development of junior pharmacy staff within substance misuse including rotational pharmacists and trainee pharmacists

To provide evidence of Continuing Professional Development on an annual basis at appraisal, in accordance with guidance issued by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Analytical and Judgmental skills

Have highly developed skill'sfor analysing drug information in substance misuse in order to provide advice on medicines, illicit drugs, dosages, production issues/ in areas where information is lacking and medical or other opinion differs

To request and facilitate, clinical screening of prescriptions, to ensure prescriptions are safe and appropriate, and to encourage use of take home naloxone and provide Blood Bourne virus information and Dry Blood spot testing.

Prescribing appropriate medications for a case load of clients within the substance misuse service as part of the wider MDT and Harbour team and take part in the Duty prescriber rota giving advice and support to a range of professionals and health and social care providers including GPs and UHP.

Responding to and recording medicines information requests from clients, prescribers and other healthcare professionals relating to substance misuse and providing advice on medicines proactively. In many cases this is a complex task involving highly specialist up to date knowledge, effective search strategies, evaluation of the evidence base and formulation of an appropriate response.

To be responsible for the investigation and monitoring of medicines related incidents relating to substance misuse, recommending and implementing change as required to improve patient safety, collating these for discussion at substance misuse and pharmacy team meetings and at the Medicines Governance Group (MGG).

To work alongside the head of Clinical Services and Medical Lead within the Plymouth Alliance partnership to assist developments in: alcohol specific interventions including ambulatory detoxification services hospital liaison initiatives Buvidal pilot development of the enhanced GP service and other initiatives depending upon the needs of the system/ service.

Clinical Governance

To be responsible for and lead on clinical governance and risk management through interventions which optimise the management of medicines in substance misuse, supporting best practice throughout all areas of responsibility

To participate in and lead multidisciplinary groups in the review and development of selected medicines related policies and procedures relating to substance misuse and present to the MGG.

To lead on the development and review of documents e.g. Patient Group Directions, Policies, Guidelines and Protocols relating to substance misuse and presenting reviewed documents to the MGG

To support professional leads in identifying and addressing evidence-based medicine practice consistent with the requirements of clinical governance and of national directives

To work with the Pharmacy Senior Management Team and Substance Misuse team to lead on continuous quality improvement projects and audit within substance misuse

Managerial

To provide leadership on development of the substance misuse service under the guidance of the Clinical Service Lead and Medical Lead. In particular all aspects of changes to prescribing interventions and the assessment of their effectiveness. To support service delivery changes that support the services goals and priorities.

To provide mentoring, training, supervision and line management of rotational pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy staff and students as required or other more junior members of the substance misuse team, including appraisals and performance reviews.

To organise the trainee pharmacist timetable when they rotate through substance misuse

To act as trainee pharmacist Designated supervisor annually as required.

To mentor/buddy other NMPs within the substance misuse team. To take part in clinical supervision structures and line management structures as directed by the ClinicalManager and Medical Lead.

To Act as a Designated prescribing practitioner, Educational supervisor or Practice supervisor as appropriate for members of the team undertaking their independent prescribing training.

Freedom to Act

Pharmacists are expected to work largely unsupervised and to act on their own professional judgement.

Clinical supervision from another health professional can be arranged and is to be encouraged.

Technical roles are defined by standard operating procedures which should always be followed.

Clinical roles are supported by policies within which the pharmacist is allowed professional discretion / interpretation.

This role includes setting the parameters under which other pharmacy staff will operate.

Training and Education

To lead on the training and development of staff within substance misuse relating to medicines and members of the pharmacy team as appropriate

To plan, develop and deliver appropriate training and education to healthcare colleagues, carer groups and outside agencies in order to promote the safe use and clinical application of medicines within substance misuse, e.g. community pharmacists

To be responsible for and lead on the induction of new staff within substance misuse on medicine related policies

To assist and lead, where appropriate, on the training provided to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and other pharmacy staff

Health, Safety and Security

To work safely in the dispensary, ward and office environments ensuring any risks identified to health and safety are managed or escalated to line manager

To ensure safety and security of medicines, prescription stationery and patient identifiable documents according to locally agreed standard operating procedures.

To inform line manager of any breaches of safety or security or if agreed procedures are thought to be inadequate to manage the risk.

COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

The ability to communicate highly complex drug or medicine related information to prescribers, clinicians, service users, and their relatives: patients who may have language difficulties, physical or mental disabilities and other professionals, who may challenge advice.

Well-developed verbal and written communications skills (including telephone and email) are essential to the role.

To liaise with all levels of healthcare staff and professionals working in the multidisciplinary team within mental health and substance misuse.

To liaise with patients and carers, the acute hospitals, doctors, GPs, community nurses and community pharmacists to ensure appropriate supply of medicines.

To communicate pharmacy / medication issues clearly and concisely at team meetings and governance groups e.g. Medicines Governance Group

Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team and with pharmacy colleagues

To work virtually through use of technology where required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy
• Registered Practising Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Specialist knowledge acquired by postgraduate diploma or equivalent evidence of specialist knowledge, compet
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  B9832-2023-PH-313