Job summary
Employer heading
Band 8b Principal Pharmacist Cancer Services BH CFH
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Our trust has 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.听 This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.
Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers鈥 money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.
Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.
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Job overview
Principal Pharmacist 鈥 Cancer Services 8b Based at Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital An exciting opportunity has become available for an experienced cancer pharmacist to lead the cancer pharmacy at the Royal Free London NHS Trust with the support of the newly created Clinical Lead Pharmacist Cancer role. This post will be responsible for service based at Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital. Additional funding has recently been secured to allow for expansion of the cancer pharmacy team to provide additional prescribing and monitoring of systemic anti-cancer therapy, primarily in the out-patient setting.听 The successful candidate will lead the team through this expansion, further developing the role of the pharmacist within the clinic setting and providing excellent patient care and outcomes within the cancer speciality. They will also be responsible for a large cancer pharmacy team and for delivering the safe and cost-effective use of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) The ideal candidate will be a highly experienced cancer pharmacist who is looking for the next step up to a leadership role with a proven track record in managing a team and a service.听 Experience of working in cancer clinics would also be beneficial. |
Main duties of the job
JOB SUMMARY: To lead and harmonise (with the support of the clinical lead pharmacist) the pharmacy cancer services team. Cancer services are provided across all Royal Free London site namely the royal free hospital, Barnet hospital, Finchley Memorial Hospital and Chase farm hospital. This post holder will have specific site responsibilities for Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospitals. To deliver, develop and evaluate clinical pharmacy services to the oncology, haematology, palliative care specialities in accordance with objectives set by the Clinical Lead Pharmacist, Cancer and the Deputy Chief Pharmacist. Working closely with the multidisciplinary team, Service Line Leads and Divisional Managers, the post holder will develop initiatives and guidelines to ensure safe and cost-effective use of medicines and chemotherapy in this area, and across the interface between primary and secondary care. The post holder will be jointly responsible for all aspects of the management of high cost drugs for cancer with the principal pharmacist based at RFH site, and the supply of medication via homecare where appropriate. The post holder will be a key member of the Chemotherapy Operational Group (COG) jointly with the Principal Pharmacist Cancer Services based at the RFH and with the clinical lead pharmacist cancer. |
Working for our organisation
Our trust has 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.听 This large scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.听 The Royal Free 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.听 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.听听
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.听 The cancer pharmacy team are well established and play a critical role in the safe prescribing, manufacturing and monitoring of systemic anti-cancer therapy across all the sites.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- To lead (with the support of the clinical lead pharmacist post) the provision and development of a high-quality clinical pharmacy service as part of the multidisciplinary team to patients within cancer, palliative care and the LSD unit, to ensure maximum efficacy, safety and economic drug use and to demonstrate professional accountability to enhance patient care. The responsibilities will include:
- Regular attendance of consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings
- Demonstration of expert specialist knowledge in the field of cancer, palliative care
- Delivery of a high quality, specialist ward-based pharmacy service. This involves taking medication histories from patients admitted to the wards, clarifying inconsistencies with the patient鈥檚 GP or Community Pharmacist, ensuring appropriate use of patients鈥 own drugs brought from home, drug supply, review of highly complex medication regimens, clarification of medication changes made during inpatient stay by liaising with the medical team, drug interaction and adverse drug reaction monitoring, discharge planning and rapid turnaround of TTAs, full medication counselling to patients, and assessment for appropriateness of compliance aids to assist patients鈥 medication needs.
- Provision of pharmacy-led cancer outpatient clinics including prescribing, review, verification, optimisation and monitoring of systemic anti-cancer medicines (SACT)
- Provision of expert prescribing advice in the specialist area, including selection, adverse events and dosage adjustment in specialist areas where limited or conflicting information is available. This advice may be challenged.
- Promotion of high-quality cost-effective prescribing
- Leading the development and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines / protocols within cancer services
- Making evidence-based decisions, in partnership with patients and other professionals within the specialist area
- Development and review of Patient Group Directions
- Development and review of Shared Care guidelines
- To participate in drug usage reviews
- Development of relevant patient information leaflets which complement licensed product information
- In conjunction with the clinicians and managers, ensure compliance with CQC medicines related outcomes, NICE technology appraisals and other government initiatives and national policy.
- To liaise and work with other specialist pharmacists to share the best practice, to strengthen patient focused pharmaceutical care.
- To liaise with the palliative care pharmacist at Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead on pharmaceutical issues and to provide expert advice on aspects of symptom control and pain relief as appropriate.
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- RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS
- To manage own caseload and work as an independent prescriber in cancer clinics, prescribing and optimising SACT
- To demonstrate an advanced level of clinical assessment 鈥 including assessment of cancer patients to ensure chemotherapy is prescribed safely and responses to treatment are documented appropriately. To know when to refer patients to a senior clinician for review.
- To provide clinical screening support for the supply of chemotherapy medicines including ensuring:
- Anti-cancer treatment prescribing is in accordance with an approved protocol or ensuring an 鈥榦ff-protocol鈥 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 provide patient-facing medicines advice and counselling service to cancer patients where appropriate to enhance understanding of medicines prescribed.
- To contribute towards ensuring a high-quality patient experience within the cancer setting.
- To deal effectively with situations where medication errors have occurred, including liaising directly with patients and staff concerned.
- To lead in responding to complaints from patients and the public in relation to medicines management issues within cancer services as required.
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- RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
- To lead on the continuing development of policies and procedures to ensure that cancer services comply with existing legal requirements and best practice in the field and requirements of the Care Quality Commission.
- To be responsible for providing expert advice to senior pharmacy, clinical and management staff regarding the pharmaceutical aspects of network and national standards (e.g. North Central London Cancer Alliance/ BOPA) and guidelines relating to cancer and to ensure these are met or implemented
- To lead in maintaining records of chemotherapy regimens used outside the agreed list and present this on a regular basis to the Local Chemotherapy Group.
- To lead on the production and implementation of business plans for the development of the pharmacy service provided to the cancer services in line with local oncology clinical strategy.
- To audit the service provided with the aim of improving the service provided by the pharmacy cancer team
Person specification
Essential and Desirable
Essential criteria
- Registered non-medical prescriber
- Post graduate diploma in pharmacy practice or equivalent
- Significant demonstrable experience of working in hospital based pharmacy, and significant experience as a specialist cancer services pharmacist
- Experience working with high cost drugs and commissioning processes
- Experience of working as a Band 8a pharmacist in oncology & haematology
- Experience of managing & leading staff and projects
- Experience of managing and analysing drug expenditure.
- Experience of writing / implementing clinical guidelines and government directives
- Experience of multidisciplinary working
- Evidence of clinical audit/drug evaluation/practice research and the promotion of evidence based practice.
- Experience as a clinical pharmacy tutor. Experience of appraising staff and giving feedback
- Demonstrates a whole-system patient-focussed approach to work
Desirable criteria
- Advanced qualification in specialist area
- Undertakes own research
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Simon Jenkinson
- Job title
- Clinical Lead Pharmacist Cancer
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0207 472 6306
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