Thames Hospice and Wexham Park Hospital Pharmacy Department have an exciting opportunity for a Lead Palliative Care Pharmacist to join our compassionate and collaborative team. The post holder will work closely with colleagues in palliative care team in Thames Hospice and visit Wexham Park Hospital once a week for ward rounds and to work with the pharmacy team. The postholder is also expected to be the pharmacy lead for palliative care across the ICS. This is band 8a to 8b progression post. The successful applicant will be supported to develop this post further into a consultant pharmacist post. As a Lead Palliative Care Pharmacist, the post holder will be a vital part of our multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities will include: • Tailoring medication regimens for patients with complex needs • Ensuring pain management and symptom control for palliative care patients • Collaborating with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to optimise patient care • Working across the ICS, linking secondary care with PCN and other primary care colleagues • Providing education and support to pharmacy trainees, as well as other multidisciplinary team members. • Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of palliative care medications and best practices While this post is advertised as a band 8a to 8b progression, applicants with sufficient experience and skills can apply directly as band 8b. Main duties of the job • To be responsible for leading, delivering and evaluating clinical pharmacy services to patients in Thames Hospice and Wexham Park Hospital, working with the Macmillan principal pharmacist in the handover period and then working independently as part of the multi professional team based in Thames Hospice.. • To undertake the process aimed at developing into an 8b role and undertaking the role independently. • To support the development of the clinical pharmacy service to patients within Palliative Care in Thames Hospice and Wexham Park Hospital. • The provision of a clinical pharmacy service to patients within the specialist areas • To act as a role model in the field of clinical pharmacy practice and provide a consistently high standard of clinical service in line with the pharmacy objectives. • The recruitment, management and development of staff under the postholder. About us Theres never been a more exciting time to build your career at Frimley Health, one of the countrys largest and most respected trusts Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) has an outstanding reputation and a proud record of achievement. We have an ongoing commitment to improving the health and care services for the 900,000 people we serve across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and south Buckinghamshire. We continue to invest in our services and facilities, including a £10 million upgrade to the hospital maternity unit as well as £49m major new Emergency Assessment Centre on our Wexham Park site. The opening of a brand new £100m state of the art hospital which replaced the existing hospital facility at Heatherwood and are planning to invest further in diagnostics and inpatient capacity at Frimley Park. We have also made significant investment in our quality improvement and digital programmes to support our vision and we will ensure that we achieve our aim of providing the highest quality healthcare to our patients. Our new EPR - Epic - went live in June and we are already beginning to reap the benefits of this ambitious investment. Our threecore values, and the behaviours that support them, guide everything we do and set out what we expect of our staff in the way they treat patients, visitors, service users and each other. If you have a passion for clinical excellence, patient care and your own career development, youll feel at home at Frimley Health. Job responsibilities 1. To work closely with clinicians, nursing staff and other senior managers to provide and develop pharmaceutical services to patients of Thames Hospice and to Wexham Park Hospital Palliative Care Team. 2. Provide a clinical pharmacy service to Palliative Care in Wexham Park and Thames Hospice and a clinical pharmacy service to cover other areas when ward cover is needed. The service includes: • assessing pharmaceutical care needs • initiating and carrying out care plans • medicines reconciliation and optimisation • review for need of drug therapies, selection of appropriate drug therapies / doses / modification of existing therapies • advice to doctors / other health care staff, including the Thames Hospice Palliative Care Response Team and Virtual ward Team who support patients in a community setting. • discharge planning • counselling patients • attending ward rounds and Multidisciplinary team Meetings (as per hospice requirements) which may involve flexibility of start / finish time • Prescribing for patients during admission and on discharge. • Support and advice to pharmacy colleagues in FHFT on palliative care. The service is according to Thames Hospice procedures and meets the minimum Standards agreed with the Chief of Service and Chief Nurse at Thames Hospice. Duties within FHFT as per the service provided will take current legislation into account. 1. To work with clinicians and nurses to develop, implement and monitor the use of protocols within the specialist area to ensure the safe use and supply of medicines. This includes the development of protocols and advice to nursing staff concerning the safe and appropriate use and storage of medication. 2. To lead on provision and review of specialist guidelines and protocols in medicines use in Palliative Care including Frimley ICS Adult Symptom Control Guidelines. 3. To provide expert advice on pharmaceutical matters, undertaking risk management and ensuring compliance with medicines legislation and local policy 4. To take an active role in committees relating to specialist area e.g. End of Life Clinical Governance Committee (FHFT), Frimley ICS EoLC Steering Group, Frimley ICS EOLC Clinical Oversight Group, Frimley ICS Medicines Safety Group, Thames Hospice Medicines Management Committee 5. To evaluate, plan and implement service developments to improve the quality of the pharmacy service to the specialist area across the ICS, working collaboratively with Medicines Optimisation team in Frimley ICS. 6. To ensure that drugs utilised within Thames Hospice reflect the recommendations, the policies and formulary of Frimley Health ICS and those of tertiary centres. To support increase economic awareness within the area through directorate financial reports and to advise on cost effective prescribing. 7. To support the production of drug evaluations for the Frimley Health Medicines Optimisation Board as requested by the Prescribing Manager. To make recommendations to Hospice and Hospital Palliative Care Teams concerning the introduction and use of new drugs. 8. Produce financial reports and facilitate and support the efficient and cost-effective use of medicines. 9. To actively participate in the Frimley Health ICS End of life Steering Group, and provide support and advice to ICS Medicines Optimisation Team on matters relating to Palliative Care 10. Train and educate pharmacy staff/trainee staff in the specialist areas to ensure consistency of service. 11. To train and educate other MDT staff including consultants and junior medical staff, nurses, student nurses, patients and carers 12. Network with pharmacists specialising in similar areas to ensure leading edge practice 13. To support the Macmillan Pharmacist in the recruitment and management of pharmacists or ward technicians under the post holder, including appraisal, review and development. 14. To participate in pharmacy practice research and clinical audit activities. 15. To be an active independent pharmacist prescriber, in line with Trust guidelines and current legislation. Person Specification Qualifications • Pharmacy degree (Master level 4 years) • Registered with GPhC • Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy / Pharmacy Practice or equivalent • Independent Prescriber Specific competencies for role Essential • Good verbal and written communication skills including listening skills • Experience with wide range of MDT and patients • Ability to work under pressure and cope with stressful situations Desirable • RPS member • UKCPA member Professional/Specialist experience Essential • Recent Hospital Clinical Pharmacy experience • Post-registration provision of clinical pharmacy service to a broad range of clinical specialities • Evidence of up-to-date CPD in clinical pharmacy • Computer literate Desirable • Experience in palliative care • Practical experience of audit • Service development experience • Experience writing protocols/guidelines