Job overview
University Hospitals Sussex (UHS) greatly values their pharmacy team and over the years it has continued to grow in strength and numbers. We are now pleased to offer an exciting 8a prescribing surgical pharmacist post. The post holder will be a dynamic individual ready to provide expert leadership and knowledge, in surgery on the digestive diseases ward.
The post holder will be at the forefront of providing pharmacy services optimising and improving the patient experience. It will be an opportunity to share expertise in a multidisciplinary setting and have valuable input into patient outcomes.
If you are looking to drive your own career in an environment that supports your development in a captivating part of the UK then UHS could be the perfect fit for you.
You must be a Registered Pharmacist with a post graduate qualification and ideally experienced at specialist level and ideally be a prescribing pharmacist. However, we would also welcome applications from pharmacists with limited experience in digestive diseases who have successfully completed or working towards completing the independent prescribing course (or equivalent qualification). In that instance they would be offered the post as a band 7-8a progression opportunity based on a competency framework with incremental enhancement.
Main duties of the job
Medicines optimisation for General Surgical inpatients
Deputise for the lead Nutrition Specialist Pharmacist in the provision of parenteral nutrition.
Participation in daily consultant and registrar-led ward rounds
Optimisation of the discharge process which included prescribing/transcribing of discharge medicines in a timely manner as well as ensuring streamline of transfer of care
Educational support during ward rounds and via dedicated teaching sessions to junior doctors and Advance Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) within the directorate.
Participate in the provision of clinical pharmacy education for pharmacy and undergraduates at the University of Brighton (UoB) and Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.
Candidate information pack - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical
To provide clinical pharmacy services to the Abdominal Surgery & Medicine directorate. This role includes provision of ward-based pharmacy services to surgical patients as a senior specialist clinical pharmacy practitioner encompassing:
·participation in consultant led ward rounds.
·drug history taking.
·medication review (including review of complex prescribed regimes).
·prescribing to optimise medicines.
·patient counselling.
·identification of patients who need additional help with their medication.
·prioritisation of patients for early discharge.
·transcription of prescriptions for discharge medication.
·Pre-ordering medicines to facilitate discharge.
The post holder will act as a role model for the specialist clinical pharmacists, rotational pharmacists and pre-registration pharmacists and all other members of pharmacy staff.
Provide expert medicine information, and act as a resource on pharmaceutical care issues to other healthcare colleagues and patients within surgery.
The post holder will be required to evaluate and present the case for new drugs within the directorate to the Trust formulary committee/medicines management committee and expenditure committees.
To be an educational supervisor for a rotational pharmacist if there is a need and
·To be responsible for the overall supervision and management of rotational pharmacists’ educational progress during a period of training placement or series of placements.
·To be responsible for the trainee's Educational Agreement.
·To have an understanding of the range of learning, assessment, and support opportunities for learning in the workplace, work collaboratively with colleagues to monitor and support the rotational pharmacist’s progression and foster learner autonomy.
·To be able to identify and support trainees in difficulty, including interfacing with employment performance management procedures.
To input into the pharmacy team presentations at multi-disciplinary clinical and audit presentations.
If needed to be a Practice Supervisor for ACPs.
To teach junior doctors and ACPs good prescribing practices according to legal and trust requirements and to reduce clinical risks.
To participate in the provision of clinical pharmacy education for pharmacy and medical undergraduates at the University of Brighton (UoB) and Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Service Delivery and Improvement
To be involved in implementation and further development of this novel prescribing pharmacist role following a successful pilot within the Abdominal Surgery & Medicine directorate.
To improve medicines optimisation, speed up the discharge process and improve its efficiency.
To collect data to demonstrate the impact of this novel role.
To develop standard operating procedures for pharmacists writing discharge summaries.
To participate in ward and board rounds with other members of the multidisciplinary team to optimise patients’ medicines.
To liaise with the Trust patient flow team, site management team and operations centre to ensure that discharge dispensing occurs in line with the Trust priorities for discharge.
Please refer to attached job description.
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
1. Qualified Pharmacist
2. Registered with GPhC
3. PG certificate or equivalent
4. Hospital experience
Desirable criteria
5. PG diploma or equivalent
6. NMP or working towards
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Essential criteria
7. Knowledge or demonstrates trust values
8. Suitability to role as per JD
ED&I and Skills
Essential criteria
9. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
10. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issue
Important information for applicants:
A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.
Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.
Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications