Specialist Pharmacist in Mental Health

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Deliver optimum clinical pharmacy services to mental health patients within our care Attend MDTs and consultant ward rounds. Be responsible for the safe and effective transfer of patients across care settings including medicines reconciliation on admission and authorise discharge summaries on discharge Provide clinical pharmacist support and advice to consultants, junior doctors, nurses, members of the MDT, patients/service users and their carers by completion of medicines reconciliation, comprehensive drug histories, pharmacist led medication reviews, monitoring and advising on strategies to optimise response to therapies Be supported in this training post to achieve further qualifications including Independent Prescribing Contribute to the clinical governance agenda(s) of the service and of the organisation Review policies and procedures relevant to pharmacy and monitor and evaluate medicines related protocols and guidelines Propose policy or service changes
to improve the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients which may have multidisciplinary and resource implications Use risk stratification tools/protocols to minimise the risk of harm from medicines Implement changes following local and national drug alerts/information in accordance with local policy Provide pharmacist cover for other areas and settings during annual leave or sickness Attend, deliver and contribute to CPD sessions and peer review for the purposes of revalidation to maintain professional registration Contribution to multidisciplinary team meetings, this will require pharmaceutical advice ensuring optimum treatment is recommended for every patient Undertake medication reviews with patients to support optimum therapy and adherence, making recommendations to prescribers and the MDT and involving the patient in every aspect of their treatment Review and interpret clinical data each day for patients requiring therapeutic drug monitoring. Recommendation of appropriate therapy
for individual patients where evidence is not available, controversial, evidence exists, or other professionals may challenge advice Provide advice on the pharmaceutical and pharmacodynamics properties of drugs including alterations of these parameters in special groups of patients, such as the older adult or young person Attendance at Consultant/Doctor/white board/MDT meetings to actively facilitate and provide advice on the treatment of patients Promote compliance by prescribers and other healthcare staff with the South and West Devon Formulary and Referral Application of the evidence base behind drug therapies Identification of adverse drug reactions and reporting them to the MHRA via the Yellow Card system Complete medicines reconciliation within 24hours (72hrs at weekends) as patients enter and leave services, identifying and informing prescribers of any changes Contribute to the organisations wider antimicrobial surveillance programme, implementing local programmes ensuring
appropriate antimicrobial prescribing within the organisation Contribute to public health campaigns, including flu vaccinations, and adult immunisation programmes Applying specialist pharmaceutical knowledge to ensure drug, dose, frequency, route etc. are suitable for the individual patient.

This may involve calculations and/or analysis of past medication/medical history and laboratory results. To clinically screen drug charts to ensure all aspects are compatible and no pharmaceutical needs are unmet. To clinically screen discharge summaries and ensure they are safe, detailed and complete to enable better transfer of care for patients across care settings. Use knowledge and professional judgement to respond to medicines related issues with the relevant clinician or team in a timely manner.

Support the delivery of the NHS Devon ICB medicines optimisation agenda in primary care. Participation in audit and project work with respect to clinical pharmacy services in the organisation as directed by senior staff. Identify areas for service development, interpreting NICE recommendations and developing relevant pathways. Responding to medicines information requests from prescribers and other healthcare professionals and providing advice on medicines.

In many cases this is a complex task involving specialist up to date knowledge, effective search strategies, evaluation of the evidence base and formulation of an appropriate response. Contribute to clinical governance and risk management through interventions which optimise the management of medicines in all areas of practice, supporting best practice throughout all areas of responsibility Organise and prioritise ones own workload to respond to urgent and varied requests in a timely manner. Be flexible according to the needs of the service, which are often unpredictable. Ability to work under pressure to ensure that deadlines are achieved Agree therapeutic areas of practice with mental health speciality for development and independent prescribing in accordance with your competency and the requirements of the service.

Implement changes aligned to local and national drivers for organisational and system service improvements that are designed to enhance the delivery of care to patients across the system. Actively contribute to the development of the Clinical Pharmacy Service initiatives that improve patient care and access across the system. Contribute to the delivery of initiatives that help with the seamless transfer of patients between different healthcare settings. Integrate research evidence into your practice and identify gaps in the evidence base.

Provide education and training to all healthcare professionals. Write and review Medicines Policies, procedures and guidelines under the direction and support of the Lead Clinical Pharmacist for Mental Health and senior management team Review Patient Group Directions (PGDs) and Protocols with training and support from the Lead Clinical Pharmacist for Mental Health Take part in audit work Provide training and mentorship to other pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and Pharmacy assistants, work experience students, volunteers and any other members of staff needing support as required. Assist with training pharmacy technicians in particular the medicines reconciliation and discharge facilitation modules. This is a training post to develop a pharmacist for their future career.

Study at clinical pharmacy post-graduate diploma level and / or construction of an Advanced Practice Portfolio for RPS Faculty membership is encouraged. Study to achieve Independent Pharmacist Prescriber status will also be possible Deliver appropriate training and education to healthcare colleagues, carer groups and outside agencies in order to promote the safe use and clinical application of drugs e.g. Balance Group, IV Training, Controlled Drug Updates, Syringe driver trainingParticipate in the multidisciplinary CPD programme To work safely in the dispensary or ward environment 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 other 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 Pharmacists are expected to work largely unsupervised and to act on their own professional judgement. Support mechanisms exist within the clinical pharmacy service by contacting other team members on a mutually beneficial basis. If studying for a specific qualification a suitable mentor and/or facilitator will be made available as necessary. Line manager support is available as required.

Clinical supervision from another health professional can be arranged and is to be encouraged Clinical roles are supported by policies, SOPs and guidelines within which the registered professional is allowed to exercise professional discretion / interpretation COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS Well-developed verbal and written communications skills are essential to the role. Communicate medicines information (e.g. medicines doses and side effects) in oral or written form to patients and/or carers, who may have difficulties with understanding. Work with the Pharmacy team to manage day to day medicines queries, including face to face consultations with patients identified to have compliance or other problems in medicine administration.

Be actively involved in patient counselling. Develop and implement patient/carer health educational groups across the organisation. Refer patients to other community services where appropriate. Discuss and resolve medication problems with prescribers where appropriate, ensuring treatment is appropriate, safe, and effective.

Input and maintain clinical and pharmacy records, for example using System-one IT, controlled drugs, unlicensed medication. To provide information for summary care records to other healthcare professional if appropriate to do so. Work collaboratively and effectively with all levels of healthcare staff in every area of work, PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB There is a need to travel between sites in a timely fashion, therefore ability to drive or commitment to attaining a driving license and use of own car is an advantage Good keyboard / computer skills are essential. Dispensing and checking of medication including blister packs as needed Manual handling may include small static loads and some patient handling.