Lead Divisional Pharmacist – Cancer Services

Job overview

Responsible for all aspects of clinical services to haematology, oncology and all cancer services. This post will include input into prescribing and administration of chemotherapy, to provide a high quality, efficient pharmacy service to patients and staff within C&W. The post‑holder will be the intrathecal lead pharmacist for the Trust and will be an authorised pharmacist in technical services.

Main duties

The Lead Clinical Pharmacist – Cancer services has responsibility for the pharmacy input into the oncology, haematology and palliative care team and other users of the products from the technical services section, including the supply of clinical trial materials and chemotherapy. Clinical activities are focussed around providing pharmaceutical care to oncology, haematology and palliative care inpatients and day cases as part of the specialist clinical team, optimising their medicines’ use through safe prescribing and effective monitoring. The post holder will be responsible for covering wards which have in‑patient haematology / oncology patients.

Leadership

• To lead clinical pharmacy services for patients admitted to the oncology, haematology and palliative specialist care in accordance with the priorities set by the Chief Pharmacist and the Head of Pharmacy.
• Identify and promote best practice.
• Ensure delivery of the clinical governance agenda in relation to drug use in cancer services to minimise the number of drug‑related incidents.
• Motivate and inspire others (both within pharmacy and the directorate) in order to create a good working environment and facilitate staff retention.
• Proactively develop clinical pharmacy services in line with local and national objectives.
• Demonstrate innovation in the highly specialised field of oncology/haematology pharmacy practice.

Management of service

• Identify and prioritise clinical pharmacy services to the oncology, haematology and palliative care team.
• Deliver pharmaceutical services to oncology, haematology and palliative care patients.
• Provide clinical pharmacy services to the Gazzard Day Care Unit and haematology ward.
• Act as the BOPA lead for the Chelsea site.
• Ensure that all pharmacists within cancer services have their BOPA passport.
• Reconcile national and network priorities with local realities (e.g. implementation of NICE guidance within the current capacity of the unit).
• Work across traditional boundaries (e.g. a lead member of the multidisciplinary team).
• Ensure national and local agendas are delivered.
• Establish processes for the setting of standards of care; identify and manage changes that need to occur to achieve these and then manage the risks involved.
• Delegate authority appropriately to junior staff.
• Manage and appraise the designated pre‑registration pharmacist, resident pharmacist, specialist pharmacists and other staff as required.

Evaluation of Service

• Monitor and evaluate clinical pharmacy services for patients admitted to oncology, haematology or palliative care.
• Ensure that the quality of pharmacy cancer services is recognised as a lead in the national field in line with corporate objectives.
• Evaluate the contributions of the cancer pharmacist to the medicine directorate through twice‑yearly intervention monitoring, pharmacist transcription monitoring and the evaluation of on‑call data.
• Ensure that all departmental standards are met.
• Ensure that health and safety standards are adhered to within the technical services unit.
• Undertake and supervise clinical audit as part of the multi‑disciplinary audit process.
• Participate in audits undertaken by regional and local quality assurance specialists.
• Undertake assessments/evaluations of services, patient care and individuals as required.

Clinical Practice

• Act as a clinical role model in oncology, haematology and palliative care pharmacy practice and demonstrate the ability to provide safe, clinically effective and cost‑efficient use of drugs.
• Apply core clinical pharmacy skills to plan, develop, coordinate, monitor and review therapeutic programmes for patients in haematology.
• Establish processes for the setting of standards of care, subsequently identifying and managing changes that need to occur to achieve these.
• Demonstrate accountability to patients, service users, stakeholders and the profession.
• Follow legal, ethical, professional and employer’s codes of conduct.
• Develop recognition as a national and/or international expert amongst clinical pharmacists within haematology.
• Participate in ward rounds to integrate into the multidisciplinary team and raise the pharmacy profile via contributions at consultant level.
• Demonstrate expert clinical knowledge.
• Manage and make appropriate referrals.
• Plan, manage, monitor and review therapeutic guidelines and chemotherapy protocols.
• Develop recognition as a national and/or international expert within the speciality of clinical pharmacy.
• Manage difficult and ambiguous problems.
• Demonstrate an intuitive grasp of situations based on deep tacit understanding and make decisions with limited information.
• Demonstrate a whole‑system patient‑focused approach.

Governance

• Monitor, evaluate and develop clinical pharmacy services for haematology patients in accordance with objectives agreed between the post‑holder and the Head of Pharmacy, to ensure safe, clinically effective and cost‑efficient use of medicines.
• Demonstrate awareness of and commitment to the Trust’s clinical governance agenda.
• Responsible for the delivery of the Trust’s clinical governance agenda in relation to medicines use in haematology.
• Act as the lead pharmacist responsible for intrathecal chemotherapy.
• Develop and implement strategies for documenting and evaluating the contributions of clinical pharmacists to haematology.
• Work to ensure that the quality of haematology pharmacy services are recognised as a lead in the national field, in line with the corporate objectives.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

• Vocational Masters degree in Pharmacy + 1 year pre‑registration training.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice.
• Specific Training in oncology / haematology.
• GPhC registration.
• RPS Membership.
• Clinical practice in either oncology or haematology patients.
• Holds Full BOPA Passport.

Experience

• Experience as an advanced clinical pharmacist practitioner, able to demonstrate a high level of competency (e.g. equivalent to achieving ‘excellence’ in the majority of competencies in all clusters within the Advanced Level Competency Framework, except R&D, which should be at Foundation level).
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience as a clinical pharmacist practitioner.
• Variety of clinical practice including medicine and surgery as a specialist.
• Experience in management of others.
• Clinical audit to improve practice.
• Delivering training and education at postgraduate level.
• Dispensing and monitoring clinical trials.
• Basic knowledge of working in an aseptic unit.
• Knowledge of using Cerner.
• Knowledge of using Chemocare.

Skills and Knowledge

• Influence senior pharmacy and medical staff, the multidisciplinary team and management.
• Identify and manage risks and implements risk management procedures.
• Advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement, and manages difficult and ambiguous problems.
• Can delegate authority appropriately.
• Understanding of GMP.

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