Consultant pharmacists are clinical experts that have demonstrated high levels of expertise in their area of practice to deliver care and drive change across the healthcare system. They operate across four pillars of; clinical practice, leadership, research and education to contribute to the health of individuals in the population.
Consultant Pharmacists, are experts within their Specialist Area of practice, providing a dynamic link between clinical practice and service development by creating new models for delivering patient care ensuring the best experience and outcomes for patients from their medicines whenever and wherever their care is delivered.
Consultant pharmacists are leaders in their field; they provide expert care to patients with the most complex needs and deliver advice for teams caring for patients. They are influential professionals and are expected to actively develop knowledge through research, innovation in their area of expertise and the sharing of these developments to improve care and the adoption of NHS and professional priorities in practice.
Key responsibilities
- To be recognised as an expert within the speciality of clinical pharmacy, locally and nationally and/or internationally, acting as clinical role model and inspiring others to excel in practice
- To demonstrate expert clinical knowledge, accepting case referrals for medicines optimisation within Specialist Area, managing and making referrals to other members in the multidisciplinary team.
- To ensure medicines are used appropriately, safely and cost-effectively in accordance with Organisation policy, standard operating procedures and medicines legislation.
- To monitor medicines use within Specialist Area, includes recording of significant clinical interventions and risk management including:
- Investigating and resolving of all complaints in Specialist Area
- Recording significant clinical incidents/near misses
- Ensuring compliance with medicines legislation and local policies
- Investigating and resolving of all medication incidents and complaints in the directorate.
- To use available information to influence prescribers and ensure patient-centred and cost-effective choice of therapy.
- To be aware of and adhere to Organisation Corporate Governance commitments and contribute to the monitoring of safe, effective and economic use of medicines in the directorate in accordance with national and local guidelines, working with appropriate colleagues. To ensure pharmacy staff in the Specialist Area pharmacy team are involved in clinical governance in medicines use, including audit of medicines use and review of medication incidents and other aspects of medicines safety such as implementation of safety alerts; CQC outcomes and NHSLA recommendations.
- To lead and participate in clinical audits, quality improvement projects and development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for use of medicines within Specialist Area, using quality improvement skills and methodology where required and linked with local/regional QI groups/bodies or the Health Foundation.
- To tutor clinical pharmacists undertaking postgraduate qualifications and to tutor other pharmacists and pre-registration students in Specialist Areas as required. Including the design and delivery of training, workshops and webinars to pharmacists and colleagues of the wider multidisciplinary teams.
- To participate in clinical patient review with multidisciplinary teams, clinical meetings and/or clinics as appropriate in order to provide medicines-related advice to prescribers and other health care professionals.
- To develop good working relationships and communication with clinical and managerial staff within Specialist Area and provide a link regarding all aspects of the Pharmacy Service within the organisation and the local health economy.
- To develop personal practice research in accordance with the Organisation and pharmacy strategy, including supervising research, creating and maintaining links with Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) to support undergraduate year, masters and doctorate students as appropriate. To collaborate with HEI’s to develop collaborative research programmes.
- To maintain a portfolio of practice, for example, regularly submitting portfolio to RPS faculty. To support colleagues in developing evidence for practice, for example, supporting RPS faculty submission within Specialist Area.
- To contribute to local, national and international specialist interest groups and conferences/meeting and relevant networks.
