Specialist Cancer Pharmacist

Job details

Salary

£41,659 – £47,672 a year

Job type

Full-time

Full Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and proactive pharmacist with excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills to join the Cancer Pharmacy Team, based in the Oxford Cancer Centre on the Churchill Hospital site. There is an opportunity to be involved in the oral anti-cancer treatment education clinic as well and non-medical prescriber clinics for experienced applicants. This exciting post promises to bring opportunities and challenges working within a purpose-built Cancer Centre and Clinical Trials Unit. There is a possibility of working towards a higher degree after two years in post. We offer applications for full or part-time posts. Successful applicants meeting the essential criteria on the person specification will be offered a band 7 post. We also welcome applications from candidates who are currently working towards the essential criteria (e.g. working towards but yet to complete a clinical diploma). Such applicants, if successful, will be offered a band 6 post, with automatic progression to band 7 in the future on meeting the remaining essential criteria. Support will be given for training and development to enable such progression. Key roles include:

Delivery of high quality pharmaceutical care to adult cancer in-patients, day-case, and out-patients.
Participation in pharmacy services to the Day Treatment Unit to optimise patients’ medication and reduce medicines wastage.
Clinical checking of chemotherapy and clinical trial prescriptions.
Participating in multidisciplinary ward rounds
Pharmacist non-medical prescribing in multidisciplinary clinics and day treatment unit
Aseptics experience within Pharmacy’s Clinical Trials Aseptic Services Unit (CTASU)
Participating in the day to day running of the CTASU and developing knowledge in quality control and quality assurance.
Involvement in cancer phase I, II, and III clinical trials
Active participation in Thames Valley Cancer Alliance groups

The post holder will participate in the band 7 cancer pharmacist rotation which currently includes rotations through:

Oncology Ward
Haematology Ward
Day Treatment Unit (Oncology & Haematology)
Chemotherapy prescription clinical screening
Early phase/Late phase research & clinical trials screening
Brodey Chemotherapy Day Unit, Horton Hospital, Banbury
Clinical Trials Aseptics Unit
Cancer Clinical Trials Set Up
Palliative Care

You will be part of a specialised and very passionate team of specialist cancer pharmacists (including a number of non-medical pharmacist prescribers) and technicians. The Oxford Cancer Centre provides comprehensive care for patients with cancer within Oxfordshire and surrounding areas. The services within the cancer centre work closely through multi-disciplinary combined clinics and meetings. The centre comprises of: oncology, clinical haematology and bone marrow transplant unit, specialist palliative care service, private patient unit and a Cancer Research UK Cancer Research Centre, which has Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) and Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC) status. There is also a Chemotherapy Day Unit at the Horton Hospital in Banbury.

To provide a ward-based clinical pharmacy service according to Trust agreed standards
To provide clinical pharmacy cover to other ward areas within the team on a reciprocal basis
To ensure medicines are used appropriately, safely and cost-effectively in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating procedures and medicines legislation
To monitor medicines use within the ward area. This includes recording of significant clinical interventions and risk management.
To use available information to influence prescribers and ensure the most cost-effective choice of therapy
To participate in ward rounds, clinical meetings or out-patient clinics as appropriate in order to provide pharmaceutical advice to prescribers and other health care professional
To liaise with external agencies to ensure safe, timely and appropriate supply to patients e.g. Baxter, Homecare companies etc, where appropriate.
To participate in ward-based clinical audits and the development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for use of medicines within the clinical area
To tutor rotational clinical pharmacists undertaking the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy, following formal accreditation as a tutor by Cardiff University, or other university and to tutor other pharmacists and pre-registration students in the clinical area.
To act as a role model and mentor for clinical pharmacy.
To develop personal practice research in accordance with the Trust and pharmacy strategy.
To contribute to local, national and international specialist interest groups and conferences/meetings.
To become a non-medical prescriber as appropriate.
To work as a non-medical prescriber in the oncology & haematology directorate.
To undergo accreditation to write discharge prescriptions for patients, where appropriate
To provide teaching for the pharmacy and directorate teams as required.
To act as knowledge base/resource for the specialist area and to keep up to date with current trends and research in the specialist area.
With the rest of the members of the clinical pharmacy team to support the strategic developments of the service e.g. electronic prescribing, improved discharge processes, accredited technician checking etc.
Actively contribute to the planning and efficient co-ordination of clinical pharmacy initiatives including discharge planning, prescribing protocols, pharmacists on consultant ward rounds etc.
To contribute to and implement the clinical governance plans of the clinical area and the pharmacy clinical governance plans
To clinically screen all chemotherapy prescriptions
To be accredited in the appropriate aspects of handling intra-thecal chemotherapy
To be involved in the development and maintenance of the computerised chemotherapy prescribing system (Aria) across the Oncology & Haematology Directorate for all injectable and oral chemotherapy, and to ensure that it is used effectively and appropriately at ward and day case level
To be involved in the development, maintenance, and review of cancer chemotherapy and supportive care drug protocols defined by the SACT Operational Group and multidisciplinary teams
To contribute to the development of the Trust cancer information systems in accordance with agreed objectives
To be involved in the preparation of new drug submissions for the Trust Medicines Management and Therapeutics Committee with Consultant colleagues
To assist with review of sections of the Trust formulary relevant to the specialist area
To be involved in the implementation of relevant local, network and national standards including service guidelines and technology appraisals produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
To be involved with the pharmacy set up of cancer clinical trials, including phase I, II, and III trials in line with current legislation
To act as an Authorised Pharmacist in the Clinical Trials Aseptic Services Unit (CTASU)
To be involved with supporting gene therapy trials in the Cancer Research UK unit, and to ensure the multidisciplinary team follow appropriate procedures for handling gene therapy in the clinical trial setting
To support the implementation and management of licensed gene therapy products and ensure the multidisciplinary team follow appropriate procedures for handling gene therapy in the clinical setting
To be an active member of the Thames Valley Cancer Network Pharmacists’ group
To attend and contribute to Cancer Pharmacy Team Meetings
To ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times
To be professionally accountable for actions and advice
To use experience and clinical judgment to assist in problem-solving and trouble-shooting within the Pharmacy department
To give professional support to the site operational managers
To be aware of training and competency assessment of pre-registration pharmacist trainees, diploma pharmacists and student pharmacy technicians and participate in their training and competency assessment as required
To support the dispensaries by participating in the screening and checking prescriptions and dispensed items as part of a rota
To participate in weekend and bank holiday working according to rota
Any other reasonable duties as requested by the Chief Pharmacist.
To participate in any future 7 day working patterns should the pharmacy department change its current working practices.