Dermatology Pharmacist in London

DMC are looking for an experienced Pharmacist with strong communication skills. A key element of this role will be to analyse and interpret prescribing data to support the service in understanding prescribing behaviours to drive efficiencies. You must have a strong understanding of prescribing governance and the ability to work well with others to drive change for better patient care.

DMC have an exciting opportunity for a Dermatology Pharmacist to support our services. You will be responsible for accurately and safely providing necessary care to patients engaging with the service in the organisation. You will maintain key relationships with co-workers and other health care professionals across the organisation to ensure an effective service. The Dermatology Pharmacist is an integral part of the team, using and sharing Pharmacy expertise to support the Dermatology service in effective medicines management and optimal patient care. Working alongside medical professionals and other clinicians supporting patients prescribing and medicines management governance.

You will be responsible to review the prescribing for each contract and investigate any high risk drugs being prescribed. You will review local Dermatology formularies in each ICB DMC work in, to ensure our Dermatologists are following local guidelines on emollients and prescribing.

• Provide clinical leadership for the safe, effective and cost-efficient management of biologic and high-cost medicines, ensuring prescribing and monitoring is aligned to local ICB policies, NICE guidance, Blueteq requirements (where applicable), and DMC governance procedures.
• Clinical leadership on meds optimisation.
• Working with the Dermatology Operations Team to ensure systems and processes are in place to ensure prescribing is in line with guidelines and contract specification requirements, review formulary on TPP.
• Regularly connecting and working with pharmacy lead counterparts at Trusts and the ICB to ensure partnership working in medicines management.
• Providing pharmaceutical knowledge and support during mobilisations and demobilisation of contracts and services.
• Regularly monitoring prescribing activities and working with the Finance team to ensure costs are in line with budgeted expectations.
• Risk stratification.
• Supporting service with prescription and medication queries.
• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of principles of evidence-based healthcare.
• Medicine Management (producing report for medicine usage, Medicine Governance).
• Reviewing Formulary.
• Specific Medicine Annual Audits - prescribing Audits.
• Ensure robust governance and oversight for biologic prescribing and monitoring, including compliance with NICE Technology Appraisals, ICB biologics pathways, shared care arrangements, high-cost drug policies, and required commissioning criteria.
• Support and participate in clinical quality improvement of services to patients.
• Ensure safe and appropriate use of medicines to maximise benefits and minimise risk to patients. This will include regular review of prescriptions, identification of drug interactions and adverse effects, advice on clinical monitoring, compliance with legislation (for example, Medicines Act, Mental Health Act), compliance with policies and guidelines.
• Develop and implement cost effective and robust medicines supply contracts to meet the clinical and pharmaceutical requirements.
• Provide advice to clinicians on unlicensed medicines use and areas of practice where the evidence base is poor.
• Advise medical and nursing staff on the actions, properties, and the safe, cost-effective use of drugs, and be able to critically appraise the literature and give accurate interpretation in order to improve use of medicines.
• Utilise medicines information resources to further clinical pharmacy practice in Dermatology.
• Report adverse drug reactions through the pharmacists and doctors national reporting scheme.
• Advise clinicians on, and promote evidence based prescribing through the implementation of prescribing guidelines, and pharmaceutical care plans.
• Sorting out clinical queries effectively with internal clients: doctors, in-patient pharmacists and other hospital staff and to counsel on the safe and effective use of medicines and provide advice to customers and patients.
• Developing annual audit plan in relation to effective medicines management. Ensuring the audit plan is carried out and reporting at regular governance meetings.
• Carrying out clinical checks (Screening) of all outpatient prescriptions, including Dermatology outpatients and to accuracy-check prescriptions as auditing compliance.
• Adhering to the provided Standard Operating Procedures and to enforce them if they are not adhered to by any member of staff. Work with the team to ensure SOPs are kept up to date and valid to ensure an effective Pharmacy service.
• Review if prescribing is appropriate in line with current guidance, cost-effective and safe; identify unmet need, stop unnecessary/ineffective medicines.
• Answer medical information queries from clinician's, Nurses, staff, patients and third-party providers.
• Provide education on medicines related topics for Clinician's, Nurses, support teams.
• Review NICE and other evidence-based guidance as it is issued, to evaluate any impact on medicines and prescribing.
• Undertake regular clinical audit to support implementation of clinical guidance across the Dermatology service.
• Provide regular education sessions for the clinicians at the practices to discuss audit results and agree an action plan for improving standards within clinical areas.
• To take part in service meetings.
• Provide advice on suitable alternative medications in the event of a medicine being unavailable.
• Encourage cost effective prescribing within the practice, including adherence to local formulary.
• Build good working relationships with local Medicines Management Team members.
• Provide education for the clinical team on new medicines.
• Review all relevant safety alerts (e.g. MHRA) and ensure any action required is undertaken.
• Provide specialist knowledge and advice on pharmaceutical matters.
• Improve communication about medication-related issues between the service and both the patient and other care providers.
• To review communication processes between practices/ hospitals/ community pharmacies and to evaluate how this can be improved.
• Act as the lead contact for DMC Dermatology pharmacy related projects and build effective working relationships.
• To review medications for patients, to ensure safe, cost-effective prescribing in line with practice/local prescribing policies.
• Lead on implementation of safe and efficient prescribing systems.
• To provide specialist knowledge on medication monitoring and ensure a system for implementation is in place.

• Essential: Masters Degree in pharmacy or equivalent, acceptable for registration by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• GPhC Registered and have at least two years hospital experience.
• To be a qualified Clinical Pharmacist.
• Completion of CPPE Education Pathway.
• GPhC Independent Prescriber qualification.
• Current and continued registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council as practicing member.

• Desirable: Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a member or willing to work towards Faculty membership.
• Previous experience working within a Dermatology service.
• Experience working within outpatient clinic healthcare.
• Experience working in NHS or Private healthcare setting.
• Experience of providing relevant pharmacy services within Dermatology.