Senior Clinical Pharmacist – Cardiothoracic Surgery & Critical Care in Liverpool

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Surgical and Critical Care Pharmacy Team. We are seeking an experienced, confident, and proactive clinical pharmacist who combines specialist clinical skills with excellent communication, leadership potential, and a strong commitment to delivering outstanding patient care in a high performing surgical environment.

This highly specialist role focuses on providing an expert clinical pharmacy service to cardiothoracic surgical wards, including critical care areas, while also contributing to the wider surgical and critical care pharmacy service. Working closely with our Band 7 surgical pharmacists and the Lead Pharmacist for Critical Care, you will play a key role in optimising medicines use, supporting safe and effective surgical pathways, and delivering high quality pharmaceutical care across our surgical wards and critical care unit.

You will be an integral member of our well-established multidisciplinary teams, offering expert pharmaceutical advice and contributing to safe, person‑centred care. The post also includes supporting the training and development of pharmacy and wider Trust staff, as well as leading and contributing to service improvement initiatives within the Surgical Division. While previous experience in surgery or critical care is advantageous, it is not essential, as full training and development opportunities will be provided.

The role involves delivering a highly specialist clinical pharmacy service to cardiac, thoracic, and critical care surgical areas. It includes:

• Assisting the lead surgical pre‑admission pharmacist on the development, implementation and management of the surgical pre‑admission medicines optimisation service.
• Working with fellow health care professionals to facilitate the delivery of local and national health policy.
• Assisting the Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services and lead surgical pre‑admission pharmacist in providing clinical training and supervision, relevant to the Surgical Division, for other healthcare professionals and students.
• Assisting the Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services in the development of pharmacy services and medicines management within the Surgical Division.
• Providing essential pharmaceutical services out of hours.
• Analysing and challenging medicines expenditure and provide regular reports to the surgical division ensuring the cost effective use of medicines.
• Assisting the critical care lead pharmacist in developing an enhanced pharmaceutical service to critical care.
• Representing the department at Surgical Governance Committee meetings and provide any necessary information and advice.

As the largest single site specialist heart and chest hospital in the UK, we, at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, have a clear vision 'to be the best cardiothoracic integrated healthcare organisation'. We provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, respiratory medicine both in the hospital and out in the community. We serve a catchment area of 2.8 million people, spanning Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man, and increasingly we receive referrals from outside these areas for highly specialised services such as aortics. Our reputation for strong performance is important in delivering the best care for our patients and high quality clinical services. This is underpinned by a culture of research and innovation, delivered in modern estate and our encouragement of flexible working in a variety of forms.

To provide a safe and effective highly specialist clinical pharmacy service to cardiac and thoracic surgery wards including critical care areas.

• To assist the lead surgical pre‑admission pharmacist on the development, implementation and management of the surgical pre‑admission medicines optimisation service.
• Work with fellow health care professionals to facilitate the delivery of local and national health policy.
• Assist the Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services and lead surgical pre‑admission pharmacist in providing clinical training and supervision, relevant to the Surgical Division, for other healthcare professionals and students.
• Assist the Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services in the development of pharmacy services and medicines management within the Surgical Division.
• Provide essential pharmaceutical services out of hours.
• Analyse and challenge medicines expenditure and provide regular reports to the surgical division ensuring the cost effective use of medicines.
• To assist the critical care lead pharmacist in developing an enhanced pharmaceutical service to critical care.
• To represent the department at Surgical Governance Committee meetings and provide any necessary information and advice.

Provide a highly specialist clinical pharmacy service to a designated ward/area/clinic in the Surgical Division in accordance with professional, departmental and Trust policies which will include:

• Undertaking medicines reconciliation on admission or in pre‑operative clinic, preparing patients for admission to hospital with regard to their drug therapy, which includes providing perioperative advice and prescribing of medicines.
• Assessing the appropriateness for use of patients own medicines.
• Reviewing medicines to ensure safe and effective use.
• Formulation of individual pharmaceutical care plans.
• Review and update of care plans depending on response, results of investigations and adverse effects.
• Therapeutic drug monitoring for specific medicines.
• Educating patients about their medicines.
• Providing advice about medicines to patients and their carers in diverse situations and with diverse needs, often providing advice on complex conditions.
• Providing advice to medical and nursing staff on choice of medicine, dosage, route of administration, duration of therapy, drug interactions and toxicity.
• Participate in consultant ward rounds and multidisciplinary meetings relevant to the designated ward(s).
• Developing evidence based treatment protocols for use either within the directorate or across the trust where appropriate.
• Facilitating implementation of local and national guidelines.
• Monitoring and recording adverse drug reactions and reporting to the MHRA when necessary.
• Implementing patient self‑administration schemes in accordance with Trust policy.
• Acting as an independent prescriber in accordance with the Trusts Non-Medical Prescribers policies and guidelines (once registered as a non-medical prescriber).
• Writing discharge prescriptions and providing discharge information to Community Pharmacists and General Practitioners.
• Providing advice to ward managers on the safe and secure storage of medicines in line with current legislation.
• Recording clinical interventions and activities in line with departmental policy and Trust procedures for the management of risk.
• Investigating any medicines related incidents or complaints from the designated clinical area and explore ways of minimising risk of future recurrence.
• Establishing communication with primary care professionals to facilitate the transfer of patient care when necessary.
• Liaising with appropriate health care professionals within Primary Care Trusts to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources across the primary/secondary care interface and where necessary develop shared care protocols.
• Providing professional and legal clinical supervision and act as the designated Responsible Pharmacist in the dispensary as allocated.
• Covering the duties of other pharmacists during periods of sickness and absence and to undertake any other reasonable duties that may be required.
• Being responsible for the safe dispensing, checking and issuing of medicines from the dispensary in accordance with the Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act and COSHH.
• Offering advice, according to the training of a pharmacist, to staff and general public working within the guidelines of the standard operating procedures for the sale of medicines from the pharmacy retail area.

Qualifications & Education

• Vocational masters degree in pharmacy.
• Registered member of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Diploma in clinical pharmacy or MSc in clinical Pharmacy.
• Non-Medical Prescribing certificate.
• Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Knowledge & Experience

• 1 year pre-registration training and significant experience as a hospital pharmacist with strong clinical pharmacy background.
• Good all round clinical knowledge in other areas and practical clinical skills.
• Awareness of current health policy and guidance relating to the use of medicines in patients undergoing surgery.
• Advanced clinical knowledge in the pharmaceutical care of critically ill patients or those undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.
• Previous pharmacy teaching experience.

Skills & Abilities

• Able to work independently and compute information from various sources quickly.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Computer literate (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, email and presentations).
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage time effectively.
• Ability to meet deadlines whilst paying attention to details.
• Ability to teach junior pharmacists the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.
• Proven ability to negotiate a positive outcome with senior pharmacy and medical staff and Trust management.

Values & Behaviours

• Demonstrable commitment to continuing professional development / education.
• Self-motivated.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.