Job summary
Internal applicants only LWSW employees only
37.5 hours per week.
Working closely with the Principal Pharmacist and multidisciplinary teams, you will provide expert clinical leadership in the optimisation of medicines for older people with mental health conditions, including dementia, depression, anxiety and psychosis. You will ensure prescribing is safe, evidence based and aligned with local and national guidance.
The role involves complex medication reviews for individuals with mental health needs, frailty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy, with a focus on effectiveness, safety, adherence and quality of life. You will provide specialist advice on psychotropic medicines, deprescribing, anticholinergic burden, falls risk and medicines optimisation in dementia.
You will work collaboratively with GPs, consultants, care homes, community and neighbourhood teams, supporting integrated care and seamless transitions between services. The post will also contribute to service development through clinical guideline development, medicines governance, audit, QI and workforce development.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced pharmacist with specialist knowledge in mental health and/or older people's services to influence service delivery, improve patient outcomes and support the development of colleagues across the wider healthcare system.
Main duties of the job
The Advanced Specialist Pharmacist for OPMH provides expert pharmaceutical care for older people with mental health conditions across Livewell Southwest, primary care, community services and neighbourhood teams. The post holder undertakes complex medication reviews, optimising treatment for individuals with dementia, frailty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy, ensuring medicines are safe, effective and person centred.
Working as part of the multidisciplinary team, the post holder provides specialist advice on psychotropic medicines, high-risk prescribing, physical health monitoring, anticholinergic burden, falls risk and deprescribing. They support integrated care, continuity across services and shared decision-making.
The post holder delivers expert advice and guidance to GPs, psychiatrists, pharmacists, community teams and care homes, supporting safe and evidence-based prescribing. They communicate recommendations clearly and ensure appropriate follow-up where required.
The role also contributes to medicines governance, clinical guidelines, audit, quality improvement, education, workforce development and service improvement, helping to improve outcomes for older people with mental health needs.
This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.
All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values,kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical / Professional
To be responsible for and lead the provision of a high quality, specialised clinical pharmacy service to ensure the safe, clinically effective and cost-efficient use of drugs in older peoples mental health.
To be responsible for the delivery of the clinical pharmacy services to nominated areas, including attendance at consultant ward rounds, providing expert pharmaceutical advice and setting standards for junior pharmacists to emulate.
To be responsible for the provision of professional pharmaceutical advice to healthcare colleagues, patients, and carers as necessary.
To develop and monitor pharmacy initiatives such as medicines reconciliation on admission and provision of discharge summaries to GPs, which promote seamless transfer of patients from secondary care to primary care and vice versa.
To be responsible for the development of ward/unit based pharmaceutical care initiatives e.g. self-medication schemes, use of patients own drugs in hospital, one-stop dispensing, patient and carer counselling, discharge planning, assessing patient concordance and improved communication with primary care healthcare professionals within older peoples mental health.
To lead on and develop policy or service changes within Older Peoples Mental Health which improve ward or community services and be responsible for their implementation.
To promote and monitor compliance with the Devon Joint Formulary and to assist in formulary applications and review for medicines to be used in Older Peoples Mental Health.
To be responsible for monitoring prescribing practice to promote cost-effective and economic use of resources and contribute to the establishment and implementation of prescribing guidelines within older peoples mental health.
To be lead on and be responsible for reporting and review of clinical and other pharmacy related audits within older peoples mental health.
To be responsible for the development of junior pharmacy staff within older peoples mental health including rotational pharmacists and trainee pharmacists
To provide evidence of Continuing Professional Development on an annual basis at appraisal, in accordance with guidance issued by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
To cover for other pharmacists as required, during periods of absence
Occasional dispensary cover including dispensing and checking of medication following local SOPs.
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
Have highly developed skill's for analysing drug, patient intimation in older peoples mental health in order to provide advice on medicines, dosages, production issues/ in areas where information is lacking and medical or other opinion differs
Clinical screening of prescription charts and discharge prescriptions, to ensure prescriptions are safe and appropriate.
Responding to and recording medicines information requests from prescribers and other healthcare professionals relating to older peoples mental health and providing advice on medicines proactively. In many cases this is a complex task involving highly specialist up to date knowledge, effective search strategies, evaluation of the evidence base and formulation of an appropriate response.
To be responsible for the investigation and monitoring of medicines related incidents relating to older peoples mental health, recommending and implementing change as required to improve patient safety, collating these for discussion at pharmacy team meetings and at the Medicines Governance Group (MGG).
Clinical Governance
To be responsible for and lead on clinical governance and risk management through interventions which optimise the management of medicines in older peoples mental health, supporting best practice throughout all areas of responsibility
To participate in and lead multidisciplinary groups in the review and development of selected medicines related policies and procedures relating to older peoples mental health and present to the MGG.
To lead on the development and review of documents e.g. Patient Group Directions, Policies, Guidelines and Protocols relating to older peoples mental health and presenting reviewed documents to the MGG
To support professional leads in identifying and addressing evidence-based medicine practice consistent with the requirements of clinical governance and of national directives
To work with the Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team to lead on continuous quality improvement projects and audit within older peoples mental health
Managerial
To provide mentoring, training, supervision and line management of mental health substantive and rotational pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy staff and students as required, including appraisals and performance reviews.
To organise the trainee pharmacist timetable when they rotate through mental health
To act as Designated Supervisor to a Trainee Pharmacist annually as required.
To mentor/buddy other NMPs within Older Peoples Mental Health.
To Act as a Designated Prescribing Practitioner, Educational supervisor or Practice Supervisor as appropriate for members of the team undertaking their independent prescribing training.
Freedom to Act
Pharmacists are expected to work largely unsupervised and to act on their own professional judgement.
Clinical supervision from another health professional can be arranged and is to be encouraged.
Technical roles are defined by standard operating procedures which should always be followed.
Clinical roles are supported by policies and guidelines within which the pharmacist is allowed professional discretion / interpretation.
This role includes setting the parameters under which other pharmacy staff will operate.
Training and Education
To lead on the training and development of pharmacy staff within Older Peoples Mental Health and support training of other staff members within the team as appropriate
To plan, develop and deliver appropriate training and education to healthcare colleagues, carer groups and outside agencies to promote the safe use and clinical application of medicines within older peoples mental health
To be responsible for and lead on the induction of new pharmacy staff within mental health
To assist and lead, where appropriate, on the training provided to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and other pharmacy staff
Health, Safety and Security
To work safely in the dispensary, ward and office environments ensuring any risks identified to health and safety are managed or escalated to line manager
To ensure safety and security of medicines, prescription stationery and patient identifiable documents according to locally agreed standard operating procedures.
To inform line manager of any breaches of safety or security or if agreed procedures are thought to be inadequate to manage the risk.
Communications and relationships
The ability to communicate highly complex drug or medicine related information to prescribers, clinicians, patients, relatives within the mental health service.
Well-developed verbal and written communications skills (including telephone and email) are essential to the role.
To liaise with all levels of healthcare staff and professionals working in the multidisciplinary team within mental health.
The ability to challenge and accept professional challenge from other health care professionals
To liaise with patients and carers, the acute hospitals, doctors, GPs, community nurses and community pharmacists to ensure appropriate supply of medicines.
To communicate pharmacy / medication issues clearly and concisely at team meetings and governance groups e.g.MGG.
To work virtually through use of technology where required.
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent knowledge of clinical pharmacy as it relates to older peoples mental health
- Knowledge and understanding of antimicrobial stewardship
- Understanding of non-medical prescribing, patient group directions and other alternatives to medical prescribing
- Aware of current healthcare targets, NICE guidance and other national directives and the implications for implementation in primary and secondary care
Desirable
- Highly specialised knowledge of drug use within older peoples mental health
- Broad knowledge of the structure, organisation and priorities of the NHS and other healthcare services at a national and local level
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including verbal, written and formal presentation skills for a wide variety of audiences
- Computer literate including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Email and Internet
- Excellent critical appraisal and analytical skills, with a sound understanding of evidence based medicine
- Good listening skills & excellent networking and negotiating skills
- Can work with and influence managers, nursing and medical staff
- Leadership and team working skills
- Ability to act as an excellent role model and mentor
- Self-motivated and able to motivate others with enthusiasm
- Able to reflect on and appraise own performance and that of others
- Ability to plan and prioritise own work and that of others with good organisational and time- management skills
- Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
- Ability to travel across the LSW area
Desirable
- Ability to influence and negotiate with a range of stakeholders to implement change in practice
- Able to resolve conflict and disagreement
- Ability to manage change
- Access to own transport
Experience
Essential
- Experience as a practising pharmacist, including experience of working in mental health and/or Older Peoples services and as a member of a Multidisciplinary Team
- Experience of networking with other healthcare professionals across the full range of disciplines at all levels
- Experience of review and development of pharmacy / medication related policies, procedures and PGDs
- Experience of audit work
- Experience of delivering education to healthcare staff and patients / carers via workshops, informal discussion or formal lectures
Desirable
- Experience of preparing documents for clinical governance groups and presenting these to a committee
- Experience of leading on audit and producing reports
- Experience of mentoring, supervision and line management
- Experience of influencing, negotiating and implementing change in practice
- Experience of working in a hospital environment
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy
- Registered Practising Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Specialist knowledge acquired by postgraduate diploma or equivalent evidence of specialist knowledge, competence and achievements in practice in mental health and/or Older People Services
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development and revalidation
Desirable
- Postgraduate qualification in psychiatric pharmacy
- Member of specialist interest groups
- Working towards membership of the RPS Faculty or towards being a credentialed member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy
- Independent prescriber or willingness to work
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Livewell Southwest
Address
200 Mount Gould Road
Mount Gould
Plymouth
Devon
PL4 7PY
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.livewellsouthwest.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Advanced Pharmacist for Older People's Mental Health in Plymouth employer: LIVEWELL SOUTHWEST
Livewell Southwest is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive work culture that prioritises employee well-being and professional growth. As a Senior Mental Health Lead in Plymouth, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals with complex mental health needs while benefiting from ongoing training and development initiatives. Our commitment to recovery-oriented care ensures that you will be part of a dedicated team focused on delivering high-quality services in community settings.
