Job overview

We're recruiting for a Mental Health Pharmacist to join our team at the Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury. This opportunity can be offered at Band 7 or as a developmental role at Band 6 depending on experience. We offer flexible working patterns and can accommodate both full and part time availability.

You'll have the chance to make a real impact supporting our Trust and departmental initiatives aimed at enhancing patient experience and promoting clinical and cost-effectiveness. You'll be collaborating with Clinical and Directorate Lead pharmacists to support our suite of clinical guidelines and procedures.

We actively support career development and we'll offer you the opportunity to attend our new psychopharmacology teaching programme, which aims to complement and develop a solid foundation in clinical understanding of mental health.

We are excited to offer optional clinical rotations across the Trust, to support your development and widen your experience. Specialities may include inpatient adult, forensics, older adult, children and adolescent care.

This is a patient-facing position where you will work closely with other healthcare professionals at our clinical sites in Aylesbury. We also offer opportunities for remote working to enhance efficiency, reduce our carbon footprint, and support patient choice.

If you're an experienced GPhC registered pharmacist interested in developing your career in mental health services, we'd love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

Work (physically or remotely) alongside clinical pharmacy colleagues across the Mental Health Directorate. (The ability to travel between sites will be required).

Responsible for the development of strong clinical relationships with the patients, carers and healthcare professionals in your in-patient and community settings.

Directly supporting patients, prescribers, and other healthcare professionals via attendance at multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings and one-to-one patient consultations, carry out medication reviews, engage in discharge-planning with the MDT and ensure the correct application of national and local guidance with regard to therapies involving medicines.

Support and work within our centralised dispensary where necessary (based in Oxford - some work can be completed remotely).

Supporting the ongoing development of the community based pharmacy services and departmental clinical effectiveness initiatives.

Work towards and become an active member of the on-call pharmacist out of hours team as per rota, where applicable (Usually within 6 months of starting in post).

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible.

Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

Excellent opportunities for career progression

Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development

27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service

NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers

Competitive pension scheme

Lease car scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Mental Health First Aiders

Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)

Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Oxford Health Pharmacy & Medicines Management service employs approximately 80 staff, predominantly clinical pharmacists, and technicians, supported by dispensary and administrative staff. Clinical pharmacists and medicines management technicians are based (primarily) on clinical sites, with supply and support functions at hubs in Oxfordshire. The department provides services to our mental health in-patient and outpatient teams, including Acute adult mental health services, Forensic services, Learning disability services and CAMHS, as well as community hospitals. Our Medicines Management Service is highly respected, and our staff are considered integrated members of the patient-focused multi-disciplinary teams in this Trust.

We encourage and support our staff to professionally develop in line with the departmental and personal needs as appropriate. We also encourage continuing professional development through regular clinical and peer group supervision and education sessions within the Pharmacy department and externally where practicable.

Please note that progression to Band 7 for candidates appointed at a Band 6 will depend upon completion of the criteria set out in the job description.

Person specification

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Competence in the use of Microsoft Office (i.e. spreadsheets, word processing, presentation software).
  
  
• Ability to convey complex, sensitive information to other Healthcare professionals and patients.
  
  
• Comfortable using electronic drug administration and medical record technology
  
  
• Understand your own limitations and jurisdiction as a pharmacist in the UK.
  
  Desirable criteria
  
  
• Ability to manipulate and analyse electronic data.
  
  
• Have good clinical knowledge and a sound understanding of therapeutics, particularly in mental health.
  
  
• Working knowledge of the importance and undertaking of audits
  
  Qualification
  
  Essential criteria
  
  
• Maters in Pharmacy, Qualified Pharmacist, Registered with the GPhC
  
  
• Evidence of CPD
  
  Desirable criteria
  
  
• PG clinical pharmacy diploma
  
  
• PG qualification in mental health therapeutics
  
  Experience
  
  Essential criteria
  
  
• Post-qualification experience as a pharmacist.
  
  Desirable criteria
  
  
• Experience in hospital pharmacy
  
  
• Experience working with patients with mental health conditions or in a mental health setting.
  
  Personal qualities
  
  Essential criteria
  
  
• Flexible approach to work.
  
  
• As strong team player
  
  
• Ability to prioritise conflicting pressures to meet service requirements.
  
  
• Highly motivated to deliver high-quality care across mental and physical health disciplines.
  
  
• Values that align with the NHS, Oxford Health NHS FT and the department.
  
  Desirable criteria
  
  
• Confident to speak out against discriminatory behaviour.
  
  
• Confident to advocate on behalf of service users.
  
  We’re advocates of flexible working, offering in many roles a range of employment options to help you balance your work and personal life.
  
  All new starters have a thorough induction process, both local and Trust wide, which aims to create a positive supportive working environment allowing new employees to learn key elements of their role over a reasonable timescale.
  
  Appointment to this post is subject to the trust receiving satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study. Please ask your referees to respond promptly to reference requests.
  
  We’re advocates of flexible working and many of our roles offer a range of employment options to help you balance your work and personal life.
  
  Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
  
  We are ambitious in our pursuit of excellence, driven by the belief that a fair, just and fully inclusive organisational culture enables our teams to deliver the best quality of care and services possible and we work hard to ensure that our diverse workforce reflects the communities that we serve.
  
  We welcome applications from all sections of the community, are an Equal Opportunities employer with a number of internal networking groups to support our employees and where possible will always look to make reasonable adjustments in order that you can fulfil the role to recognise your full potential. All our employees are committed to demonstrating through their behaviour our core values – safe, caring and excellent.
  
  We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
  
  Oxford is a world-renowned centre of excellence for research. Oxford Health works closely with the University of Oxford department of Psychiatry and the Department of Primary care, has a Biomedical Research Centre dedicated to improving mental health and the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at the Warneford site. The Trust also hosts the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) which carries out applied research that directly impacts patient health and wellbeing