Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• To provide on a weekly basis a pharmacy clinical service to the allocated prison(s), following standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• To ensure you personally have high standards of work, both clinical and dispensing and follow all SOPs as directed by the senior prison services Pharmacist.
• To work with the pharmacy technician(s) in the allocated prison(s) and to support this technician professionally when on site.
• To implement the prison formulary, in collaboration with primary care colleagues.
• To generate monthly reports on drug expenditure for the allocated prison(s) and to advise the prescribers on areas for improvement and efficiencies.
• To act as responsible pharmacist when rostered to do so in the dispensary.
• To ensure all work is carried out in a timely manner to meet the requirements of the delivery service across the prisons.

Management Responsibilities

• To supervise the day-to-day work of the pharmacy technician when on site in the allocated prison(s).
• To manage your own time efficiently whilst on prison visits.

Clinical

• To undertake scheduled clinical visits to the allocated prison(s). On these visits you will:

1. Undertake MUR’s for offenders identified as requiring assistance by healthcare staff.
2. Review the medication history of newly admitted offenders to ensure prescriptions are correct and if necessary make recommendations to bring prescribing in line with local formulary choices.
3. Provide scheduled clinics for offenders to give advice and support on their prescribed medicines, OTC medicines and other medical issues they may raise

• Monitor prescribing trends and give advice to healthcare staff to improve prescribing in line with formulary choices and/or current clinical thinking.
• Promote healthy lifestyles for offenders in line with local and national guidelines or promotions.
• To attend as necessary the allocated prison(s) clinical governance/medicines management committee(s) and provide information with the assistance of the Specialist Prison Services Pharmacist.
• To work closely with the primary care providers to ensure safe prescribing, use, storage and transport of medicines within the secure environments.
• To highlight to the Specialist Prison Services Pharmacist where Patient Group Directions (PGDs) may be useful in the allocated prison(s). To train nursing staff in your allocated prison(s) in the use of these PGDs and to monitor use/compliance on an on-going basis, reporting any discrepancies to the Lead Prison Services Pharmacist.
• To liaise with the Specialist Prison Services Pharmacist to review PGDs in use every 1-2 years on a rolling basis as determined by the Lead Prison Services pharmacist.
• To assist the Specialist Prison Services Pharmacist to introduce new prescribing guidelines/medicines within the allocated prison(s).
• To demonstrate on-going continual professional development (CPD) and be responsible for self-development and learning within the field of pharmacy or other speciality where appropriate.

Dispensary

• To act as responsible pharmacist when rostered to do so in the dispensary.
• To dispense prescriptions and issue stock if required when in the dispensary.
• To undertake clinical screening and final accuracy checks when working in the dispensary.
• To organise the sale of OTC medicines following a request from an offender in the allocated prison(s).

Communication

• Discuss with the Specialist Prison Services Pharmacist, clinical judgments where information is highly complex or lacking or ambiguity exists prior to making a final clinical judgement. Where such judgements are outside of your clinical ability to refer the situation to a more senior pharmacist.
• To communicate with the primary care team(s) in your allocated prisons to ensure the safe and secure prescribing, handling and storage of medicines.

Research

• To follow systems in place to support the implementation of evidence-based guidelines into practice within the allocated prison(s).
• To participate in clinical audit as required.

On-Call

• To participate, as necessary, in the on-call rota to provide support and advice to the primary care teams when pharmacy is closed.
• To liaise with the local community pharmacies to dispense urgent medicines during these times.

Other

• Post holders will be subjected to an advanced DBS check, a prison security check (level 2) and CTC clearance prior to being employed.
• To appreciate the secure environment you are working in and to adhere to all prison procedures as necessary.