Job summary
- Main area
- rheumatology
- Grade
- 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 20 hours per week
- Job ref
- 362-A-25-7269603
- Employer
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Stepping Hill Hospital
- Town
- Stockport
- Salary
- £53,755 - £60,504 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/07/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 11/07/2025
Employer heading
Advanced Specialist Rheumatology Pharmacist
8a
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
There are lots of good reasons to choose to come and work at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. A dynamic integrated Trust with integrity and vision. Exactly the same qualities you’ll see in yourself. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust aims to be the organisation of choice for patients and an employer of choice for staff. In order to continually improve all aspects of our patient experience, we rely upon having a highly skilled, motivated, diverse, productive and patient focused workforce.
Stockport Foundation Trust is one of four ‘specialist’ hospital sites in Greater Manchester. Being a ‘specialist’ hospital will enhance our general surgery, anaesthetics, critical care and emergency medicine for the benefit of people in Stockport, High Peak, Cheshire and across Greater Manchester.
Our values ‘We Care, We Respect, We Listen’ are at the heart of everything we do, and come from our promise: ‘Making a difference every day.’ They drive the behaviour and actions for everyone in our organisation.
In your application for this post, please describe how your experience and skills align with 'Our values-based behaviours' ( see additional documentation) and provide examples.
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment
As well as recognising previous NHS service, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is a member of the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. If you are currently employed by Greater Manchester Local Authority, Combined Authority, GMFRS, TfGM as well as other public service organisations, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust will recognise your previous service for sickness and maternity/paternity/adoption entitlement and also for annual leave purposes (providing there has been no break in service). If you currently work for one of the above organisations and successfully apply for a post with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, please ensure the Recruitment team are aware so that this service is reflected in your contract of employment.
Our Values:
We Care
About each other
Our patients and their families
The communities we serve
The environment
We support them and deliver on their promises
We Respect
Each other
Our patients and their families
Our partners
We are kind and helpful, and we expect the same in return
We Listen to
Each other
Our patients and their families
Our partners
We act and learn from what we hear
Job overview
The post holder will support the existing Rheumatology Pharmacy team and will be responsible for providing a safe, efficient and cost effective clinical pharmacy service to rheumatology patients. The will work as part of the rheumatology multi-disciplinary team comprising Consultants, Specialist Nurses, Advance Clinical Practice Physiotherapists and Administrative Team.
The post holder will be expected to support the team by leading on the provision of medicines to the rheumatology infusion unit. They will also work as part of the Rheumatology Pharmacy team (which includes a Consultant Pharmacist, Specialist Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians and an Administrator) to support the wider rheumatology team. Duties will include running medication counselling and review clinics, answering medication queries and overseeing the monitoring of treatments.
Additionally, following appropriate training, the post holder will be required to prescribe and aid in the management of homecare and outpatient prescriptions including high cost and cytotoxic drugs.
The post holder will be a point of contact for primary care for medication related queries.
Following appropriate training, the post holder must be able to work independently, managing their own time and workload as a non-medical prescriber. They will be expected to answer complex clinical queries, within their area of competence, referring to the wider rheumatology team for advice if needed.
Main duties of the job
1) leading the management of the rheumatology infusion unit
2) To be responsible as an advanced specialist for providing safe, efficient and cost-effective clinical pharmacy services to rheumatology patients
3) To development the provision of this service specifically relating to the increased delivery of patient education in line with the British Society for Rheumatology Guidelines
4) To manage and facilitate medication counselling and review clinics
5) To facilitate audit, research and development within the area of rheumatology specifically in the development of a enhance pharmacy service
6) To provide training and support to medical and nursing staff within the hospital and in the wider community on medicine related issues
7) To work as a non-medical independent prescriber within the trust
8) To assess and prescribe for patients in outpatient clinics
9) Manage medication helpline and medicines information for rheumatology team
10) Liaise with chief pharmacist to ensure cost effective prescribing of high cost drugs
11) Manage prescribing for high cost drugs in rheumatology
12) Ensure safe provision of DMARDs and other non-high cost drugs for patients
13) Manage rheumatology SOPs and guidelines specific to medicines
14) Provide supervision and guidance for rheumatology specialist pharmacy technicians
Working for our organisation
We hold a unique position in the Stockport community as the provider of healthcare and we are one of its largest employers.
We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.
We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from you.
If you require support with your application please contact a member of the recruitment team, who can discuss alternative application methods.
We recognise that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.
Benefits we offer to you:
• Between 27-33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
• NHS pension scheme membership
• Salary sacrifice schemes for lease cars, home electronics and more, to make your salary go further
• NHS Staff discounts
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary finance – for loans, savings, budget planning and tips on managing debt
• Stockport Credit Union– for local financial advice
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Communications
- To work within the rheumatology team
- To liaise with the pharmacy department on matters relating to rheumatology
- To develop relationship with ICB and primary care colleagues
- To work with other rheumatology specialist pharmacists within GMMMG
- To give advice on highly complex rheumatology Medicine Information queries, often including un/off-licensed use of medicines to prescribers, patients and carers and other healthcare personnel. Justify advice and recommendations through balanced discussion of clinical evidence as available and relay this information to the clinician, nurse or patient in the appropriate manner and forum
- To liaise with Pharmaceutical Companies and Homecare Providers to ensure the optimum provision of service to rheumatology patients
- Liaise with GPs, providing expert clinical advice on issues raised and ensuring continuity of care between primary and secondary care
- Attend regional and national training opportunities, member of Specialist Rheumatology Groups. Attend BSR and/or EULAR as appropriate
Responsibility for Patient Care
- To act as a clinical role model and lead in the provision of appropriate medication in the rheumatology department, demonstrating the ability to provide safe, clinically effective and cost efficient use of drugs in patients. This will include
-Taking drug histories as part of the medication consultation
-Review of medication to ensure its safe and effective use
-Review of medication in line with interpretation of appropriate results of investigations and patient response to therapy
-Therapeutic drug monitoring as appropriate
-Patient education about their medicines specific to their requirements in either individual, group or telephone consultations
-Providing advice on drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, drug administration and formulation
-Participation in consultant clinics, offering medication advice as necessary
-Development of evidence based treatment protocols for use within individual departments and for use within the local ICBs
-Documenting clinical information in patient notes
-Facilitate the implementation of local and national guidelines and audit compliance
-Influencing prescribers, encourage formulary compliance where appropriate
-Demonstrating professional accountability to patients
-Identifying & reporting adverse reactions to the prescriber and where necessary via the Yellow Card Scheme
-To prescribe and monitor medicines for patients within own area of competency and ensure robust mechanisms for second checking of procedures including implementation of Specialist Rheumatology Second Checking of Prescription protocol. Specific prescribing responsibilities include,
o High cost drug medications for Homecare distribution
o Parenteral medications for Day Hospital patients
o Osteoporosis medications not supported by Shared Care
o DMARDs in the initial stabilisation phase for patients prior to shared care
o For patients requiring non formulary medications not available in primary care
o Rescue medication for patients reviewed in clinic
- Produce and update Rheumatology Shared Care Guidelines and ensure compliance through audit
-To demonstrate a whole-system patient-focused approach
-To liaise with other clinical pharmacists to ensure efficient transfer of drug related care
-To ensure the personal quality and accuracy of the work is maintained despite frequent interruptions
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trust’s policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.
If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £45.50. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary
In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £16.
Person specification
Required
Essential criteria
- Independent prescribing qualification
Essential
Essential criteria
- GPhC registered
Essential
Essential criteria
- Evidence of experience working independently to efficiently address complex queries within area of competence
Essential
Essential criteria
- Evidence of experience working independently to effectively manage a team, service or system change
Desirable criteria
- Experience working with rheumatology medications or within rheumatology department
Employer certification / accreditation badges
.jpg "North West BAME")
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rebecca Heaton
- Job title
- Lead Specialist Rheumatology Pharmacist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01614195202
- Additional information
Please email for any further information.
List jobs with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust in Health Science Services or all sectors