About this role
Job summary
The Pharmacy Department is seeking to recruit a Senior Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist to join our friendly, patient-centred team within the Mental Health Urgent Treatment Care Services.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated mental health pharmacist to join a dynamic and innovative team committed to delivering and advancing high-quality clinical pharmacy services across the Trust. The post holder will work closely with the Site Lead Pharmacist for Maudsley Hospital to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of Trust-wide quality improvement initiatives and specialist pharmacy services.
We are looking for an individual with a passion for mental health care, strong clinical expertise, and proven leadership skills. The role will focus on improving patient outcomes through effective medicines optimisation, enhancing communication across multidisciplinary teams, and supporting initiatives that help prevent avoidable hospital admissions related to both mental and physical health conditions.
The successful candidate will have excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to support and shape prescribing and medicines-related practice. They will be confident in collecting, analysing, and presenting data to inform service development, engage stakeholders, and contribute effectively to Trust meetings and service improvement discussions.
Main duties of the job
To provide an expert pharmacy service to Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre (MHUTC) and Place of Safety (POS).o To provide a clinic for patients and carers to discuss medication.o To work with the MDTs to ensure effective and appropriate medicines use.o To improve physical health outcomes for mental health patients, for example by participating in physical health monitoringo To provide medicines-related training to staff on the wards and community teams, as necessary.o To liaise with primary care, acute trusts, CMHTs, HTTs and wards, as necessary.o To implement medicines optimisation programme on the wards and teamso To undertake research and quality improvement projects.o To prescribe medicines to service users within competence and agreed management planso To record and analyse data for agreed outcome measures
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field.
Job description Job responsibilities
1. To provide an expert pharmacy service to Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre (MHUTC) and Place of Safety (POS).To demonstrate a high standard of clinical knowledge and a patient-focused approach.
2. To attend and co-ordinate a quality pharmacy service to multidisiplinary ward rounds at the Maudsley.
3. To work in allocated wards and teams to ensure safe and effective use of medicines. This includes adhering to Trust policies, pharmacy procedures, local and national guidelines, and legal requirements.
4. To work with the MDTs to ensure effective and appropriate medicines use.
5. To liaise with primary care, acute trusts, CMHTs, HTTs and wards, as necessary.
6. To be responsible for providing a clinical pharmacy service to groups of patients
a. Ensure effective outcomes of treatment with medicines
b. Support the teams to monitor patients for potential and actual adverse effects of their medicines
c. Support patients after discharge from hospital, which may include telephone consultation or face-to-face follow-up appointments where appropriate
d. Undertake medicines-related consultations with patients and carers
e. Take steps to ensure patients understand the purpose of their medicines and deal with any practical issues that may prevent the optimal use of their medicines.
7. To assess medicine regimes both during enquiry answering and/or through referral, providing highly specific advice to other clinical team members on the management of often complex medicine related issues, such as complex drug interactions, high dose antipsychotic prescribing, unlicensed use of medicines etc.
8. To prescribe medicines within their scope of practice and in line with Trust policy if qualified and registered with the GPhC as an independent pharmacist prescriber.
9. To be able to present information in a suitable format (e.g. written and/or verbal) and style for the target audience. Barriers to effective communication may include learning disability, mental impairment, non-consenting/noncompliant patients, and patients detained under the mental health act who may be violent/aggressive.
10. To prepare and deliver training for clinical staff (e.g. nurses, support workers, junior doctors) on a wide range of medicines-related issues. To provide clinical supervision to a team of pharmacists as part of a group.
11. To support local implementation of Trust Medicines Management Policies within own clinical area, and ensure medicines are handled safely and securely within designated clinical areas.
12. To record and collect data on patient and service outcomes and report these to relevant committees on a regular basis.
13. To demonstrate innovation and extend the boundaries of the profession
14. To participate in and develop quality improvement initiatives, undertake local and national audits, and engage in research and medicines evaluation as required by the Chief Pharmacist
To participate in any other duties as requested by the site lead pharmacist in keeping within expectations of the grade 16. To participate in the on-call, saturday and bank holiday services
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
MPharm or equivalent Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), with mandatory CPD Postgraduate certificate/diploma in mental health or pharmacy practice or equivalent
Desirable
Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society or Member / associate member of the CMHP Independent prescriber Post-graduate leadership / management qualification
Experience Essential
Relevant experience in patient-facing pharmacist and clinical mental health roles Previous experience in providing urgent treatment care services Relevant experience in NHS hospital pharmacy
Desirable
Previous experience in working in primary care networks or GP practices Some management or supervisory experience
Knowledge / Skills Essential
Good written and verbal communication Good time management with ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines Leadership skills Empathy and understanding of medication issues facing people with mental health problems and their carers Able to communicate effectively with individuals from all agencies and levels, including patients carers and the public
Desirable
Good computer skills, in particular for completing spreadsheets, graphs and reports Ability to collect and analyse outcome data for service evaluation purposes Mentorship skills
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 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address Maudsley Hospital
Denmark Hill, Camberwell, London
SE5 8AZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)