About this role
Job summary
We are seeking a highly motivated, innovative and forward-thinking pharmacist to lead and develop the clinical trials pharmacy service for Oncology and Haematology Clinical Trials (OHCT) at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
The post holder will provide senior professional leadership and specialist expertise to support the safe, effective and efficient delivery of a large and complex portfolio of oncology and haematology clinical trials. Working closely with OHCT, Pharmacy, R&D, KHPCTO, aseptic and technical services, and wider clinical teams, they will lead pharmacy input into the governance, development and delivery of OHCT clinical trials services.
They will help ensure compliance with relevant legislation, Good Clinical Practice, Trust requirements and pharmacy standards, and will support high-quality clinical trials pharmacy systems and processes across the portfolio. This includes leading the development, implementation and review of relevant policies, procedures and governance arrangements, and providing senior advice on medicines management in clinical trials, including investigational medicinal products, study set-up, operational feasibility, risk management and service development.
The post holder will also drive service improvement, innovation and workforce development to support a high-quality, efficient and sustainable OHCT clinical trials pharmacy service.
Main duties of the job
Lead, engage, motivate and support colleagues to deliver high-quality OHCT clinical trials pharmacy services, driving improvement in governance, quality, safety and operational practice. Lead pharmacy input into the governance, set-up, delivery and oversight of oncology and haematology clinical trials, ensuring safe, effective and efficient systems for investigational medicinal products and associated pharmacy processes.
Ensure appropriate clinical trials pharmacy governance arrangements are in place, including the development, implementation, monitoring and review of relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and protocols. Support the pharmacy review, approval, set-up and ongoing oversight of clinical trials, ensuring compliance with applicable legislation, Good Clinical Practice, Trust requirements and pharmacy standards.
Lead and support audit, monitoring, inspection readiness, incident and deviation management, and the implementation of action plans to improve quality, safety and effectiveness. Work with senior leaders and key stakeholders across OHCT, Pharmacy, R&D, KHPCTO, aseptic and technical services, and wider clinical teams. Contribute to service development, workforce planning, business planning and resource management, and lead the service in line with national strategy, regulatory requirements and the changing NHS and research environment.
About us
Guy's and St Thomas' Pharmacy Clinical Governance team is part of a large, vibrant service focussing on delivery of advice related to Medicines Effectiveness and Safety. We aim to drive best practice through robust governance frameworks, collaboration and quality improvement. We promote the safe, effective and economic use of medicines in patients, through active provision and support with clinical governance processes to ensure good quality care.
Guy's and St Thomas' Pharmacy Department is one of the largest in the UK and has a strong focus on individual patient care. Our pharmacists work across multi-disciplinary teams both in the hospital and community setting, to deliver advice, guidance, and support within a culture of medicine safety. The focus is on patient-centred care and this is achieved through providing optimised pharmaceutical care for patients as part of a ward-based and clinical pharmacy service and extending pharmaceutical services beyond traditional boundaries.
As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. We also have a positive approach to corporate social responsibility and are keen to engage our staff in an agenda that ranges from promoting environmental sustainability to the creation of local employment opportunities.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post holder will lead and develop the clinical trials pharmacy service for Oncology and Haematology Clinical Trials (OHCT) at Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, supporting a large and complex portfolio of commercial and non-commercial studies, including early phase and later phase trials.
They will provide senior professional leadership and specialist expertise to ensure the safe, effective and efficient delivery of clinical trials pharmacy services across the OHCT portfolio. This will include oversight of investigational medicinal products, pharmacy input into trial feasibility, set-up and delivery, and the development of robust systems to support compliance with relevant legislation, Good Clinical Practice, Trust requirements and pharmacy standards.
The post holder will lead on the development, implementation and review of clinical trials pharmacy policies, procedures, guidelines and governance arrangements relevant to OHCT. They will support the pharmacy review, approval, set-up and ongoing oversight of clinical trials, ensuring that documentation, processes and risk controls are in place to maintain safe systems of work and audit readiness.
They will work closely with OHCT, Pharmacy, R&D, KHPCTO, aseptic and technical services, investigators and wider clinical teams to promote best practice in clinical trials pharmacy and to support consistent, high-quality service delivery. The post holder will also contribute to service development, workforce planning, business planning, resource management and the identification of opportunities for improvement and innovation.
The post holder will provide senior advice on medicines management in clinical trials, including investigational medicinal products, operational feasibility, governance, patient safety, incident and deviation management, monitoring visits, audits and inspections. They will help ensure that learning from governance processes is translated into service improvement.
The post holder will lead, motivate and support pharmacy staff and wider colleagues involved in clinical trials delivery, contributing to education, training and staff development to ensure the service remains responsive, sustainable and aligned to local, network and national priorities.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Extensive recent post registration hospital experience as a clinical pharmacist in a specialist area Significant experience in clinical trials pharmacy, ideally within oncology, haematology or another complex specialist service Experience of leading or developing a clinical pharmacy or clinical trials pharmacy service Experience of working as part of clinical and operational leadership across multidisciplinary teams Experience of managing staff / acting as a line manager Experience of working with senior healthcare professionals and wider stakeholders to deliver service improvement Experience of developing and implementing policies, procedures, guidelines and governance processes Experience of clinical governance, risk management, incident investigation and audit/inspection readiness Experience of supporting the set-up, review and delivery of clinical trials, including understanding of relevant legislation and Good Clinical Practice Understanding of quality improvement and experience of delivering service or process improvement in practice
Desirable
Experience of working with aseptic, manufacturing or technical services interfaces relevant to clinical trials pharmacy Experience of contributing to business planning, income/resource modelling, or cross-organisational service development
Qualifications / Education Essential
MPharm (or equivalent) degree Postgraduate qualifications in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (PGCert, MSc or equivalent) Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Registered with the GPhC as a non-medical prescriber Evidence of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training
Desirable
Member of relevant professional groups (RPS, UKCPA) Relevant leadership / management qualification, or postgraduate study at Masters level
Skills and Abilities Essential
Ability to prioritise and plan work effectively, alone and for a team, including the ability to delegate Ability to work effectively in a complex and changing clinical, operational and research environment Ability to influence, negotiate and appropriately challenge practice with senior stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams Ability to identify, manage and monitor risk, and maintain robust governance and audit readiness GuidanceScore Ability to prioritise and plan work effectively, independently and across teams, including the ability to delegate appropriately2 Ability to work effectively in a complex and changing clinical, operational and research environment2 Ability to influence, negotiate and appropriately challenge practice with senior stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams2 Ability to identify, manage and monitor risk, and maintain robust governance and audit readiness2 Ability to use audit, service evaluation and performance data to inform service improvement and change to practice
Desirable
Evidence of application of principles of evidence based practice and research methodology Able to compile and present a business case to support service / team development
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 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Address Guy's Hospital
London
SE1 9RT
Employer's website https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)