About this role
Job summary
Sleep disorders affect millions of people in the UK, yet Sleep Medicine remains an underserved specialist area that is rapidly growing in demand. Due to an unprecedented increase in activity, we are expanding our multidisciplinary team and looking for a pharmacist to join us who has an interest in this truly fascinating and rewarding specialism. Helping someone reclaim their ability to sleep soundly can be genuinely challenging work, but few things in clinical practice are more satisfying. Sleep medicine remains a niche specialism that few pharmacists have the chance to practise, since meaningful exposure depends on access to a dedicated sleep centre.
At QVH, we are one of the biggest sleep centres in the country and one of very few that offer the full spectrum of sleep services, from respiratory sleep-disordered breathing to insomnia and complex neurological sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, parasomnias, and limb movement disorders in sleep. Our team is continuously looking to innovate and improve, and contribution from all members of the MDT is sought in order to deliver the best possible care to the patients referred to our service.
Main duties of the job
As a prescribing pharmacist, you will lead independent follow-up clinics where medication initiation, titration, and optimisation are core activities. You will also contribute to service development, improvement, audit, and guideline and pathway development, and you will maintain broad clinical pharmacy skills across hospital pharmacy services as part of the role. We are looking for someone with a genuine interest in, and the ambition to build real expertise in, sleep medicine, someone with an appetite for a specialist caseload, a willingness to learn new skills, and the ability to bring experience gained across a previous career in mental health, neurology, neuroscience, general medicine, or respiratory practice to help build that expertise in this role. We are looking for an excellent pharmacist ready to take the step into specialist practice. Informal enquiries and visits to the department can be arranged before applying.
About us
Rated GOOD overall with outstanding care by the CQC. A specialist NHS hospital providing life-changing reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services across the South of England and beyond.
We specialise in conditions of the eyes (corneoplastics), hands, head and neck cancer and skin cancer, reconstructive breast surgery, maxillofacial surgery and prosthetics, providing regional and national services in these areas of clinical expertise. Our world-leading clinical teams also treat more common conditions of the eyes, hands, skin, and teeth for the people of East Grinstead and the surrounding areas. In addition, QVH provides a minor injuries unit, expert therapies, a sleep service, and a growing portfolio of community-based services. Patients consistently rate QVH amongst the top hospitals in the country for quality of care.
Our success is underpinned by the skills and enthusiasm of our staff and a strong culture of partnership. We are fully committed to training and development of the workforce with support for continuing education and learning.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Lead independent prescribing follow-up clinics for patients with sleep disorders, including medication initiation, titration, and optimisation within your scope of practice
- Work as an integral member of the sleep multidisciplinary team, contributing pharmacy expertise to patient management discussions and shared care planning
- Contribute to the development, review, and implementation of clinical guidelines, protocols, and care pathways for sleep medicine
- Participate in service development, quality improvement projects, and clinical audit within the sleep service
- Provide medicines information and support to colleagues across the MDT and wider clinical teams
- Undertake general clinical pharmacy duties as part of the wider hospital pharmacy service, maintaining broad clinical skills alongside specialist practice
- Support the training, supervision, and development of junior pharmacy staff and students as required
- Maintain accurate clinical records in line with professional and organisational standards
- Engage in continuing professional development, working towards advanced and eventually specialist-level practice in sleep medicine
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- MPharm in Pharmacy or equivalent
- GPhC registered
- Post graduate certificate in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
- Independent prescriber
Desirable
- MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent practical experience
- RCPharm Faculty accreditation
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience in the optimisation of medicines
- Working in a multidisciplinary team, able to collaborate successfully
- Extensive experience in independent prescribing in clinical practice
- Experience of service evaluation and audit
Desirable
- Experience in pharmacy-led clinics
- Specialist expertise in either neurology/neurosciences, mental health, general medicine, care of the elderly or respiratory medicine
- Involvement in service improvement and change project management
- Involved in research
Skills
Essential
- Effective problem solving
- Can plan and deliver pharmaceutical care
- Able to negotiate and influence senior staff and multidisciplinary team
- Ability to build rapport with patients
- Effectively communicate both verbally and written patient treatment plans
- Good IT skills
Desirable
- Able to teach and train others
- Staff management
Knowledge
Essential
- Broad clinical knowledge of medicines and pharmacology with ability to apply in practice
- Extensive delivery of pharmaceutical care to acute medical and surgical patients
Attributes
Essential
- Self-motivated and able to motivate others
- Good analytical and organisation ability
- Vision to improve self and services
- Able to adapt communication style to suit audience
- Decisive, sound clinical judgement in a timely and confident manner
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
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Queen Victoria Hospital
Holtye Road
East Grinstead
RH19 3DZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.qvh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)