Lead Pharmacist, Medicine Division
Job summary
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire comprises Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals working collaboratively in a group model. Within the group, there is a medicine and urgent care division responsible for provision of services at each site and some across the group.
Kettering General NHS Foundation Hospitals are seeking an experienced, motivated and dynamic clinical pharmacist with excellent communication and leadership skills to join our established, friendly clinical pharmacy team and lead pharmacy clinical services to the KGH medicine division.
The post holder will be responsible foroperationally and strategically leading a team of pharmacy staff providing services to the Medicine and Urgent Care division and directorates and be responsible for the delivery of all Pharmacy Services to these areas to: o Optimise patient outcomes o Minimise adverse reactions o Improve medicines safety
Main duties of the job
To lead, deliver, develop and evaluate clinical pharmacy services within Adult Medicine To provide expert pharmaceutical care through the promotion of safe, appropriate and clinically effective use of drug therapy; ensuring risks within medicine management are identified and managed; ensures compliance with all relevant medicines - related legislation and policy.
To manage allocated staff to ensure the effective operation of the day to day delivery of pharmacy services to the Adult Medicine division To ensure the efficient and cost-effective use of medicines utilising local and national data to drive improvements in efficiencies. To advise senior and junior medical staff and nurses on medicines management issues.
To support the Lead Pharmacist for Professional Development with the development of all staff within the pharmacy department. To undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade as requested by the Chief Pharmacist.
About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received. We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence.
Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs. Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment.
We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Patient Specification and Job Description. Clinical Responsibilities To provide highly specialised advice and guidance on the safe, effective and economical use of medicines to specific directorate[s] patients and healthcare staff and the organisation whilst undertaking clinical pharmacy duties.
To optimise medicines through prescribing role operating within areas of competence (where appropriately qualified and authorised via the Trust NMP register). To provide high level of clinical Pharmacy input to the specialty as part of the multidisciplinary team to ensure optimal safe medicines usage and value for money.
To work closely with the Deputy Chief Pharmacist to ensure development/standardisation of medicine policies and procedures where appropriate and compliance with Medicines legislation. Policy and service development Within Pharmacy: To be responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring pharmacy and medicines policy, practice and standards.
To be responsible for developing and prioritising all clinical pharmacy services to the Division and its directorate[s]; to develop service specifications if necessary. To be responsible for relevant pharmacy development plans, including an annual Service Plan and contributing to the overall annual Pharmacy Plan.
To be responsible for the implementation of relevant national legislation and policy/guidance into pharmacy clinical practice For the Division: To be responsible for developing the long-term Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Strategy for the division and to provide them with contemporary advice to formulate practical policy and guidance.
This will include service delivery options e.g. non-medical prescribing, patient group directions, pre-operative assessment, use of physicians associates etc.
To prepare guidance for the use of medicines within the Division in partnership with medical, nursing and management staff and to ensure safe implementation within the Directorate[s]. To ensure appropriate consultation and governance of guidance involving medicines by being a part of guideline ratification process and/ or being a member of the Directorate[s] ratification group[s]. To ensure that projects, changes and developments that involve medicines or pharmacy services within the directorate[s] are planned & managed to ensure that success can be adequately measured.
To ensure pharmacy contribution to medicines projects/initiatives on behalf of the Division To be responsible for recording, monitoring and reporting clinical pharmacy activity to the Division. To manage the introduction of new medicines on behalf of the Directorate[s] and to ensure the Trusts Formulary procedures are followed, and to ensure a link between decision making and pharmacy practice.
To manage the implementation of national medicines optimisation initiatives within the Division, Pharmacy and Trust. This will include contributing to task & finish groups & other forums To work with external organisations to promote the optimisation of medicines across the county/region.
Governance and Risk Management To provide information for the Trusts system of assurance to evidence compliance with CQC and other medicines-related standards for the Division To develop and implement quality and safety initiatives in line with local incidents, audits, medication safety committee and regional and national alerts To manage all pharmacy & medicines-related governance issues for the Division including incident reports and complaints.
To undertake detailed review where required and ensure action planning to improve/avoid future issues. To identify medicine-related risk within the Division and Pharmacy and to ensure management via Divisional and Pharmacy risk registers. To attend or facilitate pharmacy representation on the Division and Directorate governance forums to advise senior clinicians/managers.
Responsibility for training and development To be responsible for the organisation and supervision of trainee and post-registration training and development arrangements within the Divisional pharmacy team. To plan and deliver medicines optimisation training and competence assessment for healthcare staff including doctors and nursing staff across the division.
To ensure your staff maintain competence in all relevant areas of practice and to ensure that they fulfil registration with the GPhC. Undertake the role of Designated supervisor (previously known as pre-registration tutor) as required by the Pharmacy department To be an educational supervisor for a diploma or foundation programme student and actively participate in their development.
To constantly evaluate the outcomes of training delivered by your team and seek to improve this based on feedback.
To attend local and national education, training and development courses and keep up to date Responsibility for leading and managing To provide strong leadership and management for Pharmacy Services to Medicine Division ensuring that responsibilities and decision making are delegated appropriately, that services are managed effectively and that all staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and deliver effectively.
To be responsible for the Pharmacy service workforce and training plan for Directorates[s]. Line-manage direct reports to include performance management, appraisals, objective/ target setting, personal development plans and attendance monitoring To ensure staff comply with pharmacy and Trust policies, procedures and governance arrangements and consider professional and best practice guidance.
To recruit, appoint and induct pharmacy staff into the team, to formally appraise them and identify training and development needs. To ensure staff engagement and supervision within the Pharmacy Service. To optimise the time for clinical work by ensuring appropriate skill mix, technical/clinical mix, qualified/unqualified mix, and optimising the use of technology etc.
To be a member of and contribute to the work of the Pharmacy Leadership and Development group and Senior Clinical Pharmacy group To provide the Clinical Pharmacy Services lead/Deputy Chief Pharmacist with details of output, performance and activity at specified time intervals in a format agreed.
Contribute to the Pharmacy and service business plans by developing business cases to support requests for finance or other resources associated with the strategic development work in accordance with Trust finance processes To lead and support cross site initiatives within the Medicine and Urgent Care division and to work on both UHN sites as required. Financial management and reporting.
To be responsible for the co-ordinated advice to the Directorate[s] to effectively manage expenditure on medicines, including tariff medicines, excluded medicines, prior approvals, individual funding requests etc.
To support the Divisions annual submission for the funding of tariff excluded medicines by horizon scanning and engaging specialists and Directorate managers; to ensure this is co-ordinated within the Trust and to discuss with commissioners as required. To produce appropriate reports documenting the provision of Pharmacy Services, achievements, governance and medicines expenditure for the Directorate[s] to support their needs.
To identify and manage medicine/pharmacy quality improvement schemes, including Cost Improvement Programme [CIP] schemes within the Division; to ensure this is co-ordinated within the Pharmacy &Trust.Research and Development To undertake and facilitate audit and practice research within Pharmacy.
To develop an audit plan for medicines/Pharmacy services within the Directorate[s]. To manage the audit plan, document activities, and ensure that audit is reported and appropriate action is taken on the results. To contribute to the Directorate[s] R&D activities involving the pharmacy Clinical Trials staff, as required. To promote the publication of pharmacy practice research.
To support and demonstrate a critical approach towards Pharmacy practice research and the integration of research evidence into practice. To undertake research in accordance with the Pharmacy strategy and lead and assist with the supervision projects as appropriate.
To develop own areas of research, undertaking own Pharmacy, practice and Pharmacy clinical practice related research To present and publish research outputs locally, nationally and internationally as appropriateGeneral To participate in the provision of the Pharmacy on-call emergency duty service. To undertake the role of responsible pharmacist in the dispensary on a rotational basis, including Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
Display behaviours in line with the group, Trust and department values. Participate in regular development and appraisal review meetings.
To undertake continual professional development and maintain a CPD portfolio including continuing education and attendance at appropriate courses and study days in line with requirements of professional body To ensure that all their Pharmacy practice is within the boundaries described within the latest version of the Standards of Conduct, Ethics and Performance issued by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
To maintain professional registration and compliance with mandatory CPD requirements imposed by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Person Specification
Education, training & qualifications
Essential
Vocational masters degree in pharmacy plus 1 year pre-registration experience Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification CPD Portfolio
Desirable
Management Qualification or equivalent experience of management theory and practice Registered Independent Prescriber Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Member of UKCPA Knowledge &
Experience · Essential
5 years post registration UK hospital experience Clinical experience in a range of ward/clinical areas Teaching/training/coaching Experience of leading or implementing change Good knowledge of the NHS including commissioning, NICE guidance and current priorities Preparation of guidelines involving other healthcare professionals Experience of supporting Divisional Pharmacist or equivalent, to include expenditure reporting, formulary application, guideline writing.
Experience with working as part of a multidisciplinary team. Experience of leading or implementing change Ability to interpret and apply medicines legislation, guidance and standards Quality improvement, audit, project management and change management
Desirable
Tutor for taught course
Skills · Essential
Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills Time management/Organisation/Delegation/ Prioritisation Demonstrable leadership skills - role model for junior clinical pharmacists IT literate (Microsoft/PowerPoint/Ascribe) Line management/supervision Key Competencies/Personal Qualities and Attributes
Essential
Able to demonstrate practices in accordance with Group 'Dedicated to Excellence' values Understand equality and diversity issues and how this affects patients, visitors and staff
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).
