Associate Director of Pharmacy - Medicines Safety

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Hitchin; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Associate Director of Pharmacy specializing in Medicines Safety. In this pivotal role, you will lead a dynamic team, ensuring the highest standards in medication safety and governance. Your expertise will guide the development of educational programs for healthcare professionals while overseeing critical national safety alerts and compliance measures. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence patient safety and contribute to strategic initiatives within the NHS. If you are passionate about improving healthcare outcomes and have a strong background in pharmacy, this could be the perfect fit for you.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years post-registration hospital experience with at least 2 years in a senior role.
• Extensive knowledge of Medicines legislation and NHS commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Medicines Safety team and manage all Medicines Education.
• Organise the Medicines Governance Committee and ensure high-quality submissions.

Skills

Medicines Safety

Education Provision

Governance

Strategic Planning

Service Development

Education

MPharm or equivalent

Postgraduate qualification

Management qualification

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties to include but not be limited to:

• Undertake the role as Trust MSO.
• Lead the Medicines Safety team.
• Lead on Medication related National Safety Alerts, Shortages, NPSA reviews, CQC requests and responses, delivering action and improvement plans.
• Undertake investigations, develop PSIIs and thematic reviews.
• Contribute to and attend when required coroners inquests and other investigations.
• Responsible for organisation of the Medicines Governance Committee, ensuring all submissions are to a high standard and where applicable community implications have been considered and discussed with ICS colleagues.
• Responsible for all Medicines Education; undergraduate Medical, Dental, junior doctor, nursing, pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians, trainee pharmacists and unregistered staff.
• Deliver quality assurance reports on Education provision and bid for funding for staff CPD.
• Work closely with HEE and the ICS Workforce groups.
• Lead the EPMA & IT teams.
• Lead community services ensuring the service meets regulatory compliance.

Please see the job description for further details. Please be aware that the interview date may be subject to change.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• MPharm or equivalent
• Registration as a pharmacist with the GPhC
• Relevant postgraduate qualification

Desirable criteria

• Management qualification

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Minimum 8 years post registration hospital experience with at least 2 years in a senior role.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of specialist areas; Safety, Education, Governance, Formulary, Regulation and Compliance.
• Knowledge and understanding of NHS commissioning and formulary
• Knowledge of Medicines legislation, the role of the MSO and CQC expectations.
• Evidence of strategic planning/service development
• Significant service / personnel management / supervision
• Experience of deriving key messages from complex information and large data sets and presenting in a user-friendly format.
• Experience of significant improvement work.
• Workforce Development.

Desirable criteria

• Acute Trust / Tertiary Referral Centre experience
• Knowledge of current NHS policy drivers and commissioning agendas.
• Experience of training different staff groups.

Thanks for taking the time to view this advert; we're looking forward to receiving your application. You should be aware that the vacancy may close earlier than the published date if sufficient applications are received so it would be best to apply as soon as you can. We'll contact you by e-mail to update you on the progress of your application so please check the e-mail account that you applied from (including spam/junk) regularly.

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, neurodiversity or veteran status are encouraged to apply for this post. Our Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders is available Here

To support you in your application process we've created a What we can offer you guide that shows what you can expect when you join our hospitals. The guide includes links to our strategic aims and objectives as well as our values, development support and rewards and benefits. To help you get the best from your application we've also put together two guides to help you make your application the best it can be. Just click here and here to go through them, or have them open as you complete your application.

We recognise that the recruitment process may present barriers for some and you may need personal adjustments to enable you to participate in our recruitment process. Please make contact with the recruitment team at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you're applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information.

AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Supporting Information

The supporting information section is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person.

Our recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. They will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations. Share work-related successes and challenges you've navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.

Consider structuring your supporting information section with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.

Working Smarter pledge

We are reminded everyday of how important life is, so as part of our Working Smarter pledge we offer a variety of flexible working options and wellbeing support to enable our people to find and maintain the right work-life balance.

Secondments

If you are applying for a secondment role please ensure you have agreement from your current line manager prior to attending an interview. Also please ensure you have read the LTHTR Secondment Policy. A copy of this can be found on the intranet or by contacting [e-mail]

Young People

Please note a young person must be in part-time education or training until they're 18. therefore if you are under 18 we are unable to employ you on a full time basis, unless it is in an apprenticeship role.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

If the role you've applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this on your behalf and the cost will be recovered from your salary, either as a one-off payment, or over 3 months. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £26.40 Standard DBS check £26.40 and Enhanced DBS check £54.40. You should be aware that if you are successful in obtaining a position that requires a DBS check but later withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check. DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions. The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here.

In line with guidance from United Kingdom Health Security Agency, all staff and volunteers are required to comply with Trust Infection Prevention and Control processes in relation to safe working. This includes mask wearing and adherence to social distancing at all Trust sites.

NO UNSOLICITED ADVERTISING COMPANY APPROACHES

For more information about the Trust take a look at our Application Guide or visit our website www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk You can also keep up to date with us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Instagram.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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

• Associate Director of Pharmacy - Medicines Safety (PDF, 744.3KB)
• Creating your best application (PDF, 6.1MB)
• What we can offer you (PDF, 6.7MB)