Band 8B Principal Pharmacist (Mental Health)

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust; England; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training programmes

Career progression

27–33 days annual leave

NHS discounts

Job summary

Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust is inviting applications for a Band 8B Principal Pharmacist (Mental Health). You will lead Medicines Optimisation, supervise pharmacists and Medicines Management Technicians, and drive safe, evidence-based practice across Norfolk and Suffolk.

The role offers significant leadership responsibilities within a supportive Trust, with opportunities to shape mental health pharmacy services and mentor junior staff.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a mental health environment.
• Experience in service and staff management.
• Led or undertaken clinical audit.
• Ability to communicate medicine-related information to clinical staff, patients and carers.
• Demonstrated skills in developing procedures, guidelines or protocols.

Responsibilities

• Manage and supervise pharmacists and Medicines Management Technicians; develop a competent, motivated clinical pharmacy workforce.
• Provide leadership for Medicines Management to promote safe and secure handling of medicines.
• Lead Medicines Optimisation to improve patient safety and treatment effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Trust leadership and commissioners to support wider requirements.
• Develop and implement clinical pharmacy standards and quality improvement initiatives.
• Lead the development, delivery and evaluation of clinical pharmacy services across the Trust.
• Provide professional expertise, training, and advice to health professionals, patients, and carers.

Skills

Teamwork

Clear communication

Clinical appraisal

Risk management

Workload prioritisation

Medicine information

Education

Master's Degree in Pharmacy

GPhC registration

Postgraduate qualification in mental health therapeutics

Member of College of Mental Health Pharmacy

Member of Royal College of Pharmacy

Job description

Band 8B Principal Pharmacist (Mental Health)

Are you a highly motivated and experienced pharmacist with passion for Medicines Optimisation? Looking for an opportunity to lead a clinical pharmacy team to ensure safety, evidence-based practice and improve patient experience? Do you have the skills and experience to manage, motivate, and inspire pharmacists and medicines management technicians? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!

We are looking for a Principal Pharmacist to help us improve safe and effective use of medicines to improve patient outcome. This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our patients.

NSFT Pharmacy will support the development of pharmacists looking to go into a leadership role within mental health.

The post-holder will be based in Norfolk. This is a full-time post and will involve some travelling across different sites within Norfolk and Suffolk.

Main duties of the job

As a Principal Pharmacist, you will:

• Management and supervision of pharmacists and Medicines Management Technicians and develop a competent, motivated, and versatile clinical pharmacy workforce.
• Providing leadership role for good Medicines Management to ensure and to promote safe and secure handling of medicines in their clinical area of responsibility
• Leading Medicines Optimisation agenda to ensure and to promote patient safety, treatment effectiveness, better patient experience with treatment, embedding medicines optimisation principles in routine clinical practice in their clinical area of responsibility
• Working with leadership in the Trust and commissioners to support wider Trust requirements in relation to medicines management and medicines optimisation
• Developing and implementing clinical pharmacy standards and quality improvement initiatives
• Leading the development, delivery, evaluation, and improvement of clinical pharmacy services across the Trust
• Providing professional expertise, advice, and training to health professionals, patients and carers.

About us

Some of the benefits included with this role:

• a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
• career progression
• starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
• NHS discounts and many more

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us?We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk?The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Pharmacy
• Current registered member of General Pharmaceutical Council
• Postgraduate qualification in mental health therapeutics
• Member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy
• Member of the Royal College of Pharmacy

Knowledge

• Thorough knowledge of mental health therapeutics
• Knowledge of national and local priorities
• Up to date with local and national evidence-based guidelines

Skills

• Able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Communicates with medical, nursing and pharmacy staff in clear precise and appropriate manner.
• Clinical and critical appraisal skills
• The ability to identify and manage risks
• The ability to identify and prioritise clinical workload
• Evidence of writing or supporting procedures, guidelines or protocols.

Experience

• Significant working experience of mental health environment
• Experience of service and staff management
• To have led or undertaken clinical audit
• and staff management Demonstrate the ability to appropriately recommend, substantiate and communicate medicine related information to mental health patients, carers and clinical staff
• Service evaluation and development
• Previous evaluated experience of mentorship and training skills
• Monitoring and advising on drug expenditure
• Teaching experience

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.

£66,582 to £77,368 a yeargross per annum (pro rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working