Lead Pharmacist

Integrated Care System; Leeds; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider seeks a Lead Clinical Pharmacist to oversee pharmacy services within the LivingCare group. This role involves ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines, managing drug budgets, and training healthcare professionals, contributing significantly to patient care. Ideal candidates will have a Masters in Pharmacy, relevant experience, and a passion for clinical excellence.

Benefits

NHS discounts with Blue Light Card

Access to Employee Assistance Programme

Annual pay reviews

Culture matrix program with monthly events

Celebrating success rewards

Supermarket vouchers through competitions

Free onsite parking

Quality working environment

Work-life balance prioritization

Qualifications

• Masters in Pharmacy required with one year pre-registration experience.
• Substantial post-registration clinical pharmacist experience is essential.
• Non-medical prescriber certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead clinical pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team.
• Monitor expenditure on medicines and provide reports for drug budget management.
• Train healthcare professionals on aspects of drug use within the clinical area.

Skills

Leadership

Communication Skills

Attention to Detail

Negotiation

Teamwork

Organizational Skills

Education

Masters in Pharmacy

Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy

Registrant of the GPhC

Job description

To lead, deliver, develop and evaluate pharmacy services for the LivingCare group.

Leads the clinical pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team within LivingCare group. Ensures medicines are used appropriately, safely, and cost-effectively in accordance with LivingCare policy, standard operating procedures, and medicine legislation. The post holder is expected to determine how the outcomes are best achieved in specific circumstances.

Main duties of the job

Works directly and regularly with consultants, senior nursing staff, and managers within the clinical team. Monitors and interprets expenditure on medicines within LivingCare.

Provides the Director of Clinical Services & Governance with regular reports to assist in the safe use of medicines, management of the drug budget, and clinical governance issues. The report also includes risk management such as recording significant clinical interventions and near misses.

Supervises, along with other members of the multidisciplinary team, the development and implementation of treatment protocols and guidelines for drug use within the clinical area.

Responsible for training healthcare professionals on aspects of drug use within the clinical area.

Acts as the Responsible Pharmacist in line with local procedures when required and as Medication Safety Officer within LivingCare Group.

About us

LivingCare Group operates across various health services and portfolios, with extensive experience in NHS care and a growing private provision portfolio. We work across GP practices and within our own centres in Yorkshire.

Our services are developed in response to local demands across the health economy and in line with NHS governance and contractual requirements.

We offer free onsite parking, a quality working environment, and prioritize work-life balance with services running from 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Saturday.

Benefits include NHS discounts with the Blue Light Card, access to the Employee Assistance Programme, annual pay reviews, a culture matrix program with monthly events, celebrating success rewards, and supermarket vouchers through competitions.

Job responsibilities

Lead the pharmacy service to patients and the multidisciplinary team within LivingCare group.

Support the Organisation's Prescribing Standards and challenge practice where prescribers have not adhered to the Medicines Code.

Provide safe, clinically effective, and cost-effective use of medicines, including individual prescription reviews, advising on dosage, side effects, and safe administration. Determine how best to achieve outcomes in specific circumstances.

Prescribers registered as such will, with director approval, prescribe within their competence to support patient care.

Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings.

Manage difficult and ambiguous problems, often with limited information.

Undertake risk management, including investigating clinical incidents and ensuring compliance with medicine legislation.

Identify areas requiring service changes and develop strategies for implementation through consultation with senior colleagues.

Manage the introduction of new drugs, including unlicensed drugs.

Develop and update policies for the safe, effective, and economical use of medicines in collaboration with medical and nursing staff.

Communicate with Primary Care regarding medicines policies or guidelines specific to their practice area.

Management

Monitor and interpret expenditure on medicines. Provide regular reports to assist in drug budget management.

Attend management meetings to advise on medicine use and financial implications. Horizon scan for new drugs and advise clinical meetings accordingly.

Review prescribing data from outpatient clinics.

Health and Safety/Risk Management

Maintain and improve service quality by complying with LivingCare policies, including health and safety, and reporting incidents through the Incident Reporting system.

Infection Control

Comply with Infection Control policies, practicing universal precautions, including hand hygiene before and after patient contact.

Equality and Diversity

Ensure services meet individual needs without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, or religion.

Patient and Public Involvement

Engage patients and the public in evaluating and planning services, contributing to improvements based on feedback.

Training and Personal Development

Take responsibility for personal development, completing mandatory training and engaging in continuous professional development.

Respect for Patient Confidentiality

Maintain patient confidentiality at all times, disclosing information only as required by role.

Communication & Working Relationships

Communicate complex information about medicine use to various stakeholders, ensuring adherence to professional codes of practice.

Special Working Conditions

Physical Effort: Sitting, standing, walking; occasional lifting of boxes (~10kg).

Mental Effort: Concentration for prescription review, calculations, and report preparation, with frequent interruptions.

Emotional Effort: May encounter distressing situations involving patient care or drug incidents.

Working Conditions: Clinical area presence, exposure to body fluids, smells, and possibly noxious fumes or cytotoxic drugs.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Masters in Pharmacy (4 years) or equivalent plus one year pre-registration experience
• Registrant of the GPhC
• Postgraduate diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• Non-medical prescriber preferred
• Substantial post-registration clinical pharmacist experience
• Ability to handle complex clinical issues and negotiate effectively

Additional Skills

• Leadership, financial interpretation, teamwork, lateral thinking, communication skills, adaptability, initiative, negotiation, attention to detail, organizational skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This role requires a DBS check due to the nature of the work involving patient information and safety.