Lead Pharmacist, Medicine Division

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Kettering; Sur place; GBP 67 000 - 77 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust seeks an experienced clinical pharmacist to lead the Medicine Division's pharmacy services. You will direct a team, provide expert clinical guidance and drive medicines optimisation across adult medicine and urgent care pathways.

The role requires strong leadership, governance oversight and a proactive approach to policy development, education and inter-professional collaboration within the Trust.

Qualifications

• 5 years post-registration UK hospital experience.
• Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Management qualification or equivalent experience.
• Registered Independent Prescriber.
• Experience leading or implementing change.
• Ability to interpret and apply medicines legislation.

Responsabilités

• Lead, develop and evaluate pharmacy services within the Medicine Division.
• Provide expert pharmaceutical care and ensure safe, cost-effective use of medicines.
• Manage staff and governance for pharmacy services.
• Develop and implement medicines policy, standards and service plans.

Connaissances

Interpersonal skills

Influencing

Negotiation

Time management

Organisation

Leadership

Line management

IT literacy

Ascribe

Formation

Master's degree in pharmacy

GPhC registration

Outils

Ascribe

Description du poste

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Lead Pharmacist, Medicine Division

The closing date is 22 November 2026

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:

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

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-coordinated 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

• Vocational masters degree in pharmacy plus 1 year pre‑registration experience
• Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• 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

• 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
• Tutor for taught course

Skills

• 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

• 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.

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire

£66,582 to £77,368 a yearper annum plus EDC

Contract

Permanent

Reference number

264-8381257-CSS

Job locations

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire