Lead Pharmacist, Medicines Safety Officer

NHS; Coventry; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust in Coventry is looking for a Medicines Safety Officer (Band 8b) to lead medicines safety across the Trust. The role focuses on encouraging incident reporting, identifying themes, and deploying action plans in collaboration with the Pharmacy Governance and Safety Team.

You will work with clinical and managerial staff, contribute to National Medication Safety Network and Regional Medicines Safety Group, and support policy development while

Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Pharmacy and GPhC registration are required.
• Up to date CPD evidence is required.
• Post-graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent and relevant MSc preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead on medicines safety for the pharmacy department and provide assurance to the Chief Pharmacist and Pharmacy SLT that services are safe, effective, and well-led.
• Encourage medication incident reporting and learning; identify trends and advise risk management on improvements.
• Lead collaborative workstreams to improve medication safety and manage medicines shortages in line with national priorities.
• Support policy development and maintain local/organisational SOPs ensuring compliance with guidance and legislation.
• Input into digital solutions to improve medicines safety and EPMA deployment.
• Represent pharmacy in internal and external communications and contribute to system-wide medicines safety strategies.

Education

Masters Degree in Pharmacy

Registered as a practising pharmacist with the GPhC

Evidence of up to date CPD

Post-graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent

Member of a professional organisation (e.g. RPS, UKCPA)

Pharmacy or Pharmacy Practice related MSc

Registered as an independent prescriber

Approved Management or Leadership qualification

Job description

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 8b Contract Permanent: +EDC Hours

• Full time
• Job share
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (+EDC) Job ref 218-HSS-B8B-8403023

Site University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Town Coventry Salary £66,582 - £77,368 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 16/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 27/11/2026

Job overview

Lead as the named individual within the organisation for encouraging medication incident reporting and learning. Identify themes or trends with medicines incidents and oversee development and deployment of appropriate action plans and advise risk management where reporting could be improved.

Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.

Main duties of the job

The Medicines Safety Officer (MSO) promotes the safe use of medicines across their organisation and is expected to be an expert in this area. You will have the opportunity to be an active member of both the National Medication Safety Network and Regional Medicines Safety Group in order to keep up to date with current priorities.

The role involves working closely with the Pharmacy Governance and Safety Team and Associate Director of Pharmacy (Trust Medicines Assurance and Pharmacy Governance) to drive change and improvement in medicines safety both within the pharmacy department and Trustwide. The Associate Director of Pharmacy, alongside the Medicines Policy and Practice and Medicines Safety Committee members will support you to provide assurance to Trust board around safe medication practices.

You will work closely with the Quality and Clinical Effectiveness Department, medical, nursing and pharmacy staff as well as senior managers, Clinical Directors and patient representatives to ensure that resources are used effectively to provide the best possible care to our patients. This may involve providing expert advice, identifying and managing risks or producing business cases in order to improve services.

As chair of the Medication Safety Committee you will report to the Trust Medicines Optimisation Committee, and may be asked to attend Speciality Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) meetings and the Nursing and Midwifery Care Quality Forum.

Working for our organisation

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Lead on medicines safety for the pharmacy department and provide assurance to the Chief Pharmacist and Pharmacy SLT that pharmacy services are safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led and represent efficient use of resources.
• Lead as the named individual within the organisation for encouraging medication incident reporting and learning. Identify themes or trends with medicines incidents and oversee development and deployment of appropriate action plans and advise risk management where reporting could be improved.
• Lead on collaborative workstreams related to improving medication safety by communicating medication risks and associated mitigation strategies.
• Lead and oversee programme of work to manage medicines shortages, contribute to and support local decision making processes and prioritisation for new medicines or new uses of medicines, in line with national priorities (e.g. critical shortages) and statutory policy, ensuring decision makers are aware of clinical and financial implications of decisions made.
• Support the Associate Director of Pharmacy on service evaluation and audit of all aspects of the pharmacy service including planning and overseeing an audit programme to ensure that appropriate statutory, professional and service obligations are met and quality targets achieved.
• Support the Associate Director of Pharmacy on the development of and maintain both local and organisational policies and standard operating procedures that are evidence based and comply with legal and current guidance thus providing tools to maintain the safe and secure handling of medicines.
• To input into the use of digital solutions available to improve the safety of medicines use, support the implementation, maintenance and monitoring of pharmacy information systems including electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA)
• Lead on internal communications (related to medicines safety and shortages) within the pharmacy department and external communications to key stakeholders, using effective and appropriate means, including websites and social media.
• To develop, monitor and implement the Trust strategy around medication safety through clinical leadership.
• To work closely with the Director of Pharmacy on the system-wide strategy on medicines safety, including key areas of risk (polypharmacy, high risk drugs, dependence forming medicines, antimicrobials, etc.)

For further details of the role please see the attached job description.

Qualifications & Training

• • Masters Degree in Pharmacy 4 years + 1 year pre-registration training or equivalent • Registered as a practising pharmacist with the GPhC • Evidence of up to date CPD • Post-graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• • Member of a professional organisation (eg RPS, UKCPA) • Pharmacy or Pharmacy Practice related MSc • Registered as an independent prescriber • Approved Management or Leadership qualification

Experience

• • Substantial Hospital pharmacy experience post registration • Experienced at working with and influencing senior medical and nursing staff • Experience managing difficult situations/ difficult conversations
• • Experience of project management • Have research or quality improvement work published in related journals • Experience in line managing staff and conducting appraisals • Use of Datix incident management system

Knowledge

• • Good knowledge of audit & research • Good sound Clinical Knowledge • Up to date knowledge of Medicines Legislation • Specialist knowledge of area of Clinical responsibility
• • Understanding of Human Factors • Understanding of NRLS Data Quality Standards • Use of Excel/Access databases

Skills & Abilities

• • Communicate effectively in a calm, courteous manner to patients and all levels of colleagues • Maintaining situational awareness and provide appropriate advice in situations where a patient may have come to harm. • Able to work in multidisciplinary teams and independently and supervise the work of others. • Able to present clinical and complex information to groups and individuals • To provide written information in a concise readable manner for patients and colleagues • High level of analytical skills • Able to undertake a level of handling & moving. • Pass OH clearance • Able to participate in weekend, late, on call and bank holiday rota as needed
• • Identify the costs associated with prescribing changes in your given clinical area for the Director of Pharmacy • Proven ability to cope in stressful situations and under pressure. • Demonstrable evidence of effective leadership, negotiation and motivations skills

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

• • Evidence of demonstrating the Trust Values (Compassion, Openness, Pride, Partnership, Improve, Learn and Respect) and the associated Values in Action behaviours in the workplace. • For posts with managerial responsibility only Evidence of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and ensuring fair and equitable practices throughout your work experience. Evidence of promoting a culture which helps individuals live behaviours aligned to our Trust Values (Compassion, Openness, Pride, Partnership, Improve, Learn and Respect)

To ensure that we provide world-class patient care, UHCW recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust’s Values and Behaviours in their everyday life. Therefore, if you are invited to interview, you will be undertaking a Values Based Interview/Assessment, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and Behaviours which can be accessed on the right side of this page under the job description.
The Supporting Information Section in your application should therefore reflect your understanding of the Trust’s Values and associated Behaviours. You will be expected to provide us with examples from work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviour.

The Trust is committed to Equal Opportunities within the workplace. All vacancies will be considered for Job Share unless otherwise stated. All applicants who have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be interviewed. Where a post has an overwhelming response, this Trust may use random selection in order to reduce numbers to interview, any disabled applicants will automatically be guaranteed an interview and will be exempt from this process.

In submitting an application form, you authorise University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you, including Occupational Health data (inoculations and screening tests). This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third-party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post.

UHCW NHS Trust, by virtue of its Green Plan, is committed to ensuring that the way we provide services minimises the impact on the environment and the future health of the public e.g. zero waste to landfill, reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our recycling and reuse percentages.

If you are successful at interview you will receive a conditional offer of employment and we’ll ask you for information so that we can carry out pre-employment checks. You must successfully complete all pre-employment checks to progress to a final unconditional offer.

We must confirm the identity of our staff and their right to work in the United Kingdom. We will ask you to submit proof of your identity and right to work documents via a secure digital platform approved by the Home Office, named TrustID. Alternatively, you may be asked to attend our office with original documents.

Depending on you level of exposure with patients you may be required to undertake a Standard or Enhanced DBS. The cost of this check will be charged to you and will be deducted from your salary over the first 3 months of employment at the current rate.

All correspondence will be sent by email; please check your account regularly including your Junk/SPAM folders

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Alice Burridge & Amandeep Hayer Job title Associate Director of Pharmacy Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 02476966757 Additional information

If you have any questions about the role or would like to have an informal conversation please contact:

Alice Burridge or Amandeep Hayer (Associate Directors of Pharmacy - job share partners)