Medicines Information Lead Pharmacist

FHFT Education Academy; Frimley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lead Medicines Information Pharmacist to head the Medicines Information Service at Frimley Park Hospital. Based full time, you will deliver expert information to staff, clinicians and patients and supervise the MI team.

You will lead QA, training, policy development and service improvement, ensuring compliance with UKMi standards. A Masters in Pharmacy and GPhC registration are required, with entitlements to practice in the NHS.

Qualifications

• Significant postgraduate pharmacy experience within hospital Medicines Information.
• Leadership and line management of MI staff.
• Experience delivering education and training in medicines information.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the Medicines Information service.
• Monitor and develop the MI service in line with UKMi standards.
• Line manage MI staff and lead recruitment and development.
• Lead quality assurance audits within the MI Department.
• Provide evidence-based information to prescribers and patients.

Skills

Medicines Information

Clinical pharmacy

Staff management

Education & training

UKMi standards

Education

Pharmacy degree (Masters level)

Job description

Main area Pharmacy Grade Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Career Break Cover) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday) Job ref 151-SL0630

Site Frimley Park Hospital Town Frimley Salary £59,798 - £67,020 per annum incl HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 08/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

The successful candidate with be responsible for the leading and delivering of the Medicines Information service for Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, providing expert advice to Frimley Health NHS Trust staff, customers (e.g. other Trusts, IC S, etc), patients and other relevant service users.

This post is based at the Frimley site.

Main duties of the job

• Be responsible for the leading and delivering of the Medicines Information service providing expert advice to Frimley Health NHS Trust staff, customers (e.g. other Trusts, IC S, etc), patients and other relevant service users.
• Monitor and develop the Medicines Information Service within the Trust in line with national and local developments and user feedback.
• Line manage Band 7 Specialist Medicines Information Pharmacist and Band 5 Technician to lead on the supervision of pharmacy staff rotating through the Medicines Information Department.
• Lead the recruitment, management and development of staff under the postholder.
• Lead and be responsible for the undertaking of quality assurance audit within the Medicines Information Department to ensure the enquiry answering service is of a sufficiently high standard.
• Act as a role model in the field of clinical pharmacy practice and medicines information and provide a consistently high standard of clinical service in line with the pharmacy objectives.
• Provide systematic training in Medicines Information for pre-registration technicians, trainee pharmacists and rotational pharmacists.

Working for our organisation

Why Join Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust?

• At Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, our people are at the heart of everything we do.
• As a Disability Confident Employer and recipient of the Gold Award in the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme, we actively champion equality, diversity and inclusion, creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to build rewarding careers within the NHS.
• We also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance. By supporting flexible working arrangements wherever possible, we enable our colleagues to balance their professional and personal commitments while continuing to deliver outstanding care to our patients. Whether flexibility means adjusted hours, part-time working, hybrid arrangements or alternative working patterns, we work in partnership with our staff to meet both individual and service need.
• Joining Us:
• Whether you're at the start of your career or looking for your next challenge, Frimley Health offers the opportunity to be part of a inclusive, forward-thinking organisation that is committed to excellence, innovation and compassionate care.
• Together, we can shape the future of healthcare and make a real difference to the lives of the communities we serve.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To lead, supervise and deliver the Medicines Information Service and to ensure staffing levels / resources / meet the minimum requirements as recommended by United Kingdom Medicines Information (UKMi):
• To ensure the service meets the UKMi standards for Enquiry Answering, Education and Training, Publications, Clinical Governance and Risk Management. (UKMi is an NHS pharmacy-based service aimed to support “safe, effective and efficient” use of medicines by the provision of evidence-based information and advice on the therapeutic use of medicines.)
• This involves giving patient specific advice on complex and highly complex enquiries on medicines and their place in therapy.
• Enquiries may comprise written or oral requests and require varying degrees of research, analysis, interpretation and calculation and are processed according to agreed deadlines.
• Enquiries may be of a sensitive or contentious nature, and may involve providing advice in cases involving ethical dilemmas, vulnerable patient groups or sensitive issues, such as drugs in pregnancy and lactation, substance misuse, palliative care, side-effects and unlicensed medicines.
• To lead in the communication of highly complex medicine related information to prescribers, clinicians, patients, relatives, carers being aware that other professionals may challenge advice.
• To lead, manage and run the PatientMedicine Helpline.
• Plan in conjunction with other MI staff, that there is always an appropriately trained pharmacist or pre-registration pharmacist available to at the very least take in enquiries and/or answer such urgent enquiries.
• To document all enquiries using a paperless office system / MiDatabank, including relevant patient details, specialist information resources such as textbooks, electronic databases and specialist websites consulted, and advice given. This involves spending the majority of the working day using a computer.
• To be responsible for the paperless office system / MiDatabank to ensure the system is up-to-date, secure and cost-effective.
• To research the enquiry using a range of information sources so that information relevant to the query is identified and irrelevant information disregarded in a systematic way.
• Information is evaluated in an impartial manner and summarised to give appropriate factual information and/or professional opinion.
• To provide evidence-based answers to enquiries using the most appropriate style of communication for each situation.
• Manages the Medicines Information Department and own time to ensure that responses are provided to an agreed deadline, which is negotiated with the enquirer.
• On occasion, advice may be required urgently for patient care and, hence, the workload can be pressurised and unpredictable.
• Work must be prioritised and adjusted in response to changing circumstances.
• To be the author of writing and updating standard operating procedures for systems of work in the Medicines Information Department based on UKMi standard operating procedures and UKMi standards.
• To represent the department at regional and national UKMi meetings and use these networking opportunities to develop new contacts and share best practice.
• To lead on ensuring that the Medicines Information Department keep the appropriate up-to-date resources, e.g. books, journals and electronic databases.
• To undertake research in own area of field.
• To lead on proposing policy or service changes and understanding it’s impact on other areas.
• To lead on the implementation of a risk management plan for the Medicines Information department to provide a framework for a safe working system in accordance with UKMi requirements.
• To develop the service and its customer base across the IPS, working with GPs, PCNs, Community Pharmacies and others.
• To publish newsletters and other resources for use within the Trust and other users.
• To lead and be responsible for the undertaking of quality assurance within the Medicines Information Department to ensure the enquiry answering service is of a sufficiently high standard. This includes participating in audit and peer reviews both internally and externally via the UKMi network.
• The Lead MI Pharmacist is expected to co-ordinate this work with the Pharmacy Clinical Governance Manager.
• To lead on the organisation and analysis of user satisfaction surveys to ensure the service meets the needs of its users.
• To lead on implementing to improve the Medicines Information Service as a result of these quality assurance activities.
• To audit performance of the Medicines Information department against Service Level Agreements in place.
• To support the specialist pharmacists with the production of medication/ formulary appraisals and guidelines.
• To support the formulary team with the maintenance of the Trust Drug Formulary, so it is accurate and up-to-date following decisions made at both the APC and MOB meetings.
• To support the formulary team reviewing Individual Prescribing applications, which are one-off requests for urgent medicines not normally held by the hospital. This involves obtaining background information relating to the request and liaising with the consultant requesting the new drug.
• To lead on the provision of in-house training in Medicines Information for clinical pharmacists, supervising Specialist MI Pharmacists where appropriate.
• To lead, supervise, and teach less experienced staff in the enquiry answering service in conjunction with Specialist MI Pharmacists.
• To lead on the training of trainee pharmacists and junior clinical rotational pharmacists in their Mi rotation in conjunction with Specialist MI Pharmacists. Training is based on UKMi standards and follows a structured approach using a range of UKMi training tools. Helps trainees manage their workload and assess staff performance according to Mi competencies.
• To lead on providing information / data to individuals requesting information in line with the Freedom of Information Act and documenting this information provision on MiDatabank.
• To carry out pharmaceutical duties associated with the dispensing of inpatient and outpatient prescriptions.
• To assist with the training of all levels of pharmacy staff and other healthcare staff as required.
• To provide clinical cover to other wards as agreed with the Clinical Services Manager in the absence of the regular ward pharmacist.
• To lecture to medical, pharmacy, nursing and other healthcare professionals as required.
• To promote cost-effective use of drugs and work with clinicians to develop guidelines, if appropriate.
• To effectively manage Band 7 Specialist Medicines Information Pharmacists and Band 5 Medicines information Technician.
• To assist in selection and recruitment of staff.
• To undertake appraisals for managed staff.
• To effectively manage performance related issues.
• To participate in the weekend, late duty, bank holiday and emergency duty service rotas in accordance with Trust procedures.
• To undertake other reasonable duties, within the framework of the post, as directed by the Chief Pharmacist.

Qualifications

• Pharmacy Degree (Masters Level)
• Registered with GPhC
• Post Graduate Clinical Diploma or equivalent
• Independent Prescriber or Intension to become one
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Developement (CPD)
• Royal College of Pharmacy membership
• UKCPA Membership
• Formal Management Qualification

Experience

• Significant post-qualification experience working as a pharmacist in a hospital pharmacy environment
• Experience in Medicines Information service
• Experience of producing guidelines
• Experience of producing drug appraisals
• Experience of managing staff
• Regular experience of providing clinical pharmacy support
• Clinical Audit experience
• Tutoring experience

Skills and Knowledge

• Applied clinical knowledge
• Ability to adapt and cope with challenges
• Evidence of interest in research

Special Requirements

• Self-motivated
• Ability to work flexible hours

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.

We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.

We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Th rough our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.

Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. The electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.

Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.

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 Carole Underwood Job title Principal Pharmacist for Chronic Medicine Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 03006134135 Additional information For specific queries: Candace Au Lead Medicines Information Pharmacist Frimley Park Hospital Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Direct line: 0300 613 1395