Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist

NHS; Bury St Edmunds; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Bury St Edmunds seeks a self-motivated pharmacist for a secondment role until March 2026. The candidate will support the implementation of medicines optimisation initiatives across West Suffolk, focusing on care homes and social care. No weekend or evening work is required, and flexible working options are available.

Qualifications

• Professional knowledge acquired through vocational master's degree in pharmacy.
• Registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Responsibilities

• Lead on Best Value Medicines projects and support the implementation of the BVM programme.
• Review therapeutic areas and work with the ICB Quality Team on safety incidents.
• Maintain knowledge of subject matter and its implications.

Skills

Providing complex information

Negotiation skills

Report writing

Interpersonal skills

Critical appraisal skills

Team management

Education

Vocational master's degree in pharmacy

Registered pharmacist with General Pharmaceutical Council

Completion of Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) pathway

Tools

Microsoft Office

SystmOne

EMIS Web

Job description

Secondment opportunity until 31st March 2026

The Government has recently announced it is looking to make somesignificant changes to the NHS structure in England. This will have an impacton the ICB, but we are unclear at this stage what that impact will be.Unfortunately, at this moment we cannot give any guarantees that this positionwill not be affected by the news. Any proposed changes will be subject to fullconsultation with staff and their representatives and will follow management ofchange guidelines as stipulated by ICB Policy and NHS Agenda for Change.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the SNEE MedicinesOptimisation team for an enthusiastic, self-motivated pharmacist to support theimplementation of Medicines Optimisation initiatives across West Suffolk.

This role provides a great opportunity for the successful applicant tolead on the development and delivery of specific workstreams, to includeoverarching responsibility for provision of medicines support for care homesand social care.

You will join a friendly, experienced team made up of pharmacists,pharmacy technicians, nurses, and dietitians.

There are no requirements for weekend, bank holiday or evening working.We promote flexible working for all team members, offering a mix of remote andoffice environments which support a healthy work-life balance.

Main duties of the job

Lead on one or more Best Value Medicines (BVM)projects and support implementation of the BVM programme plan at place level.

Lead on the review of one or more therapeutic areas.

Work with the ICB QualityTeam to support the investigation of medicines-related safety incidents and todevelop systems and processes to share learning and prevent recurrence.

Have overall responsibility for medicines support for social care.

Maintain a highlydeveloped knowledge of subject matter and a robust understanding of theimplications for other parts of the system, for example, in terms of impact onworkforce or financial resources.

About us

The NHS Suffolk and North-East Essex Integrated Care Board(ICB) plans and buys healthcare services for our population. This function iscommonly referred to as commissioning.To do this, we work within a budget of around£1.5 billion, which is set by NHS England, and work closely with localgovernment and the NHS providers in our area. Our performance is judged by howwell our local health and care system as a whole is working, including thehealth outcomes of our communities.

The ICB has delegated some authority to the threehealth and wellbeing alliances that operate in Suffolk and North-East Essex toact on its behalf. This is to ensure that the needs of smaller, local areas areaddressed.

The ICB remains accountable for all of its functions, includingthose it has delegated.Local residents have a big role to play in theoperation of the ICB. We rely on the experiences and perspectives of ourcommunities to help shape our decision-making.

Job responsibilities

The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Department and the Organisation.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Professional knowledge acquired through vocational masters degree in pharmacy.
• Registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Understanding of the background to, and aims of, current healthcare policy and the implications of this.
• Understanding of the prescribing and medicines optimisation challenges facing primary and secondary care.
• Experience of working in health or social care.
• Knowledge of GP funding mechanisms, including those relating to Dispensing Doctors.
• Knowledge of NICE Technology Appraisal implementation.
• Knowledge of the social care sector and funding mechanisms.
• Completion of Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) pathway.

Skills

• Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information.
• Able to negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change.
• Able to present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups.
• Experience of writing reports for clinicians and/or non-clinical staff.
• Has highly developed interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence others.
• Able to interrogate and interpret highly complex clinical, financial and prescribing data.
• Able to take decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action, using critical appraisal skills to aid decision making.
• Able to document complex clinical information accurately, using nationally approved coding.
• Willing to engage with, and learn from, peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support the most appropriate interventions.
• Experience of planning, developing and implementing change beyond own area of work.
• Able to prioritise own work effectively and to direct activities of others. and reviewing performance of the individuals.
• Experience of line management.
• Able to concentrate for prolonged periods of time, when clinical/financial accuracy is paramount.
• Able to use Display Screen Equipment for prolonged periods of time and on most working days.
• Able to use a keyboard to enter prescribing or financial data with a very high degree of accuracy.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office.
• Able to travel routinely and independently across West Suffolk.
• Able to travel independently across Suffolk and North East Essex (and occasionally further afield) as required.
• Experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team.
• Proficient in the use of SystmOne and EMIS Web.

Other

• Used to working in a busy environment and under time pressures.
• Able to cope with uncertainty and change.
• Able to work autonomously as well as part of a team.
• Self-motivated and able to motivate others.
• Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference.

Equality and Diversity

• Has a thorough understanding of, and commitment to, equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Autonomy and Freedom to Act

• Able to make decisions on difficult issues autonomously when required, working to tight and often changing timescales.

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.