Pharmacy Inspector 12 month FTC

NHS; City Of London; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare regulator is seeking a Pharmacy Inspector to assess registered pharmacy premises, ensuring compliance with standards. The ideal candidate will be a registered pharmacist or technician with substantial experience in pharmacy services. The role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to work independently, driving quality assurance in community and hospital settings. The position offers flexible, home-based working arrangements with the potential for overnight stays.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Home-based work

Qualifications

• Significant recent experience in pharmacy services, preferably in a community or hospital environment.
• Solid understanding of GPhC's statutory responsibilities and relevant legislative frameworks.
• Experience in the use of technology in pharmacy service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Carry out inspections and assessments of pharmacy premises against standards.
• Engage with pharmacy staff to ensure compliance with operational standards.
• Provide recommendations on registration suitability for new pharmacy premises.

Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

IT competency in standard Microsoft Office packages

Ability to work independently

Ability to juggle competing priorities

Education

Registered Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician

Independent prescribing qualification

Tools

Pharmacy management systems

Job description

We are looking for an Inspector to inspect pharmacy premises across areas of Scotland, North Cumbria and/or parts of the Northeast of England.

Main duties of the job

The role

• Are you a registered Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician with an in-depth knowledge of the GPhCs standards and responsibilities?
• Do you have experience in the use of technology in the delivery of pharmacy services particularly in a community or hospital setting?
• Do you want to apply your knowledge and experience to provide assurance to patients and the public about the quality of pharmacy services and help drive improvement?

If so, we welcome you to apply for our fixed term contract Pharmacy Inspector vacancy.

The successful applicant will:

• Be a registered pharmacist or pharmacy technician with substantial recent experience of delivery of pharmacy services, preferably in a community or hospital environment.
• Have a solid understanding of the GPhCs statutory responsibilities, relevant legislative frameworks, and operational standards and a good understanding of the challenges facing community pharmacies.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to collaborate across teams and functions while taking ownership of individual responsibilities.
• Have an unwavering commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

About us

About the GPhC

We are a respected regulatory body that regulates pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies in Great Britain. We work to assure and improve standards of care for people using pharmacy services. Our organisation has a long-term vision and a desire for highly skilled and specialist staff. We are committed to providing workforce learning and development opportunities.

We are proud of our diverse and inclusive culture and are committed to holding ourselves to the same standards we expect of others.

The GPhC works to provide assurance to patients and the public that the pharmacies on our register are practising safely and effectively. The post-holder will make an integral contribution to this aim by maintaining a programme of high-quality inspections of registered pharmacy premises through monitoring, supporting, and enforcing compliance in line with the GPhCs standards.

Inspectors also provide recommendations to the Registrar on the registration suitability of new pharmacies and work collaboratively with our Enforcement Portfolio, giving valuable advice on pharmacy practice to inform investigations into allegations of pharmacy professionals fitness to practise.

The GPhC values diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, particularly those from underrepresented groups, including candidates who identify as black or from a minority ethnic background.

Job responsibilities

Important Notice for Applicants

As part of our pre-employment screening process, this role is subject to a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. In addition, the GPhC will conduct Fitness to Practise (FtP) checks for any applicant who is currently, or has previously been, a registrant of the GPhC. Applicants will be asked to declare this during the application process and may be subject to further internal verification. Any findings may be considered as part of the recruitment decision.

Location: Homebased. You will be required to live in or, close to your regional area and the nature of the work may require occasional overnight stays. Areas considered for this position are cover for Scotland, North Cumbria and/or Northeast England.

Reports to: Regional Manager/Deputy Regional Manager

Grade: B (Rest of the UK)

Job purpose

To assess the performance of registered pharmacy premises against the standards for registered pharmacies through a programme of inspections in line with our approach to inspections of pharmacies. Take action as appropriate to ensure that pharmacies make the improvements necessary to meet the standards including statutory enforcement action where appropriate. Provide recommendations to the Registrar on the suitability for registration of new pharmacy premises. Work collaboratively with the Enforcement portfolio including providing advice on pharmacy practice to inform investigations of allegations into pharmacy professionals fitness to practise. Working with other portfolios and teams across the organisation to engage and maintain effective relationships with Registrants and other external stakeholders to promote good pharmacy practice.

• Schedule and deliver a programme of monitoring and inspection of registered pharmacies in accordance with the policies and procedures of the GPhC. Ensure outcomes of inspections are consistently inline with the inspection decision‑making framework ensuring that all judgements are auditable and that published inspection reports meet quality and in‑house style standards and requirements.
• Make professional evidence‑based judgements on whether a pharmacy is meeting the standards. Where pharmacies are not meeting the standards, ensure that improvements are made through continued engagement with the pharmacy using non‑statutory and where appropriate, statutory enforcement action.
• Undertake in‑person or remote visits to pharmacy premises applying to join the register to check their ability to be able to meet the premises standards at opening. Make evidence‑based recommendations to the Registrar in line with policy and procedures on suitability to register, including whether any conditions should be considered.
• Establish and sustain effective working relationships with registrants, healthcare providers and other relevant stakeholders and where appropriate to undertake joint working with other inspectorates.
• Work collaboratively with the Enforcement portfolio to help inform their investigations into registrants fitness to practise inline with policies and procedures. Work collaboratively with the Concern team, to provide advice on pharmacy practice to inform the assessment of new concerns into allegations of impaired fitness to practise of pharmacy professional registrants.
• Working with other portfolios and teams across the GPhC as appropriate, for example the Policy and Standards and Communications teams. Identify opportunities for promoting the work of the GPhC and provide advice and secure assurance with standards of good practice through presentations and other engagement with Registrants and stakeholders within the allocated portfolio.
• Collect and report all information and intelligence effectively and accurately using the appropriate data management systems so that it may be accessed and utilised across the organisation.
• Maintain skills and competencies in pharmacy, medicine management, and the regulatory process by participating in appropriate training.

Person Specification

Experience

• Registered Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician with substantial recent experience of delivery of pharmacy services, preferably in a community or hospital environment.
• A solid understanding of the GPhCs statutory responsibilities, relevant legislative frameworks, and operational standards and a good understanding of the challenges facing retail community pharmacies.
• Able to carry out professional inspections and provide advice or take enforcement action where appropriate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Able to work independently with little day to day supervision as well as building collaborative partnership with teams, stakeholders, and partners.
• Able to juggle competing priorities and operational pressures.
• IT competency in standard Microsoft Office packages (or equivalent) and ability to quickly understand and use other IT systems (e.g., databases).
• Able to apply the relevant management systems, procedures, policies and training relating to risk management, health and safety, information security and business continuity.
• Apply and manage the diversity and equality policy and practice pertinent to the role.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Independent prescribing qualification and/or experience in the provision of clinical services.
• Experience in the use of technology in the provision of pharmacy services including hub and spoke dispensing, robotic dispensing, and/or advanced Patient Medication Record systems.

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.

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working