Senior Pharmacist - Medicines Optimisation (Diabetes)

NHS Forth Valley; Larbert; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Forth Valley is seeking a Senior Pharmacist to lead Medicines Optimisation for diabetes, during a 15‑month fixed-term or secondment. The role blends advanced clinical practice with independent prescribing, patient‑centred care and quality improvement to optimise insulin prescribing and medicines use across settings.

You will work across primary and secondary care, engaging people with diabetes, clinicians and stakeholders to deliver measurable improvements in prescribing value and care

Qualifications

• Current registration as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Registration as an independent prescriber.
• Relevant post-registration clinical experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of the diabetes invest-to-save and prescribing improvement programme.
• Undertake person-centred medication reviews and use independent prescribing skills to optimise treatment safely and effectively.
• Engage directly with people living with diabetes, supporting informed choices through shared decision‑making.
• Develop effective clinical pathways, review processes and follow‑up arrangements across primary and secondary care.
• Build strong relationships with clinical, pharmacy, finance, procurement and other stakeholders to support successful implementation.
• Use prescribing, clinical and financial data to monitor outcomes, measure benefits and report progress.
• Identify further opportunities to improve prescribing quality, reduce unwarranted variation and make best use of NHS resources.
• Contribute specialist diabetes expertise to the wider work of the whole‑system Medicines Optimisation Team.

Skills

Independent prescribing

Diabetes care

Data interpretation

Stakeholder engagement

Change leadership

Communication skills

Education

General Pharmaceutical Council registration

Independent prescriber registration

Job description

Fixed‑Term or Secondment for 15 months due to the implementation of a specific project, pilot or system.

Help Shape the Future of Medicines Optimisation and Diabetes Care

Are you an experienced pharmacist with a passion for improving prescribing, delivering high-quality diabetes care and helping people achieve the best possible outcomes from their medicines?

NHS Forth Valley is seeking an enthusiastic and forward-thinking pharmacist to join our whole-system Medicines Optimisation Team as Senior Pharmacist - Medicines Optimisation (Diabetes).

This is a 15-month secondment or fixed-term opportunity to lead an important prescribing improvement and invest-to-save programme, initially focused on the safe and clinically appropriate optimisation of insulin prescribing.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to combine advanced clinical practice, independent prescribing, patient‑centred care and quality improvement with the delivery of measurable improvements in the value and sustainability of medicines use.

Working across primary and secondary care, you will establish and lead the diabetes medicines optimisation initiative, working closely with people living with diabetes, specialist diabetes services, general practices, primary care pharmacy teams and other key stakeholders.

You will:

• Lead the development and delivery of the diabetes invest-to-save and prescribing improvement programme.
• Undertake person‑centred medication reviews and use independent prescribing skills to optimise treatment safely and effectively.
• Engage directly with people living with diabetes, supporting informed choices through shared decision‑making.
• Develop effective clinical pathways, review processes and follow‑up arrangements across primary and secondary care.
• Build strong relationships with clinical, pharmacy, finance, procurement and other stakeholders to support successful implementation.
• Use prescribing, clinical and financial data to monitor outcomes, measure benefits and report progress.
• Identify further opportunities to improve prescribing quality, reduce unwarranted variation and make best use of NHS resources.
• Contribute specialist diabetes expertise to the wider work of the whole‑system Medicines Optimisation Team.

The post will have an initial focus on the delivery of the funded diabetes invest-to-save programme. Where capacity allows, the postholder will also help identify and develop wider medicines optimisation opportunities that improve patient care, prescribing quality and value.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for an experienced pharmacist who is motivated by the opportunity to improve care for people living with diabetes and deliver meaningful, sustainable improvement in medicines use.

You will bring:

• Current registration as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Registration as an independent prescriber.
• Relevant post‑registration clinical experience.
• A strong interest in diabetes care, medicines optimisation and evidence‑based prescribing.
• Experience of delivering service improvement, quality improvement or prescribing change.
• The ability to work autonomously while collaborating effectively across professional and organisational boundaries.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship‑building skills.
• Confidence in engaging people in shared decisions about their medicines.
• The ability to interpret data, monitor outcomes and demonstrate the impact of improvement initiatives.

Previous specialist experience in diabetes would be advantageous. However, we also welcome applications from experienced pharmacists with transferable clinical skills, a strong commitment to person‑centred care and the enthusiasm to develop their diabetes expertise.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who can combine clinical credibility, compassionate patient care and effective change leadership to translate an ambitious proposal into measurable improvements for people and services.

If you are passionate about person‑centred diabetes care, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact: Jonathan Cavan, Associate Director of Pharmacy at [e-mail]

Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme:

The duties of this post require the successful candidate to be a member of the PVG Scheme. More information at www.disclosurescotland.co.uk

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK are advised to review the eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa routes. NHS Forth Valley may be able to offer sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and other required criteria. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case‑b... following interview and at the commencement of pre‑employment checks. Please see UK Government guidance on work visas for further information.

Applying for Health and Social Care Jobs from Abroad:

Applicants applying from abroad are recommended to read the UK Government guidance on applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad.

Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. Failure to comply may result in your application being withdrawn.

NHS Forth Valley is positive about disabled people and is committed to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Please contact the Recruitment Office on 0330 041 4694 if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you with your application and/or interview.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.