Job summary
Chief Pharmacist/Clinical Director
An opportunity has arisen for a pharmacist with extensive leadership experience to join our progressive and expert leadership team at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust as Chief Pharmacist/Clinical Director.
As Chief Pharmacist/Clinical Director you will be the most senior pharmacist at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust responsible for the safe delivery of a comprehensive, optimised, high-quality pharmaceutical service to patients and staff. You will be the expert voice on pharmacy matters to the executive board, clinicians and senior managers, leading on medicines related clinical governance issues, whilst ensuring that regulatory standards and legislation in relation to medicines and pharmacy services are met.
Main duties of the job
You will provide clinical and professional leadership to a team of approximately 250 pharmacy staff working across 2 acute hospital sites and community services, ensuring a progressive andresponsive service to internal and external demand. You will lead on planning and delivering the medicines optimisation strategy for the Trust and support collaborative working within the pharmacy South-East London Acute Provider Collaborative and wider pharmacy ICS leadership team.
Informal visits and conversations welcome. Please contact jackie.sealey@nhs.net to arrange a conversation with Louise Crosby (Chief Nurse) or erin.butler1@nhs.net for a conversation with Tom Hastings (Director of Operations).
Confirmed Interview Date 3rd November 2023
About us
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
- Making equalities mainstream
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will be responsible for the delivery of safe and cost-effective pharmacy services across a range of clinical specialties throughout the Trust, including inpatient, outpatient and community services. The delivery of this service impacts on the Trust performance and the role includes a responsibility to ensure that the service is responsive to the delivery of Trust performance targets and optimal patient care.
The postholder will also manage and co-ordinate a multi skilled team of professionals who provide, deliver and develop clinical Pharmacy and Medicines Management services to the Trust. The postholder will lead the team to plan and implement changes to services or the way that they are delivered and provide specialist knowledge and advice for patients with complex conditions for whom therapeutics advice is sought
The postholder will initiate clinical or practice research in the relevant areas of pharmacy or medicines management and provide teaching to undergraduates and graduate pharmacy, nursing and medical practitioners.
Acting as a role model for the practice of Clinical Pharmacy, the postholder will lead on high-level problem solving and the development and implementation of a strategy and annual business plan for Pharmacy and Trust-wide multi-disciplinary Medicines Management.
The postholder will represent the Division and the Trust in relevant clinical networks, and in joint work with our locality commissioning Groups, NHS England, and other bodies at Regional and National level. The postholder will c lead the Trust Medicines Efficiency Programme and contribute to the Trust Cost Improvement Plan, Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programmes and to the generation of income.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
- To ensure that key objectives described in the Trust and Divisional plans for provision of Pharmacy services are implemented and monitored for effectiveness.
- To provide guidance and direction of all Divisional pharmacy or medicines activities and allocation of resources.
- To advise the Chief Executive on policies with regard to pharmaceutical services and ensure adherence of the Trust and its staff with the Medicines Act 1968, Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, the Code of Ethics of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and national standards of good professional practice.
- To prepare strategic and operational plans for the Division, liaising with Clinical and Divisional Directors as necessary.
- To contribute to the planning and design of facilities for pharmacy services and to obtain the support of the Capital Planning Working Group as required.
- To regularly review the effectiveness of the service and ensure safe and cost-effective practice is maintained at all times.
- To ensure the Trusts needs for Pharmacy services are identified and quantified within the business plans of other Divisions.
- To respond to, and identify action from, all complaints and clinical incidents involving the Pharmacy department and where appropriate to initiate service change and improvement.
- To continually and routinely seek means of improving services provided by the divisions and specifically, through participation as appropriate in Clinical Audit, Risk Management and Health and Safety.
- To establish and monitor local standards for practice, with reference to national and regional professional standards.
- To measure and assess the quality of service provided, thus ensuring the needs of the consumers of the service are met.
- To directly support the Clinical Governance Agenda encourage, enable and facilitate this to embrace all services within the Directorate.
- To ensure that initiatives on Medicine Safety, both advised by external bodies, e.g. MHRA, NICE, and from internal sources, e.g. arising from audit, incidents or complaints, are designed, promoted and implemented on a Trust-wide basis.
- To provide complex pharmaceutical advice to all appropriate committees, working parties and project teams which may be set up and in operation throughout the Trust.
- To be a key member of the Trusts Medicines Management Committee and to provide the committee with professional leadership in order that it should satisfactorily fulfil its Terms of Reference in promoting the safe, appropriate and cost-effective use of medicines.
- To be a member of the Trust Management Executive.
- To be a member of the senior leadership team within the Allied Clinical Services, representing services across the Division (as required)
- To co-ordinate, facilitate and monitor research activities of all pharmacy staff.
- To encourage and supervise publication of research work, including submission of personal
- To participate in pharmacy practice research.
- To ensure that training in practice research skills is provided for appropriate pharmacy staff.
- To be an active member, and represent the Trust, on the SEL ICS and APC Pharmaceutical Groups.
- To be an appeal Chair for the London Pharmacy Education & Training ACT Course
Workforce
- To be accountable for all staff employed by the Pharmacy department,
- To manage the staffing needs of the department with regular skill mix review and implementation of on-call and scheduled working rotas,
- To maintain a safe and competent workforce through ensuring education and training, supervision and completion of PDRs.
- To authorise vacancy requests for posts in the department.
- To contribute to national leadership and management courses for pharmacy staff.
- To be a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Committee for development of postgraduate competency frameworks.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will be responsible for the delivery of safe and cost-effective pharmacy services across a range of clinical specialties throughout the Trust, including inpatient, outpatient and community services. The delivery of this service impacts on the Trust performance and the role includes a responsibility to ensure that the service is responsive to the delivery of Trust performance targets and optimal patient care.
The postholder will also manage and co-ordinate a multi skilled team of professionals who provide, deliver and develop clinical Pharmacy and Medicines Management services to the Trust. The postholder will lead the team to plan and implement changes to services or the way that they are delivered and provide specialist knowledge and advice for patients with complex conditions for whom therapeutics advice is sought
The postholder will initiate clinical or practice research in the relevant areas of pharmacy or medicines management and provide teaching to undergraduates and graduate pharmacy, nursing and medical practitioners.
Acting as a role model for the practice of Clinical Pharmacy, the postholder will lead on high-level problem solving and the development and implementation of a strategy and annual business plan for Pharmacy and Trust-wide multi-disciplinary Medicines Management.
The postholder will represent the Division and the Trust in relevant clinical networks, and in joint work with our locality commissioning Groups, NHS England, and other bodies at Regional and National level. The postholder will c lead the Trust Medicines Efficiency Programme and contribute to the Trust Cost Improvement Plan, Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programmes and to the generation of income.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
- To ensure that key objectives described in the Trust and Divisional plans for provision of Pharmacy services are implemented and monitored for effectiveness.
- To provide guidance and direction of all Divisional pharmacy or medicines activities and allocation of resources.
- To advise the Chief Executive on policies with regard to pharmaceutical services and ensure adherence of the Trust and its staff with the Medicines Act 1968, Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, the Code of Ethics of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and national standards of good professional practice.
- To prepare strategic and operational plans for the Division, liaising with Clinical and Divisional Directors as necessary.
- To contribute to the planning and design of facilities for pharmacy services and to obtain the support of the Capital Planning Working Group as required.
- To regularly review the effectiveness of the service and ensure safe and cost-effective practice is maintained at all times.
- To ensure the Trusts needs for Pharmacy services are identified and quantified within the business plans of other Divisions.
- To respond to, and identify action from, all complaints and clinical incidents involving the Pharmacy department and where appropriate to initiate service change and improvement.
- To continually and routinely seek means of improving services provided by the divisions and specifically, through participation as appropriate in Clinical Audit, Risk Management and Health and Safety.
- To establish and monitor local standards for practice, with reference to national and regional professional standards.
- To measure and assess the quality of service provided, thus ensuring the needs of the consumers of the service are met.
- To directly support the Clinical Governance Agenda encourage, enable and facilitate this to embrace all services within the Directorate.
- To ensure that initiatives on Medicine Safety, both advised by external bodies, e.g. MHRA, NICE, and from internal sources, e.g. arising from audit, incidents or complaints, are designed, promoted and implemented on a Trust-wide basis.
- To provide complex pharmaceutical advice to all appropriate committees, working parties and project teams which may be set up and in operation throughout the Trust.
- To be a key member of the Trusts Medicines Management Committee and to provide the committee with professional leadership in order that it should satisfactorily fulfil its Terms of Reference in promoting the safe, appropriate and cost-effective use of medicines.
- To be a member of the Trust Management Executive.
- To be a member of the senior leadership team within the Allied Clinical Services, representing services across the Division (as required)
- To co-ordinate, facilitate and monitor research activities of all pharmacy staff.
- To encourage and supervise publication of research work, including submission of personal
- To participate in pharmacy practice research.
- To ensure that training in practice research skills is provided for appropriate pharmacy staff.
- To be an active member, and represent the Trust, on the SEL ICS and APC Pharmaceutical Groups.
- To be an appeal Chair for the London Pharmacy Education & Training ACT Course
Workforce
- To be accountable for all staff employed by the Pharmacy department,
- To manage the staffing needs of the department with regular skill mix review and implementation of on-call and scheduled working rotas,
- To maintain a safe and competent workforce through ensuring education and training, supervision and completion of PDRs.
- To authorise vacancy requests for posts in the department.
- To contribute to national leadership and management courses for pharmacy staff.
- To be a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Committee for development of postgraduate competency frameworks.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Training
Essential
- B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy)
- Registration as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Higher degree or Postgraduate Diploma in either Clinical Pharmacy or General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
- Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
- MSc
Desirable
- Post-graduate qualification in business / management
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-registration experience in hospital pharmacy including relevant experience at senior management/immediate sub-board level.
- Recent practice e (within last 5 years) in a leadership role managing a pharmacy team as a chief or deputy chief pharmacist level
- Demonstrable experience in clinical pharmacy practice covering a broad range of specialities
- Experience of operational and staff management in the NHS within Pharmacy Services
- Supervision and training of others.
- Examples of development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines.
- Examples of Clinical Audit and Literature Evaluations and how they have been use to improve or influence practice.
- Recent experience in leading transformational quality improvement project work
- Experience of working with executive teams and giving assurance on divisional services
Desirable
- Experience working as a band 8d pharmacist (or equivalent)
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Management of budgets (>£5m)
- Business planning
- Clear understanding of pharmacy developments
- Computer literate
- Marketing skills
- Ability to exercise discretion within wide parameters in researching/seeking support for plans to deliver agreed objectives
- Highly developed negotiating/influencing skills based on a thorough understanding of the relationships between clinical and management functions
- Knowledge of national NHS policy relating to pharmacy
- Able to demonstrate partnership working within and external to the Trust
Desirable
- Involvement in clinical audit and departmental quality audits
- Developing pharmacy service outcome indicators
- Practice research skills in clinical areas
Person Specification
Qualifications & Training
Essential
- B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy)
- Registration as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Higher degree or Postgraduate Diploma in either Clinical Pharmacy or General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
- Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
- MSc
Desirable
- Post-graduate qualification in business / management
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-registration experience in hospital pharmacy including relevant experience at senior management/immediate sub-board level.
- Recent practice e (within last 5 years) in a leadership role managing a pharmacy team as a chief or deputy chief pharmacist level
- Demonstrable experience in clinical pharmacy practice covering a broad range of specialities
- Experience of operational and staff management in the NHS within Pharmacy Services
- Supervision and training of others.
- Examples of development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines.
- Examples of Clinical Audit and Literature Evaluations and how they have been use to improve or influence practice.
- Recent experience in leading transformational quality improvement project work
- Experience of working with executive teams and giving assurance on divisional services
Desirable
- Experience working as a band 8d pharmacist (or equivalent)
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Management of budgets (>£5m)
- Business planning
- Clear understanding of pharmacy developments
- Computer literate
- Marketing skills
- Ability to exercise discretion within wide parameters in researching/seeking support for plans to deliver agreed objectives
- Highly developed negotiating/influencing skills based on a thorough understanding of the relationships between clinical and management functions
- Knowledge of national NHS policy relating to pharmacy
- Able to demonstrate partnership working within and external to the Trust
Desirable
- Involvement in clinical audit and departmental quality audits
- Developing pharmacy service outcome indicators
- Practice research skills in clinical areas
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
