Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Head of Leeds Medicines Advisory Service (XR10)

The closing date is 06 April 2026

Job summary

Medicines Management & Pharmacy Services are looking for an experienced manager to lead the Leeds Medicines Advisory Service team within Medicines Management and Pharmacy Services. The Leeds Medicines Advisory Service (LMAS) supports the organisation in achieving Medicines Optimisation for patients in the Trust. It consists of five core elements an enquiry answering service, Medicines Safety, Formulary / Drug and Therapeutics, Commissioning and Primary Care Interface.

We're looking for a values-driven, collaborative leader with:

Senior leadership experience as a pharmacist in health services;

Expert knowledge of quality governance, patient safety, clinical effectiveness and medicines regulations;

A track record of leading improvement and cultural change;

Strong communication, influencing and relationship-building skills;

The ability to analyse complex data and advise at a senior level

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced pharmacist to make a practical contribution to improving patient care while shaping the future direction of the Leeds Medicines Advisory Service.

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist pharmaceutical professional leadership for the Leeds Medicines Advisory Service (MAS) and contribute to the strategic direction of all the elements of Medicines Optimisation delivery that the service encompasses.

Plan and organise the provision and development of the broad and complex MAS Specialist Services, that are patient focussed, safe, efficient and effective; that are progressive and responsive to meets users needs and are fit to meet the needs of the changing NHS environment.

Direct the operational delivery and assurance provision from and lead the development of the Trust Medicines Optimisation Groups -The Drug and Therapeutics Group and The Medicines Safety Group.

Lead the development and be responsible for ensuring the delivery, management and evaluation of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with external organisations and partners.

Direct the delivery of a comprehensive Medicines Advisory Specialist Service to agreed standards of quality and timeliness within the legal framework, local and national standards and financial constraints by coordinating a team of specialist pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, data managers and information staff, implementing risk management strategies, maintaining and developing agreed standards and operating procedures and managing and monitoring other resources.

About us

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals is one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the country, offering a range of both general and specialist hospital services with excellent clinical outcomes for patients. We have an international reputation for excellence in specialist care, research and academic training.

Our vision as a Trust is to be the best for specialist and integrated care. This is underpinned by our values - The Leeds Way. The Leeds Way defines who we are, what we believe and how we will work together to deliver the best outcomes for our patients.

Medicines Management & Pharmacy Services is nationally recognised as an exemplar service. We employ over 700 staff and our responsibilities span the provision and use of medicines across all patient pathways.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Details

Date posted

16 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£79,504 to £91,609 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9298-MMP-486

Job locations

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3EX


Job description

Job responsibilities

Leadership, Management and Service Planning

1. Provide leadership in the development of a culture that encourages education, research and service development across all areas of the pharmacy including Medicines Advisory Services (MAS) in order to secure continuous improvement to overall pharmacy service and the introduction of innovative service developments.

2. Provide enthusiastic and motivated leadership and strategic direction for the Leeds MAS, in line with the pharmacy and Trust strategy,

3. Work with of the national UKMI group and contribute to strategy development.

4. Develop and maintain relationships with key users in order to gather intelligence about their changing needs. Ensure that users are updated on changes in information and technology and the implications for delivering an MAS to them. Identify needs for new or extended MAS services

5. Lead the development of, and be responsible for the management, evaluation and financial monitoring of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), where appropriate. Prepare and present reports to organisations and partners in respect of SLAs.

6. Provide pharmaceutical professional leadership and be responsible for maintenance and development of the MAS and policy implementation, ensuring that funding is secured for service developments through business cases and negotiation with relevant stakeholders

7. Collaborate with stakeholders within pharmacy, CSUs and Trust to support the effective delivery and provision of the Pharmacy Services and achievement of the Pharmacy Business Plan and Medicine Management Strategy and the Trust Objectives.

8. Develop an accessible service responsive to patients, practitioners and users needs. Identify and manage change in MAS required as a result of the rapidly changing NHS environment

9. To continuously review skill mix and workforce development within the department and in collaboration across pharmacy services

Identify, pursue and develop potential income generating initiatives.

10. Be responsible for economic resource and equipment purchasing

11. Ensure that advice and information concerning the use of medicines, provided by the MAS, meets all legal and statutory controls.

12. Develop indicators of service quality, volume and cost.

13. Implement, develop and maintain all necessary systems used to record, collate, retrieve, store, disseminate and evaluate information in MI service.

14. Develop innovative ways of communicating and disseminating medicines information through development and maintenance of systems using the intranet and internet.

15. Ensure staff receive adequate training, and have an appropriate level and range of skills, confidence and resources to deliver all the components of the MAS

16. Ensure risk management systems are in place Ensure that the quality and timeliness of information and advice provided by the department meets local and national standards within financial constraints, and that the users satisfaction within the service is audited against agreed standards and highlighted issues are addressed.

17. Be responsible for ensuring that the legal and statutory requirements in relation to medicines and all aspects of the MAS are met and ensure that the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients and customers in the defined areas meets both national and local Hospital pharmacy standards.

18. Be responsible for the continual review of pharmaceutical service provision to a range of specialties, CSUs or Trust wide. Where necessary, plan and implement changes to ensure that future service development needs are met.

19. Proactively manage a risk register for MAS and the MMPS CSU in accordance with Trust policy.

20. Ensure that physical requirements of staff and service meet Health and Safety and Occupational Health Regulations and that where requires; bids for new space, furniture or equipment are submitted.

National & Regional Activity

1. Develop the role of the specialist medicines advisory roles across the full breadth of services and ensure links maintained and developed with appropriate national networks and bodies e.g. UKMI Exec, UKCPA, GHP

2. Represent Leeds at National Medicines Information, Medication Safety Officer, Medicines Commissioning and Holistic Healthcare networks as appropriate.

3. Develop and Lead MAS team members to develop their own leadership potential through regional and national activities

4. Liaise and coordinate negotiations with relevant bodies such as NHS England, MHRA, CCGs, General Practitioners, Community Pharmacy representatives and others as required.

5. Develop MAS, Medicines Information, Medication Safety Officer and Medical Devices Safety Officer Networks and joint initiatives with other local providers to facilitate shared objective development, across the current NHS geography.

Service Activity

1. Lead the development of service standards/ and performance criteria Deliver the MAS to an agreed level of quality and timeliness within the legal framework, local and national standards and financial constraints, providing specialist information and expert opinion, to practitioners both within and outside pharmacy and Trust to ensure the safe and cost-effective delivery of drug therapy to influence and support patient care.

2. Deal with highly complex, often sensitive or contentious, urgent and non-urgent clinical and managerial issues which required the pharmacist to gather, record, analyse and interpret data and information in order to create and compare options and formulate a response, based on a range of sources. In some cases, information will be lacking, incomplete, possibly biased and/or misleading or information sources may not be in agreement. In these situations, it may be necessary to use professional judgement to deliver a helpful, accurate, up to date answer or find a novel solution to an unusual clinical or managerial situation. The pharmacist will use negotiating and persuasive skills when interacting with other clinical team members, colleagues, hospital managers, patients and relatives who may challenge their advice.

3. Demonstrate the ability to provide safe, clinically effective and cost-effective use of medicines in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating procedures and medicine legislation. This will include prescription review, advising on appropriate dosage, side effects and on the safe administration and storage of medicines. In specialist services this may occur for a group of defined patients as well as individuals. The post holder is expected to determine how the outcomes are best achieved in specific circumstance.

4. Responsible for maintaining appropriate data entry records and storage of information of dispensing, clinical and MAS specialist information in line with standard operating procedures Play a key role in the investigation of medicine related incidents and agreement of action plans and coordinate local response to national alert mechanisms

5. Lead and oversee the development of Trust Medicines Management Policies

6. Analyse and provide detailed information regarding drug use and financial data for stakeholders to influence external decision making.

Education and Training and Research and Development

1. Ensure that Medicines Advisory Service training is encompassed in the departmental training plan.

2. Lead teaching sessions and workshops, as relevant to professional and clinical expertise. These will be in-house, external and as part of the linked teaching programme with academic associates (e.g. University of Leeds and University of Bradford).

3. Promote research activities of individuals The post holder will undertake and publish practice research and enable team members to do likewise.

4. Bid for funding and resources to support research, development and audit, technology, information provision and training.

Human Resources

1. Be responsible for individual and team performance through the setting of agreed objectives linked to the Trust and Pharmacy business plan objectives. Following induction of staff, work with them to develop their PDPs supported through performance review systems. Also responsible for sickness, disciplinary and grievance matters and recruitment strategies including undertaking skill mix reviews and succession planning.

2. Ensure that all staff working in MAS are motivated and developed as a team to do their best to achieve their professional and personal goals, to contribute towards the Pharmacy business plan and help them to develop their skills and knowledge and ultimately their career direction.

3. Authorise salaries and wages documentation including management of ESR.

4. Ensure good HR practices required through investors in People, Improving Working Lives and Equality and Diversity are applied and that Trust policies are followed.

Other

1. The post holder will be committed to the concepts of continuing professional development and lifelong learning.

2. Work agreed sessions in a dispensary area and providing a full range of dispensing services.

3. Provide pharmacy and weekend working and participate in the pharmacy out of hours working arrangements to the frequency as contractually agreed.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Leadership, Management and Service Planning

1. Provide leadership in the development of a culture that encourages education, research and service development across all areas of the pharmacy including Medicines Advisory Services (MAS) in order to secure continuous improvement to overall pharmacy service and the introduction of innovative service developments.

2. Provide enthusiastic and motivated leadership and strategic direction for the Leeds MAS, in line with the pharmacy and Trust strategy,

3. Work with of the national UKMI group and contribute to strategy development.

4. Develop and maintain relationships with key users in order to gather intelligence about their changing needs. Ensure that users are updated on changes in information and technology and the implications for delivering an MAS to them. Identify needs for new or extended MAS services

5. Lead the development of, and be responsible for the management, evaluation and financial monitoring of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), where appropriate. Prepare and present reports to organisations and partners in respect of SLAs.

6. Provide pharmaceutical professional leadership and be responsible for maintenance and development of the MAS and policy implementation, ensuring that funding is secured for service developments through business cases and negotiation with relevant stakeholders

7. Collaborate with stakeholders within pharmacy, CSUs and Trust to support the effective delivery and provision of the Pharmacy Services and achievement of the Pharmacy Business Plan and Medicine Management Strategy and the Trust Objectives.

8. Develop an accessible service responsive to patients, practitioners and users needs. Identify and manage change in MAS required as a result of the rapidly changing NHS environment

9. To continuously review skill mix and workforce development within the department and in collaboration across pharmacy services

Identify, pursue and develop potential income generating initiatives.

10. Be responsible for economic resource and equipment purchasing

11. Ensure that advice and information concerning the use of medicines, provided by the MAS, meets all legal and statutory controls.

12. Develop indicators of service quality, volume and cost.

13. Implement, develop and maintain all necessary systems used to record, collate, retrieve, store, disseminate and evaluate information in MI service.

14. Develop innovative ways of communicating and disseminating medicines information through development and maintenance of systems using the intranet and internet.

15. Ensure staff receive adequate training, and have an appropriate level and range of skills, confidence and resources to deliver all the components of the MAS

16. Ensure risk management systems are in place Ensure that the quality and timeliness of information and advice provided by the department meets local and national standards within financial constraints, and that the users satisfaction within the service is audited against agreed standards and highlighted issues are addressed.

17. Be responsible for ensuring that the legal and statutory requirements in relation to medicines and all aspects of the MAS are met and ensure that the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients and customers in the defined areas meets both national and local Hospital pharmacy standards.

18. Be responsible for the continual review of pharmaceutical service provision to a range of specialties, CSUs or Trust wide. Where necessary, plan and implement changes to ensure that future service development needs are met.

19. Proactively manage a risk register for MAS and the MMPS CSU in accordance with Trust policy.

20. Ensure that physical requirements of staff and service meet Health and Safety and Occupational Health Regulations and that where requires; bids for new space, furniture or equipment are submitted.

National & Regional Activity

1. Develop the role of the specialist medicines advisory roles across the full breadth of services and ensure links maintained and developed with appropriate national networks and bodies e.g. UKMI Exec, UKCPA, GHP

2. Represent Leeds at National Medicines Information, Medication Safety Officer, Medicines Commissioning and Holistic Healthcare networks as appropriate.

3. Develop and Lead MAS team members to develop their own leadership potential through regional and national activities

4. Liaise and coordinate negotiations with relevant bodies such as NHS England, MHRA, CCGs, General Practitioners, Community Pharmacy representatives and others as required.

5. Develop MAS, Medicines Information, Medication Safety Officer and Medical Devices Safety Officer Networks and joint initiatives with other local providers to facilitate shared objective development, across the current NHS geography.

Service Activity

1. Lead the development of service standards/ and performance criteria Deliver the MAS to an agreed level of quality and timeliness within the legal framework, local and national standards and financial constraints, providing specialist information and expert opinion, to practitioners both within and outside pharmacy and Trust to ensure the safe and cost-effective delivery of drug therapy to influence and support patient care.

2. Deal with highly complex, often sensitive or contentious, urgent and non-urgent clinical and managerial issues which required the pharmacist to gather, record, analyse and interpret data and information in order to create and compare options and formulate a response, based on a range of sources. In some cases, information will be lacking, incomplete, possibly biased and/or misleading or information sources may not be in agreement. In these situations, it may be necessary to use professional judgement to deliver a helpful, accurate, up to date answer or find a novel solution to an unusual clinical or managerial situation. The pharmacist will use negotiating and persuasive skills when interacting with other clinical team members, colleagues, hospital managers, patients and relatives who may challenge their advice.

3. Demonstrate the ability to provide safe, clinically effective and cost-effective use of medicines in accordance with Trust policy, standard operating procedures and medicine legislation. This will include prescription review, advising on appropriate dosage, side effects and on the safe administration and storage of medicines. In specialist services this may occur for a group of defined patients as well as individuals. The post holder is expected to determine how the outcomes are best achieved in specific circumstance.

4. Responsible for maintaining appropriate data entry records and storage of information of dispensing, clinical and MAS specialist information in line with standard operating procedures Play a key role in the investigation of medicine related incidents and agreement of action plans and coordinate local response to national alert mechanisms

5. Lead and oversee the development of Trust Medicines Management Policies

6. Analyse and provide detailed information regarding drug use and financial data for stakeholders to influence external decision making.

Education and Training and Research and Development

1. Ensure that Medicines Advisory Service training is encompassed in the departmental training plan.

2. Lead teaching sessions and workshops, as relevant to professional and clinical expertise. These will be in-house, external and as part of the linked teaching programme with academic associates (e.g. University of Leeds and University of Bradford).

3. Promote research activities of individuals The post holder will undertake and publish practice research and enable team members to do likewise.

4. Bid for funding and resources to support research, development and audit, technology, information provision and training.

Human Resources

1. Be responsible for individual and team performance through the setting of agreed objectives linked to the Trust and Pharmacy business plan objectives. Following induction of staff, work with them to develop their PDPs supported through performance review systems. Also responsible for sickness, disciplinary and grievance matters and recruitment strategies including undertaking skill mix reviews and succession planning.

2. Ensure that all staff working in MAS are motivated and developed as a team to do their best to achieve their professional and personal goals, to contribute towards the Pharmacy business plan and help them to develop their skills and knowledge and ultimately their career direction.

3. Authorise salaries and wages documentation including management of ESR.

4. Ensure good HR practices required through investors in People, Improving Working Lives and Equality and Diversity are applied and that Trust policies are followed.

Other

1. The post holder will be committed to the concepts of continuing professional development and lifelong learning.

2. Work agreed sessions in a dispensary area and providing a full range of dispensing services.

3. Provide pharmacy and weekend working and participate in the pharmacy out of hours working arrangements to the frequency as contractually agreed.

Person Specification

Skills & behaviours

Essential

  • Demonstrates mastery in expert professional practice, building working relationships, leadership and excellence in management and education, training and development and research and evaluation.
  • Capable of leading a multi-disciplinary team, including those outside a formal line management structure and influencing the behaviours of multi professional staff.

Qualifications

Essential

  • MPharm, or equivalent
  • Post-graduate Qualification or equivalent experience in Clinical Pharmacy and/or information/advisory services.

Desirable

  • Postgraduate Management qualification
  • Attended National UKMI Training course or equivalent

Experience

Essential

  • Excellent, current knowledge and skills in relation to the elements of the Leeds Medicines Advisory Service.
  • Evidence of involvement in service developments and change management in highly complex situations or in large organisations.
  • Understanding of NHS/government policy and its applications in secondary and primary care and implications for hospital pharmacy and medicines advice services.
  • Experience of business and strategic planning, with major contribution to corporate policies and strategy.
  • Evidence of leading staff recruitment, undertaking staff performance reviews and examples of staff supervision, support, mentoring, tutoring, developing and management.

Additional Requirements

Essential

  • Exceptional communication skills - listening, questioning, oral and written.
  • Analytical skills for dealing with highly complex, sensitive and contentious clinical and managerial issues.
Person Specification

Skills & behaviours

Essential

  • Demonstrates mastery in expert professional practice, building working relationships, leadership and excellence in management and education, training and development and research and evaluation.
  • Capable of leading a multi-disciplinary team, including those outside a formal line management structure and influencing the behaviours of multi professional staff.

Qualifications

Essential

  • MPharm, or equivalent
  • Post-graduate Qualification or equivalent experience in Clinical Pharmacy and/or information/advisory services.

Desirable

  • Postgraduate Management qualification
  • Attended National UKMI Training course or equivalent

Experience

Essential

  • Excellent, current knowledge and skills in relation to the elements of the Leeds Medicines Advisory Service.
  • Evidence of involvement in service developments and change management in highly complex situations or in large organisations.
  • Understanding of NHS/government policy and its applications in secondary and primary care and implications for hospital pharmacy and medicines advice services.
  • Experience of business and strategic planning, with major contribution to corporate policies and strategy.
  • Evidence of leading staff recruitment, undertaking staff performance reviews and examples of staff supervision, support, mentoring, tutoring, developing and management.

Additional Requirements

Essential

  • Exceptional communication skills - listening, questioning, oral and written.
  • Analytical skills for dealing with highly complex, sensitive and contentious clinical and managerial issues.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3EX


Employer's website

https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3EX


Employer's website

https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Lead Clinician, Medicines Safety, Quality and R&I

Marianne Taylor

marianne.taylor4@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

16 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£79,504 to £91,609 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9298-MMP-486

Job locations

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3EX


Supporting documents

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