County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Chief Pharmacist and Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer

The closing date is 04 June 2025

Job summary

INTERVIEWS WILL BE HELD AT DARLINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ON 24TH JUNE 2025.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is composed of 2 acute hospitals, 1 elective surgical and rehabilitation hospital and 5 community hospitals. As an integrated Trust, we also have a large community based team supporting patient care closer to home, with a new Virtual Wards frailty service. Pharmacy operate 7 day services from our 2 acute hospital sites.

The Pharmacy department is comprised of dispensaries at both Durham and Darlington, a Section 10 Aseptic Unit at Darlington and a centralised store in Durham. We also have a satellite clinical team based at Bishop Auckland Hospital supporting the elective Orthopaedic, Frailty and rehabilitation wards.

In terms of infrastructure we are well supported. Our robot in Durham and isolators in Darlington were replaced within the last 3 years and The Trust has been using the Cerner Millennium EPR since 2022. We have started the process of installing electronic medicines cabinets on our 2 acute sites with the goal to expand this to all wards.

The post-holder will be supported by an experienced and stable senior pharmacy management team aligned to both operational functions and our clinical care groups.

Main duties of the job

Develop the Trust Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation strategy in conjunction with the Deputy Chief Pharmacist and senior team.

Act as Chief Pharmacist as defined in the Medicines Act and the Chief Pharmacist Standards by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Act as Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer for the Trust.

Chair or attend sub-board committees as required.

Provide advice on interpretation of local and national guidance documents in relation to the use of medicines.

Provide advice on appropriate schemes to ensure medication savings are delivered.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two years of experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to consider sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and have a current visa expiring within 3 months).

Details

Date posted

21 May 2025

Pay scheme

Very senior manager (VSM)

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9439-25-0179

Job locations

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description for full details of the role.

The Trust Chief Pharmacist has a number of specific and distinct job roles within the Trust including:

Responsible for the leadership, management and strategic development of pharmacy services across the Trust.

Corporate, statutory responsibility for medicines management across the entire Trust with direct accountability to the Medical Director for ensuring that safe, effective and cost effective systems are in operation for the prescription, dispensing and administration of medicines.

The post provides a statutory defence against criminal sanctions for inadvertent preparation and dispensing errors for pharmacy staff provided the post-holder meets the standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description for full details of the role.

The Trust Chief Pharmacist has a number of specific and distinct job roles within the Trust including:

Responsible for the leadership, management and strategic development of pharmacy services across the Trust.

Corporate, statutory responsibility for medicines management across the entire Trust with direct accountability to the Medical Director for ensuring that safe, effective and cost effective systems are in operation for the prescription, dispensing and administration of medicines.

The post provides a statutory defence against criminal sanctions for inadvertent preparation and dispensing errors for pharmacy staff provided the post-holder meets the standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Person Specification

Special Requirements

Essential

  • Be able to travel between and work at different locations, locally, regionally and nationally as required.

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Extensive knowledge and experience in the successful delivery of the performance agenda and targets specifically relating to Pharmacy.
  • Strategic and operational leadership skills to lead change through people.
  • Performance improvement knowledge and skills.
  • Financial management experience and expertise.
  • Highly developed interpersonal and communications skills necessary to establish and maintain effective working relationships across and between a variety of diverse interest groups, and the ability to communicate highly complex information and negotiate effectively where there may be significant barriers to acceptance.
  • Proven visionary leadership with the ability to set out a clear vision for services, to persuade others of the benefits and requirements of the plan for the future and overcome obstacles.
  • Able to make effective, prompt decisions when faced with variable, complex information and situations.
  • Ability to present all work in a clear and concise manner appropriate to the target audience.
  • Demonstrate an ability to lead and motivate individuals and teams.
  • Proven ability to produce information reports and apply analytical/problem solving skills.
  • Awareness of and commitment to the clinical governance agenda.

Desirable

  • Research active.
  • Ability to anticipate and plan for changes.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters degree in Pharmacy or equivalent experience and learning.
  • Additional postgraduate clinical qualification, preferably at Masters level.
  • Additional postgraduate management qualification, preferably at Masters level.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive relevant experience as a senior Pharmacy manager in the acute NHS sector with proven ability to manage a significant human and financial resource in a complex environment.
  • Experience in service, policy and strategic development.
  • Experience of strategic management at a senior level with responsibility for a wide range of management activities.
  • Experience and evidence of delivering high standards of performance to achieve national and local targets.
  • Experience of managing change in a complex environment (developing existing services and implementing new services).
  • Experience of working effectively in collaboration with other agencies and other healthcare stakeholders.
  • Proven track record of managing and developing staff.
  • Experience in dealing with difficult situations including the resolution of conflict and influencing others to accept demanding outcomes.
  • High levels of resilience, tenacity, self-belief, confidence, and personal integrity.
  • Self-motivated to transform services for patients.
  • Able to achieve demanding tasks and objectives against deadlines.
  • Team worker who builds effective working relationships, as well as individual achiever.
  • Able to manage a range of responsibilities, giving priority to all dimensions of the role appropriately and meeting necessary deadlines.

Desirable

  • Experience of managing and successful delivery of projects using a formal project management methodology.

Statutory Registration

Essential

  • Registered member of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Desirable

  • Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
Person Specification

Special Requirements

Essential

  • Be able to travel between and work at different locations, locally, regionally and nationally as required.

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Extensive knowledge and experience in the successful delivery of the performance agenda and targets specifically relating to Pharmacy.
  • Strategic and operational leadership skills to lead change through people.
  • Performance improvement knowledge and skills.
  • Financial management experience and expertise.
  • Highly developed interpersonal and communications skills necessary to establish and maintain effective working relationships across and between a variety of diverse interest groups, and the ability to communicate highly complex information and negotiate effectively where there may be significant barriers to acceptance.
  • Proven visionary leadership with the ability to set out a clear vision for services, to persuade others of the benefits and requirements of the plan for the future and overcome obstacles.
  • Able to make effective, prompt decisions when faced with variable, complex information and situations.
  • Ability to present all work in a clear and concise manner appropriate to the target audience.
  • Demonstrate an ability to lead and motivate individuals and teams.
  • Proven ability to produce information reports and apply analytical/problem solving skills.
  • Awareness of and commitment to the clinical governance agenda.

Desirable

  • Research active.
  • Ability to anticipate and plan for changes.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters degree in Pharmacy or equivalent experience and learning.
  • Additional postgraduate clinical qualification, preferably at Masters level.
  • Additional postgraduate management qualification, preferably at Masters level.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive relevant experience as a senior Pharmacy manager in the acute NHS sector with proven ability to manage a significant human and financial resource in a complex environment.
  • Experience in service, policy and strategic development.
  • Experience of strategic management at a senior level with responsibility for a wide range of management activities.
  • Experience and evidence of delivering high standards of performance to achieve national and local targets.
  • Experience of managing change in a complex environment (developing existing services and implementing new services).
  • Experience of working effectively in collaboration with other agencies and other healthcare stakeholders.
  • Proven track record of managing and developing staff.
  • Experience in dealing with difficult situations including the resolution of conflict and influencing others to accept demanding outcomes.
  • High levels of resilience, tenacity, self-belief, confidence, and personal integrity.
  • Self-motivated to transform services for patients.
  • Able to achieve demanding tasks and objectives against deadlines.
  • Team worker who builds effective working relationships, as well as individual achiever.
  • Able to manage a range of responsibilities, giving priority to all dimensions of the role appropriately and meeting necessary deadlines.

Desirable

  • Experience of managing and successful delivery of projects using a formal project management methodology.

Statutory Registration

Essential

  • Registered member of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Desirable

  • Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

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

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Jamie Harris

07554438004

Details

Date posted

21 May 2025

Pay scheme

Very senior manager (VSM)

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9439-25-0179

Job locations

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)