Group Chief Pharmacist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure that all practice relating to medicines management across the Group complies with the current legislative framework and national policies. Where practice is found to be noncompliant, this is addressed.

Interpret broad current and forthcoming clinical/professional policies, medicines legislation and NHS guidance to manage, develop and lead the vision for the Pharmacy team and medicines management services within the context of the Group's overall strategic direction.

Develop, and lead on the delivery of, a long-term strategy for pharmacy and medicines optimisation with the Chief Nurse and Chief Medical Officer. This will include reviewing pharmacy service provision and procurement, ensuring any proposed changes are in accordance with corporate and clinical governance requirements.

Play an active part in the Group's transformation and organisational development programmesand the development and achievement of the Group's strategic aims and priorities, includingadopting a proactive role in developing key performance indicators in relation to medicines.

Undertake the role of the Controlled Drug Accountable Officer,responsible for ensuring the safe and effective use of controlled drugs across the Group inaccordance with the relevant legislation

Ensure comprehensive governance arrangements are in place to provide assurance of the safeuse of medicines across the Group and that performance meets, and exceeds where possible,national standards.

Ensure the role of Medicines Safety Officer is fulfilled and Clinical Leaders and Senior Managersare engaged to improve medicines safety.

Pro-actively influence safe and effective drug therapy in conjunction with other clinical staff.

Oversee the Group prescribing systems and associated informatics systems.

Oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive Clinical Audit Plan for theGroup relating to medicines.

Ensure that appropriate training and education is provided to staff within the Trust to provideassurance that they are competent in their roles to prescribe, clinically check, supply, andadminister medication, as appropriate.

Ensure that the medicines-related aspects of complaints, serious incidents and other causes ofconcern are included in any investigation and thematic learning.

Manage critical incidents involving medicines and ensure effective business continuity plans arein place.

Ensure robust risk management arrangements are in place which effectively identify key risks,and associated mitigation plans and advise and act on matters of clinical risk and professionalperformance.

Deliver the cultural change necessary to implement person-centred services, optimal staffexperience and promote partnership working.

Communication

Collaborate with, and advise, senior clinical and operational leads on their strategic plansregarding management of medicines and development and deployment of prescribers.

Collaborate with members of the executive board, patient groups and scrutiny committees as necessary to maintain and enhance positive relationships.

Apply influence to ensure that services have a culture of continuous quality and serviceimprovement in relation to medicines management.Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to realise opportunities and benefits to the health economy from joint working.

Budgetary ResponsibilityFunction as budget holder for a designated budget and complete reports as requested.

Be accountable for pharmacy pay and non-pay budgets to ensure they remain within currentresources.

Have oversight of drug usage and expenditure and exert influence over medicines use toensure clinical and cost-effectiveness.

Identify and promote cost reduction initiatives in medicines usage including the delivery of costimprovement targets without compromising quality of service delivery.

Meet financial targets for income and expenditure, promoting effective use of resources usingevidence-based practice.

Alert the Trust Board to potential the budgetary impact of new drug developments and advise onfinancial risk management of the prescribing budget.

People Management

Be accountable for the direct management and workload allocation of the Pharmacy teamacross the Group.

Develop and implement a Pharmacy recruitment and retention policy to support resilience.

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust: providing services across Cambridgeshire, Milton Keynes Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough,Bedfordshire and Suffolkand sustainability and ensure optimal performance.

Ensure that staff have adequate clinical supervision/mentorshipand manage any poor performance actively with the Group's policies and proceduresframework.

Continually review skill mix to align with delivery of the Groups strategy and priorities in relation to medicines. Conduct and oversee the annual appraisal process for the team and the production of subsequent development plans to enable staff to reach their full potential.

Foster a culture of lifelong learning, to include provision for post-registration education, continuing professional education/development and vocational training of staff within the team.

Research & Development Activity

Oversee relevant research, innovation, and development projects to optimise quality of patientcare and the effective use of medicines.

Clinical and Practice Governance

Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient/family/staff/records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Any data that is taken/shared as part of a phone call or transported, faxed, or transferred electronically must be undertaken regarding the Trust Information Governance and Information Security policies.

Conduct investigations in line with Disciplinary or Grievance policies and where appropriate take these to a conclusion.

The post holder must adhere to the Trust risk assessment and risk management processes.

The post holder must adhere to infection control policies and procedures.It is a condition of your employment that you are registered with your professional body, and it isyour responsibility to maintain your professional registration.

Maintaining own professional development and requirement to take part in appraisal and KeySkills Framework process.

Provide reports as required to the Trust Board on all matters relating to medicines use,prescribing and provision of medicines optimisation services within the Trust.

Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by the Group.

The post holder must participate in clinical and safeguarding audits as required.

Provide patients and their families /carers with information on standards they should expect from the team.

The post holder will participate in relevant emergency preparedness process for their team.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Master's degree in pharmacy (or equivalent)
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Post-graduate qualification relevant to pharmacy practice

Desirable

• Postgraduate leadership or management qualification
• Qualifications or equivalent experience in change/project management
• Independent Prescriber

Experience

Essential

• Experience of achieving positive outcomes in the following domains of Medicines Management: Medicines safety; Cost effectiveness; Governance; and Workforce
• Significant experience at a senior leadership level
• Significant experience of change management within a large, complex organisation
• Experience of working across multiple sites and leading organisational wide
• Experience of interagency working

Desirable

• Experience of working at a senior level in community health services pharmacy.
• Experience of working in other fields within pharmacy, e.g. primary care, community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy.
• Experience of driving organisation improvement

Skills

Essential

• Excellent people skills evidenced by having fostered good working relationships.
• Ability to develop strategic direction and translate into achievable objectives and plans.
• Ability to think strategically and analytically.
• Report writing, presentation and teaching skills

Desirable

• Experience of designing and delivering training
• Experience of coaching and developing staff
• Experience in presenting contentious at board level meeting.

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

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Address

CCS Head Office

Meadow Park

St Ives

PE27 4LG

Employer's website

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