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Job summary

Main area
Medicines Optimisation
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
  • Home or remote working
30 hours per week (9.00-5.30pm Monday-Friday)
Job ref
994-ICB-6441303-A
Employer
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board
Employer type
NHS
Site
County Hall, Glenfield Leicester.
Town
Leicester
Salary
£50,952 - £57,349 pa pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
04/08/2024 23:59

Employer heading

NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board logo

Senior Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist

NHS AfC: Band 8a

We take a flexible approach in terms of what we are able to offer. This means we have a variety of working patterns, full or part-time and we actively promote agile working, i.e. working where it’s most appropriate for an individual to perform their role. You will have a base at Glenfield to attend as and when required but for the majority of the time you will be able to work from home. It will be expected that you have a basic homeworking set up in your home to meet the needs of the role i.e. desk/chair.  

So why not join our team and help us to deliver better healthcare, both now and in the future!

Job overview

The ICB Medicines Optimisation Team are looking to recruit an 8A pharmacist.

As the post holder you will be part of an experienced team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who work at system, place and neighbourhood level supporting all aspects of medicines optimisation linked to our medicines optimisation strategic objectives.   

The post is suitable for pharmacists from any healthcare background who meets the personal specification and has the right level of experience.

A large part of the role can be undertaken remotely, although there will be the requirement to travel to our office base, vaccination centres and GP practices within the Leicester and Leicestershire Area occasionally on a weekly basis.

Main duties of the job

Deliver the ICB  Medicines Optimisation operational plan and provide expert evidence based, cost effective pharmaceutical advice, support and information to the ICB and stakeholders in line with the ICB System. Expectations include improving patient care and to ensure best value of the use of public monies. 

 

Working for our organisation

Integrated Care Boards are at the heart of a new way of working for the NHS, bringing together providers of NHS services with local authorities and other local partners to plan, co-ordinate and arrange health services as part of what is to be known as an Integrated care System. They are part of a fundamental shift in the way the health and care system is organised – away from competition and organisational autonomy and towards collaboration, with health and care organisations working together to better integrate services, improve population health and reduce health inequalities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Core Duties and Responsibilities (Key Result Areas)

• Contribute to the development of and delivery of the LLR ICB’s operational plan for Medicines Optimisation to individual GP practices, Primary Care.
Networks and Federations and commissioned services.
• Contribute to the development of and delivery of the LLR ICB’s operational plan for Medicines Optimisation aspects of other ICB work streams, pathways and design groups. 
• Deputise when appropriate for senior pharmacists and the Head of Medicines Optimisation.
• Provide specialised medicines and therapeutic advice to inform practices on priorities and actions, and the treatment of patients.
• Develop policies and implement processes to ensure medicines are handled safely and risk and quality standards are achieved at locality and practice levels.
Deliver medicines education and training (legal, policy and therapeutics) to localities/practices to increase safe and evidence-based prescribing.
• Deliver key prescribing messages, metrics and data to primary care.
• Supervise / coach other team members involved in delivering the operational plan.
Respond to Freedom of Information requests and complaints and keep under review the framework and in accordance with the legislation. 
Be professionally accountable and responsible for all actions and decisions, as a registered pharmacist in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Planning & Organising
• To deputise when appropriate for the Head of Medicines Optimisation and Senior Medicine Optimisation Pharmacists.
• Lead key corporate initiatives, working with teams across the ICB, to facilitate the changes required.
• Provide high quality strategic and operational policy advice.
• Keep up to date with policy developments across health and care, being 
mindful of the impact of policy development on others, including patients and the public.
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement and prioritise them across the team.
• Contribute to strategic planning of projects, identifying interdependencies across projects and potential impacts on the wider organisation and building in contingency and adjustment where necessary. 
• Support delivery of the medicine optimisation aspects the LLR ICB’s strategy and operational plan at GP practice, Primary Care Network and Federation level and other commissioned services. 
• Contribute to short, medium, and long-term business plans, with a focus on achieving quality outcomes.
• Lead by example in order to embed behaviours that consistently represent the ICB’s values, and to ensure that all staff members live up to these.
• Monitor delivery against plans and key milestones.
Service Improvement
• Continuously find ways to improve team systems and structures.
• Regularly review procedures and /or systems to identify improvements and simplify processes and decision making.
• Support the identification of best practice and continuous improvement.
• Ensure projects, services and initiatives are delivered on time, in a cost-effective manner and to quality standards, adjusting plans as required.
• Ensure the team has suitable information and administrative systems and processes in place to meet the objectives of the directorate.
• Produce both internal and external timely reports highlighting progress, risks and issues.
• Act as champion for patients and involve patients and public in policy 
development. Act as an antimicrobial guardian and support antimicrobial 
stewardship across LLR
• Develop and implement processes to ensure medicines are handled safely and risk and quality standards are achieved at locality and practice levels.
• Deliver medicines education and training (legal, policy and therapeutics) to localities/practices to increase safe and evidence-based prescribing.
• Lead delivery of therapeutic education and information to support evidence based prescribing.
• Maintain and improve proactive prescribing information sources e.g. 
intra/internet sites and bulletins/newsletters to inform safe and cost effective use of medicines.
Analysis & Judgment
• Undertake quantitative and qualitative analysis of highly complex data which may come from a range of sources.
• Use data to support monitoring, development and improvement of business cases, projects, and reports.
• Interpret highly complex data and present options appraisals to support intelligent decision making.
• Take decisions on complex issues where there may be a number of courses of action available.
• Ensure that the team operates efficiently and effectively, advising on and progressing significant work streams and leading on specific projects.
• Operate intelligently in a highly political and sensitive environment.
• Develop innovative and workable solutions to a variety of complex problems.
• Provide high quality specialised medicines and therapeutic advice to inform practices on priorities and actions, and the treatment of patients.
• Analyse and evaluate highly complex medicines information and clinical trial data from various sources, presenting clear summaries to GPs and other prescribers to increase safe and evidence based prescribing.

Communication
• Develop and maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide and receive highly complex information about initiatives, contracts and services through a variety of mediums, including reports, briefing papers, workshops and meetings.
• Build relationships and influence across the Directorate and with other key stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Able to motivate and influence staff and stakeholders to engage, and as 
needed, complete actions related to the successful delivery of the project, initiative, contract or service.

Financial Management
• Budget holder for a service, department or project.
• Monitor and manage prescribing budgets effectively, acting in accordance with organisational financial policies and procedures and implement actions to support them to stay within any imposed financial limits.
• Constantly strive for value for money, ensuring financial balance is achieved.
• Provide financial updates and reports as required.
• Support, develop and implement schemes and actions plans for Primary Care Networks, Federations and GP practices to deliver efficiency targets.

People Management
• Manage staff, including recruitment, supporting staff development, appraisals, and where necessary managing employee relations issues.
• Co-ordinate and professionally oversee the daily work of other ICB team members to ensure that procedures are safe and efficient.
• Contribute to system wide pharmacy workforce and framework initiatives including acting as a pre-registration tutor.
• Lead by example in order to embed behaviours that consistently represent the ICB’s values, and to ensure that all staff members live up to these.

Research & Development
• Co-ordinate research and development initiatives, delegating as appropriate.
• Plan, develop and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information to ensure delivery of national and local medicines optimisation policies, guidance and best practice.

Policy & Service Development
• Responsible for developing and proposing changes to policies, guidelines and service level agreements which may impact the service processes to meet the requirements and standards of medicines and Controlled Drug legislation, national policy and best practice including medicine traffic light decisions, shared care arrangements, commissioned changes in other system providers prescribing processes and performance.
• Responsible for implementation of policies within own area.
• Support analysis of specific policy and directorate issues, drawing on multiple sources of information, mindful of the potential impact of policy developments on other portfolios.
• Provide highly specialist, pharmaceutical medicines input into service re-design and improvement.
• Lead implementation of changes to the LLR prescribing Formulary and LMSG across Federations and practices.
• To implement plans to ensure CDs are handled lawfully, safely and effectively across individual GP localities and practices.
• To act as an authorised witness for the destruction of controlled drugs on behalf of the Accountable Officer for Controlled Drugs.

Person specification

Knowledge and experience

Essential criteria
  • Registered with the GPhC
  • Pharmacy Masters Degree or equivalent post graduate masters or diploma in clinical pharmacy/ management or equivalent (or working towards).
  • Evidence of CPD

Knowledge and experience

Essential criteria
  • Good knowledge of ICB and relationship with NHSE and the ICS
  • Experience of implementing current healthcare policy
  • Experience of budget management
  • Experience of working in a similar organisation/environment and successfully influencing and managing stakeholders a
  • Experience of managing a team
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in an operational healthcare environment.
  • Provision of policy advice on a range of complex topics to senior stakeholders

Skills and abilities

Essential criteria
  • Well developed analytical skills, able to interrogate multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources
  • Able to use own judgement and make objective decisions using specialist knowledge and understanding
  • Able to switch focus to meet conflicting priorities
  • Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information
  • Able to prioritise and adjust short, medium and long term business and project plans
  • Able to translate strategic plans into operational frameworks
  • Good computer skills -microsoft office and teams

Interpersonal skills

Essential criteria
  • Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills under difficult circumstances
  • Excellent communicator, able to present complex or contentious data to a range of audiences
  • Able to lead workshops

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Essential criteria
  • Understands the importance of diversity and inclusion

Mobility

Essential criteria
  • Ability to travel across Leicestershire

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logo

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Gill Stead
Job title
Head of Medicines Optimisation LLR ICB
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07818 410064
Additional information

[email protected]

[email protected]

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