Associate Chief Pharmacist

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Associate Chief Pharmacist will support the Chief Pharmacist in providing strategic leadership for Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation services across University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. The post holder will play a pivotal role in developing and delivering the long-term vision and strategy for pharmacy services, ensuring alignment with Trust objectives, Integrated Care System priorities and national policy.

The post holder will provide leadership across clinical, operational and specialist pharmacy services, ensuring services remain safe, innovative, responsive and sustainable. They will be responsible for driving service transformation, quality improvement and workforce development initiatives that support improved patient outcomes and operational performance.

Working closely with senior clinical and managerial colleagues, the post holder will lead complex programmes of work, develop business cases, contribute to financial planning and support delivery of cost improvement and productivity programmes whilst maintaining high standards of quality and patient safety.

The Associate Chief Pharmacist will provide professional leadership to senior pharmacy staff and support the development of future leaders, ensuring succession planning, education and workforce development remain key priorities. They will champion innovation and service modernisation and work collaboratively with colleagues across organisational and professional boundaries to deliver improved models of care.

The post holder will be a senior representative of the pharmacy profession within the Trust and wider healthcare system, influencing strategic decision-making and contributing to regional and national pharmacy agendas. The role includes deputising for the Chief Pharmacist as required and providing assurance to senior leaders regarding service quality, governance, operational performance and regulatory compliance.

The successful candidate will join UHL during a period of significant opportunity and transformation, including major digital developments, infrastructure investment, service redesign and evolving models of medicines optimisation. They will play a central role in ensuring pharmacy services are positioned to meet the future needs of patients, staff and the wider health economy.

Person specification

Communication

Essential criteria

• Be able to provide highly complex information on both clinical pharmacy and financial issues and impart knowledge to all levels of healthcare professionals (up to and including senior consultants/professor/executive director level)
• Be able to provide highly complex information on medicines use and financial issues to multidisciplinary groups involving staff outside of Pharmacy (e.g. Medicines Optimisation Committee, APC, Trust Management Teams, Clinical Executive)
• Be able to provide highly complex information on clinical pharmacy issues to national organisations and at national/international conferences.
• Be able to use presentational aids. Be able to communicate effectively in both written and verbal formats with staff and patients.

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to BPharm / MPharm/ BSc (Pharmacy) or equivalent
• Professional Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council
• Postgraduate diploma in a relevant Pharmacy discipline (eg Clinical, General Pharmacy Practice) or equivalent experience
• Specialist higher degree or portfolio of experience at senior managerial level

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate qualification in business or management

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience of working in NHS hospitals at a senior level e.g. Deputy Chief Pharmacist
• Experience of working with senior healthcare professionals outside of Pharmacy to achieve cross -Trust developments.
• Significant experience of managing a large number of staff
• Experience of managing teams.
• Significant experience of performing and supervising projects
• Understanding of change management approaches demonstrating experience of leading change programmes, including engagement with stake holders
• Ability to manage and influence challenging and complex clinical and performance issues.

Planning and Organization

Essential criteria

• Be able to formulate long term strategic plans for the effective development of clinical pharmacy services

EDI

Essential criteria

• Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
• All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others
• Be flexible in responding to demands of the service
• Be able to concentrate on highly complex matters (drug use evaluations, drug query answering, clinical prescription review, checking of dispensed prescriptions) despite frequent interruptions.
• Be methodical in approach.
• Have experience of disciplinary matters and be able to impart results from them to staff in an appropriate and considered manner.
• Demonstrate emotional maturity and resilience when dealing with complex issues

Additional Information

Please submit your application form without delay to avoid disappointment; we will close vacancies prior to the publishing closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Please check the email account (including your junk mail) that you supplied as part of your application on a regular basis following the closing date and throughout the recruitment process, as this is how we will communicate with you.

UHL is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who match our job criteria.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

UHL is committed to helping colleagues balance the demands of both their work and personal needs through flexible working arrangements wherever reasonably practicable and subject to service needs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The Trust will pay for the check initially and the money will then be deducted from your salary over a three month period commencing on your first month's payment.

The current price of a check is £38 for an enhanced and £18 for a standard check.

COVID 19 Risk Assessment

Due to the current Covid pandemic we have introduced a staff risk assessment into our pre-employment process. This now forms part of the mandatory pre-employment checks that will be carried out if you receive a conditional offer.

The risk assessment is intended to ensure you are able to safely perform your duties in any of our work areas, and if you have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Our main aim is to reduce risk and to ensure the safety of all new starters to the Trust as well as current staff, patients and visitors.

If it is identified that you are within a vulnerable category, we will endeavor to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this through discussions with both Occupational Health and your recruiting manager.

Covid Vaccination Status

Covid-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, family, colleagues and our patients/service users from the Covid-19 virus. We therefore continue to encourage our current and potential colleagues to get vaccinated.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust holds the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does and all that it stands for. We are committed to developing a workforce that is representative of the community we serve. We welcome applications from the diverse community of Leicester, Leicester and Rutland, to help deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of our diverse communities.

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