Senior Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist

We are looking to appoint an experienced pharmacist with drive and aptitude to become part of a dynamic and passionate ICB Medicines Optimisation Team. The post is a fixed term contract, for 18 months as maternity leave cover, and offers a unique opportunity to enhance your skills of primary care and commissioning experience.

We are committed to developing and training our staff and you will work in a supportive environment with training opportunities, to build on your skills and develop your expertise.

This post offers an individual the opportunity to gain senior strategic skills within the areas of work linked to medicines governance oversight, quality improvement and support the safe use of medicines across the ICB. This includes supporting the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer and participation in medicines incidents reviews. In addition, the role will support the oversight of the Medicines Safety Officers and anti-microbial work programmes.

The post manages a small team of pharmacists and also works jointly to provide oversight of primary care prescribing functions delivered to the Mid Nottinghamshire locality area.

You will be supported in any ongoing studies relevant to the role.

On behalf of the ICB, and at PBP or PCN level(s) either collectively or individually:

1. Contribute to the management of clinical, financial and corporate risks and patient safety issues relating to medicines use.
2. Implement the management of appropriate strategies for clinical governance and controls assurance for the medicines optimisation functions in collaboration with other directorates, partners, and local stakeholders.
3. Advise on medicines related safety and governance liaising with clinicians, managers, multidisciplinary teams, executive leads, and appropriate external agencies and networks as required.
4. Co-operate with analysis of medicines investigations and LeDeR reviews, support follow up of remedial action and that lessons learned are captured and disseminated locally.
5. Provide highly specialised advice on medicines use and prescribing to improve patient care and outcomes. This includes advice to investigations into GPs, other non-medical prescribers, health and social care staff.
6. Support the delivery and oversight of the anti-microbial resistance strategy linking to regional and national groups where required.
7. Support the safe management and delivery of statutory functions linked to Controlled drugs.

NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a strategic component of the Integrated Care System (ICS) across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We were formed with the intention to improve population health and collaborate with local partners (NHS, Local Authority and Third Sector) to deliver high quality health and social care provision to our local population.

We have accountability for the system delivery of the ICS’ priorities such as improving outcomes in population health and healthcare, tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access, enhancing productivity and value for money, and helping the NHS support broader social and economic development.

We seek to improve the patient experience and are committed at looking at innovative ways we can improve care and offer access and choice to our patients. Patients are at the heart of everything we do and it’s important that they are involved not just in decisions about their individual care, but also in the decisions that shape the health services delivered locally. In conjunction, with patient experience and the growing demands of our population; we are facing significant financial challenge. We are required to reduce expenditure to sustainable levels (ICS 5-year strategic plan).

The ambitions are great, but so are the opportunities to be part of our new and evolving organisation, to make positive impactful change to the health and social care agenda across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Job Summary

1. Be responsible for supporting the Chief Pharmacist and Associate Chief Pharmacists with delivering safe, high quality, person-centred medicines optimisation work programs and activities.
2. Be responsible for supporting the Chief Pharmacist and Associate Chief Pharmacists with strategic medicines optimisation (MO) and clinical professional advice across NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB and Place Based Partnerships (PBPs) and have delegated responsibility for implementation in lead areas.
3. Be integral to the transformation of safe and effective medicines functions and services linked to the development of the Integrated Care System (ICS). In this responsibility, the post holder will work in conjunction with the Associate Chief Pharmacists, Chief Pharmacist and Senior Medicines Optimisation team in providing strategic oversight to raise standards for patients by improving the safety, quality and cost effectiveness of prescribing in primary care, and management of clinical governance and risk in relation to medicines.
4. Be responsible for the direct management of the Medicines Optimisation teams and the co-ordination, development, and implementation of medicines optimisation strategies across the PBPs and support of implementation of such strategies within Primary Care Networks (PCNs).
5. Be responsible for provision of expert advice to NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB, PBPs, senior managers, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), prescribers, members of the public and other key stakeholders on medication related issues. In addition, be responsible for the provision of expert advice to the wider Nottinghamshire system for their lead areas of responsibility. The post holder will embed the principles of the NHS Constitution and relevant national legislation in their NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB medicines optimisation functions.
6. Work under direction of the Associate Chief Pharmacists to provide clinical professional leadership and strategic direction across the PBPs and support the PCNs within the individual PBPs.
7. Work across the health and social care systems particularly within the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB /PBPs to promote strong cross organisational relationships and support joint working.
8. Provide strategic support to general practice in relation to developing the role of pharmacists as part of the primary care Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT).
9. Have authority to act on key work stream leads and to meet NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB’s/PBPs’ needs and priorities, ensuring alignment with the strategic priorities of the ICB and those of partner organisations in Nottinghamshire. The postholder will have authority to make decisions on behalf of and act in relation to the populations of NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB.