Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic pharmacist to join NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) and lead a short-term project focused on promoting the safer use medicines in palliative and end of life care
This post is hosted by the University Hospitals of Liverpool Group with opportunity to work remotely. This is a fixed term contract for six months at 8B 0.4WTE. Secondments will be considered.
We are looking for a pharmacist with substantial experience in palliative and end of life care and with experience of medication safety. You should have a passion for developing and sharing resources that support other healthcare professionals in their practice. You will have a broad and varied role working in collaboration with colleagues across the MUS team, other functions of SPS and key external stakeholders. You will apply your experience and knowledge to deliver high quality SPS website content consistent with gov.uk content design principles. You will build strong working networks across organisations to realise the aims of the SPS Medicines Use and Safety programme.
Interviews will take place on Tuesday, 3rd June 2025 by MS Teams.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
Develop and subsequently deliver against a 'safer use of palliative/end of life medicines' project plan.
Identify, through engagement with the medication safety activist network and subject matter experts, key challenges related to the safety of medicines in the end of life care pathway, including storage, prescribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring.
Identify, through engagement with the medication safety activist network and specialist care networks, interventions and examples of good practice to improve the safe use of palliative / end of life medicines in all care settings.
Contribute to the development, delivery and maintenance of quality assured medicines safety resources to support commissioners, organisations and healthcare professionals (resources may be website articles, webinars, podcasts, videos and workspace content on NHS Futures).
About us
About SPS
The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) supports the NHS to develop best practice systems of work-related to buying, making and using medicines. The service provides leadership, instructive and informative specialist input and operational support to the sourcing, supply and use of medicines across the system.
Our strengths are borne out of connecting national expertise with policy teams and arm's length bodies to ensure consistency and high standards. The service supports both regional and local connections to ensure that the service 's outputs resonate with and support local NHS organisations which deliver care to patients. The key successes of SPS are through the development and delivery of their "Do Once and Share" methodology.
Medicines Use and Safety (MUS) team
Our Medicines Use and Safety (MUS) team are a well-respected team who work closely with policy makers, regulators and strategic leaders and engage with an extensive range of clinical networks to share experience and expertise. We interpret legislation and deliver practical guidance and support to NHS organisation and practitioners in providing safe patient care across the entire medicines pathway. Our resources support healthcare professionals to assess and improve medication safety culture, strategy and policy within the healthcare system.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Delivers the specified project outcomes within agreed timescales.
- Appropriately liaising with stakeholders across England. This will include national subject matter experts (e.g. NHS England national clinical directors); senior colleagues in stakeholder organisations (regulatory, commissioning and providers); internal colleaguesacross the SPS functions.
- Develops and maintains appropriate SPS resources to fulfil the project brief, ensuringaccuracy of information which is up to date with current policy and practice and applies allgovernance requirements. Resources may be webinars, podcasts, videos, website articlesand workspaces on NHS Futures.
- Contributes to uniting and integrating SPS resources to ensure all resources are sharedacross the country, thus maximising efficiency, and productivity.
- Exercises professional judgment and makes decisions in complex situations whereinformation is partial or conflicting, or when ethical issues are involved. Provides expertguidance on aspects of content planning, maintenance, and management in specialistmedicines related fields. Includes consideration of clinical governance implications, tofrontline practitioners, managers and directors in provider and commissioner settings.
- Encourages and facilitates development, innovation and promotes new ways of working todeliver best practice in use of SPS resources.
- Supports integrated work and the delivery of the highest levels of quality, outcomes and productivity in services that involve medicines and the potential for medication related harms.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Delivers the specified project outcomes within agreed timescales.
- Appropriately liaising with stakeholders across England. This will include national subject matter experts (e.g. NHS England national clinical directors); senior colleagues in stakeholder organisations (regulatory, commissioning and providers); internal colleaguesacross the SPS functions.
- Develops and maintains appropriate SPS resources to fulfil the project brief, ensuringaccuracy of information which is up to date with current policy and practice and applies allgovernance requirements. Resources may be webinars, podcasts, videos, website articlesand workspaces on NHS Futures.
- Contributes to uniting and integrating SPS resources to ensure all resources are sharedacross the country, thus maximising efficiency, and productivity.
- Exercises professional judgment and makes decisions in complex situations whereinformation is partial or conflicting, or when ethical issues are involved. Provides expertguidance on aspects of content planning, maintenance, and management in specialistmedicines related fields. Includes consideration of clinical governance implications, tofrontline practitioners, managers and directors in provider and commissioner settings.
- Encourages and facilitates development, innovation and promotes new ways of working todeliver best practice in use of SPS resources.
- Supports integrated work and the delivery of the highest levels of quality, outcomes and productivity in services that involve medicines and the potential for medication related harms.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Vocational master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent
- Pharmacist (registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council)
- Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or other relevant field, e.g. management, or equivalent experience of working in specialist area
Desirable
- Post graduate qualification, i.e. MSc, in clinical pharmacy, or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable diploma level experience related to the practice of clinical pharmacy in a range of settings
- Demonstrable experience of multidisciplinary working
- Demonstrable experience of programme and project management
- Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing policies across an NHS organisation
- Demonstrable experience in a leadership role in the required field for the project e.g MSO for safety project, governance lead for governance project
Desirable
- Experience of working in a complex matrix type working environment within a diffuse national organisation
Knowledge
Desirable
- Prior use of WordPress or similar content management system (e.g. Drupal) to publish webpages. Prior knowledge of principles of good online publishing
Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage own time and workload with good organisational skills
- Ability to present orally and in written form
- Ability to inspire and influence the work of others, including those without direct line management responsibility
- Ability to engage and influence service users and multi-professional audiences at local, regional or national level (oral, written and other media)
- Ability to use Microsoft Office software packages and other packages that support efficient, national team operations e.g. MS Teams, MS SharePoint, NHS Futures
Desirable
- Ability to use various methods of data capture, analysis, and communication, including managing large amounts of information on a continuous basis (internet, email, word-processing, presentation, database and spreadsheet applications).
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Vocational master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent
- Pharmacist (registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council)
- Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or other relevant field, e.g. management, or equivalent experience of working in specialist area
Desirable
- Post graduate qualification, i.e. MSc, in clinical pharmacy, or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable diploma level experience related to the practice of clinical pharmacy in a range of settings
- Demonstrable experience of multidisciplinary working
- Demonstrable experience of programme and project management
- Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing policies across an NHS organisation
- Demonstrable experience in a leadership role in the required field for the project e.g MSO for safety project, governance lead for governance project
Desirable
- Experience of working in a complex matrix type working environment within a diffuse national organisation
Knowledge
Desirable
- Prior use of WordPress or similar content management system (e.g. Drupal) to publish webpages. Prior knowledge of principles of good online publishing
Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage own time and workload with good organisational skills
- Ability to present orally and in written form
- Ability to inspire and influence the work of others, including those without direct line management responsibility
- Ability to engage and influence service users and multi-professional audiences at local, regional or national level (oral, written and other media)
- Ability to use Microsoft Office software packages and other packages that support efficient, national team operations e.g. MS Teams, MS SharePoint, NHS Futures
Desirable
- Ability to use various methods of data capture, analysis, and communication, including managing large amounts of information on a continuous basis (internet, email, word-processing, presentation, database and spreadsheet applications).
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.
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.
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).
