Job summary
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB Medicines Optimisation Team is a single unified team that works across geographical boundaries with a mission to improve health outcomes by maximising on opportunities that are presented by recent expansion of clinical pharmacy services in Primary and Community Care. With the ICB architecture maturing, a rare opportunity has arisen for experienced pharmacists to join the team in senior leadership roles.
Our team reports to the Chief Medical Officer and is organised on the basis of portfolios. As Head of Medicines Optimisation you will lead on a diverse range of projects and programmes with the aim of optimising medicines use in Primary and Community Care and across Primary-Secondary Care Interface. For this role you will need to be a strategic thinker and have extensive experience of managing teams, prescribing budgets, stakeholder relationships and programmes of work.
Although you will be reporting to the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation, you will have a high level of autonomy and be expected to set strategic priorities for the team based on national policy, local need and data within agreed areas of responsibility.
We expect employees of the ICB to maintain highest standards of public and professional conduct in line with the values and behaviours described in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS leadership compact
Main duties of the job
We have two posts vacant at this level. The two post holders will share management of portfolios relating to:
Primary-Secondary Care Interface which includes formulary management, medicines governance, development and review of treatment pathways and high cost drugs expenditure control.
Clinical Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation in General Practice which includes design and delivery of projects on improving quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of prescribing in General Practice.
Clinical Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation in Community Pharmacy which includes optimising uptake of recently released and emerging pharmacy services and commissioning local services
Medicines Safety and Antimicrobial Stewardship
There will be a significant responsibility for the post holders to ensure that the Medicines Optimisation Team supports other directorates in the ICB that have responsibility for portfolios such as Cardiovascular Medicine, Diabetes, Respiratory Medicine, End of Life, Frailty, Mental Health, Immunisation and Prevention.
About us
The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for planning functions; managing the NHS budget and arranging the provision of health services in the geographical area.
Location: Home based/hybrid working (most of posts). Travel on occasions to a Hub location with at least 1 days notice
New starters are expected to collect IT equipment, from offices in Stoke-on-Trent, and if based at home are required to have appropriate desk/chair/ relevant equipment in compliance with DSE regulations.
Posts at Band 8c and above, will take part in the On-call rota, flexible over 7 days, supporting the System Control Centre, with full training provided.
Unconscious Bias/Invisible Disability Training and Equality Induction are mandatory.
Interviews may take place via MS Teams or in person.
We promote a compassionate and inclusive environment and welcome applications from a diverse pool of talent and backgrounds. All individuals are valued and given every opportunity to succeed based on merit.
The ICB embrace the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and encourages applications from all individuals regardless of their age, disability, gender re-assignment, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, sex or sexual orientation. It's important that our workforce reflects the diversity of communities as much as possible.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Set strategic direction for the portfolio that they are responsible for and that is aligned to the Team Vision and Strategy which in turn is aligned to the nationally and locally agreed aims of the Integrated Care System. The strategy and workplans should be reflected in the ICB annual delivery plan and the ICS Joint Forward Plan.
Heads of medicines optimisation have to ensure that there are systems in place for:
- Medicines quality which means supporting effective medicines use in all high priority areas that the integrated care system is targeting to improve health outcomes for the population of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
- Medicines safety which means reducing risk of drug related harm through proactive and reactive measures.
- Medicines finance which means that appropriate controls and mitigations are in place to manage the prescribing budget.
In achieving the above, Heads of Medicines Optimisation have to:
- Work and co-operate with ICB Professional and Clinical Leads, ICB managers, local Pharmacy Leaders, and other partners (e.g., local authority) at neighbourhood, place, portfolio, and system level to support delivery of various ICB led work streams. Examples of workstreams include commissioning/redesign of healthcare services, development/review of clinical pathways and shared care across Primary-Secondary care interface.
- Negotiate, develop, and manage local contracts or service level agreements with local providers involving receipt and provision of highly complex and sensitive information relating to medicines commissioning and service provision.
- Manage relationships with key stakeholders such as General Practitioners, Community Pharmacists and Secondary Care Clinicians.
- Engage with the public, service users and carers especially when designing new services, reviewing existing services or responding to local and national concerns.
- Recognise the diversity of the populations and work to achieve equity of access and culturally appropriate services.
- Monitor progress and report to relevant committees and boards in the Integrated Care System
- Develop and lead Medicines Optimisation Teams that deliver portfolio objectives and priorities. The role requires creating a team culture of collaboration, innovation, aiming for excellence and high performance.
In line with ICB requirements the post holder will have significant responsibility for developing and delivering annual medicines optimisation cost improvement plans.
The post holder will lead as an authoritative expert in Pharmacy and Medicines and be a point of contact for pharmaceutical advice to colleagues, working groups and various committees across the ICB.
Manage delegated budgets within agreed limits such as purchase of goods and services and non-pay staff expenses.
Heads of Medicines Management have responsibility for managing staff which includes:
- Objective setting
- Regular one to ones
- Personal development plans
- Appraisals
- Coaching or mentoring to enhance professional practice and confidence
The post holder may have to represent medicines optimisation team at panels for individual funding request and at the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group meetings.
The post holder may at times be required to deputise for the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation
The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Set strategic direction for the portfolio that they are responsible for and that is aligned to the Team Vision and Strategy which in turn is aligned to the nationally and locally agreed aims of the Integrated Care System. The strategy and workplans should be reflected in the ICB annual delivery plan and the ICS Joint Forward Plan.
Heads of medicines optimisation have to ensure that there are systems in place for:
- Medicines quality which means supporting effective medicines use in all high priority areas that the integrated care system is targeting to improve health outcomes for the population of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
- Medicines safety which means reducing risk of drug related harm through proactive and reactive measures.
- Medicines finance which means that appropriate controls and mitigations are in place to manage the prescribing budget.
In achieving the above, Heads of Medicines Optimisation have to:
- Work and co-operate with ICB Professional and Clinical Leads, ICB managers, local Pharmacy Leaders, and other partners (e.g., local authority) at neighbourhood, place, portfolio, and system level to support delivery of various ICB led work streams. Examples of workstreams include commissioning/redesign of healthcare services, development/review of clinical pathways and shared care across Primary-Secondary care interface.
- Negotiate, develop, and manage local contracts or service level agreements with local providers involving receipt and provision of highly complex and sensitive information relating to medicines commissioning and service provision.
- Manage relationships with key stakeholders such as General Practitioners, Community Pharmacists and Secondary Care Clinicians.
- Engage with the public, service users and carers especially when designing new services, reviewing existing services or responding to local and national concerns.
- Recognise the diversity of the populations and work to achieve equity of access and culturally appropriate services.
- Monitor progress and report to relevant committees and boards in the Integrated Care System
- Develop and lead Medicines Optimisation Teams that deliver portfolio objectives and priorities. The role requires creating a team culture of collaboration, innovation, aiming for excellence and high performance.
In line with ICB requirements the post holder will have significant responsibility for developing and delivering annual medicines optimisation cost improvement plans.
The post holder will lead as an authoritative expert in Pharmacy and Medicines and be a point of contact for pharmaceutical advice to colleagues, working groups and various committees across the ICB.
Manage delegated budgets within agreed limits such as purchase of goods and services and non-pay staff expenses.
Heads of Medicines Management have responsibility for managing staff which includes:
- Objective setting
- Regular one to ones
- Personal development plans
- Appraisals
- Coaching or mentoring to enhance professional practice and confidence
The post holder may have to represent medicines optimisation team at panels for individual funding request and at the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group meetings.
The post holder may at times be required to deputise for the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation
The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 4 years master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent qualification
- 1-year pre-registration training and successful completion of relevant exam
- Post graduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
- Accredited Pharmaceutical professional and Membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) required.
Experience
Essential
- A specialist knowledge of wide range of clinical pharmacy therapeutics
- Extensive senior management experience in the NHS, Local Authority, or other relevant service sector
- Experience in communications and stakeholder management
- Up-to-date knowledge of prescribing issues in primary and secondary care, and current health policies
Skills, Knowledge and Apptitude
Essential
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills, overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance, and reaching agreements
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to work within complex and multi-disciplinary environment
- Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately.
- Ability to present complex data into databases and spread sheets concisely and accurately
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 4 years master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent qualification
- 1-year pre-registration training and successful completion of relevant exam
- Post graduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent
- Accredited Pharmaceutical professional and Membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) required.
Experience
Essential
- A specialist knowledge of wide range of clinical pharmacy therapeutics
- Extensive senior management experience in the NHS, Local Authority, or other relevant service sector
- Experience in communications and stakeholder management
- Up-to-date knowledge of prescribing issues in primary and secondary care, and current health policies
Skills, Knowledge and Apptitude
Essential
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills, overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance, and reaching agreements
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to work within complex and multi-disciplinary environment
- Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately.
- Ability to present complex data into databases and spread sheets concisely and accurately
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).