Chief Pharmacist

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Job Summary

1a. Priorities

The four key objectives of the ICS are: -

1.To improve outcomes in population health and health care

2.To tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access

3.To enhance productivity and value for money

4.To help the NHS support broader economic and social development

Jointly with other system partners, the Chief Pharmacist is responsible for ensuring that the integrated care system (ICS) delivers optimal impact against the four key objectives of the ICS within the financial resource available. The Chief Pharmacist will be required to ensure that the integrated care board (ICB) meets the targets set for it by NHS England and NHS Improvement, including living within the overall revenue and capital allocation, and the administration costs limit.

All ICS senior roles contribute to the ICS Objectives through:

Setting strategy and delivering long-term transformation

Building trusted relationships with partners and communities

Driving high quality, sustainable outcomes

Providing robust governance and assurance

Creating a compassionate and inclusive culture

The post holder will work with all partners to develop a system-wide vision for medicines optimisation and pharmacy through clinical and patient engagement, linking national medicines policy and local clinical priorities to deliver maximum value and outcomes for the local population.

The Chief Pharmacist and Director of Medicines Optimisation and Pharmacy will provide strategic leadership for:

Pharmacy,

Medicines commissioning and supply,

Medicines governance, safety and clinical systems for prescribing, storage and administration

Pharmacy workforce and workforce transformation

Coordinating other medicines and prescribing initiatives and,

Supporting COVID-19 recovery and the restoration of sustainable services.

They will lead as an authoritative expert in pharmacy and medicines with the respect of peers and senior national leaders.

The post holder will work on a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary / professional basis across the system with all health and social care stakeholders to improve peoples lives and tackle inequalities in outcomes and access to medicines and pharmacist support.

The post holder will provide professional advice and guidance on matters relating to the use and supply of medicines to the Integrated Care Board and, in addition, play a full role in the delivery of the ICSs corporate agenda as detailed in its strategic plan.

The post-holder carries key corporate responsibilities for the delivery of the ICSs vision, aims and objectives and, in particular, is Lead for:

Safe and effective use of medicines including the system medicines budget,

Antimicrobial stewardship,

Transfer of care and related medicines risk issues,

Delegated or transferred responsibilities for commissioning, including any delegated or transferred responsibilities for the community pharmacy contractual framework,

Accountability for regulatory compliance, and acts as the accountable officer for controlled drugs for the ICB, working closely with local and London wide networks of CDAOs across organisations,

Co-ordination of pharmacy input to key delivery programmes e.g. public health, covid or influenza vaccination, mental health or learning disability priorities such as STOMP

Delivery of national pharmacy medicines optimisation strategies and programmes such as overprescribing, Aseptic Transformation, Value for Money and sustainability initiatives.

2. Key duties and responsibilities

To provide expert advice to the Chief Medical Officer and senior executive team and wider ICS partners on all matters relating to pharmacy and medicines (professional, clinical and programme) in accordance with national policy, including the changing opportunities for pharmacy and medicines roles and responsibilities.

To be responsible for ICS medicines and pharmacy allocations and commissioning.

To represent the ICS at regional and national levels on all issues in relation to pharmacy and medicines.

Chair the NWL ICS Pharmacy Leads Meeting.

To provide highly visible leadership of the ICS's pharmacy and medicines workforce and foster a culture of compassionate and inclusive practice which values the full range of our peoples skills and experience, continuing professional development and empowers pharmacy professionals to achieve excellence in the delivery of patient care.

To identify and nurture pharmacy clinical leadership potential and talent feeding into the ICS workforce strategy and people plan. To develop and support pharmacy teams in different organisations, including provider collaboratives, PCNs and community pharmacy, to create a flexible workforce, able to respond to changing population priorities and technologies to deliver resilient and adaptable services. This will build on the duties of collaboration for local organisations and the proposals for mutual aid.

To lead on the development and implementation of the ICS Integrated Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation (IPMO) Transformation Plan (or any other related plan required locally or by NHSE). In addition, the post holder will ensure implementation oversight of NICE appraisals and guidance plus any GIRFT or other best practice standards.

To create an infrastructure that supports medicines optimisation in all professions in all health and care settings including care homes.

To deliver a comprehensive integrated pharmacy service and governance structure to ensure that all of the ICSs activities are underpinned by a strong culture of high quality care, equity and patient safety.

The post holder will represent Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation in the ICS governance structures to ensure pharmacy and medicines play a key part in delivering improved population health and personalised care (including emerging genomic medicine initiatives).

Provide advice and direction to Chief Medical Officer, and senior colleagues of partner organisations within the ICS on strategic and operational issues related to pharmacy and medicines optimisation, in particular on consolidated services or joint ventures supporting all organisations within the ICS (e.g. developing cross system clinical pathways).

Working with patients and communities to promote the role of pharmacy services, especially in self-care, supporting minor illness and as part of the wider urgent care pathways.

Provide advice and direction to ICS public health teams to ensure pharmacy teams, including the community pharmacy network are best placed to help deliver the ICS public health strategy.

Support the development of aligned Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments as required.

Foster collaborative relationships with academic institutions to ensure alignment of the national, regional and system strategies to initial education and training of pharmacy professionals and research agendas.

The post holder will establish ICS wide Medicines and Pharmacy Governance arrangements to bring to together all medicines interests in the system, ensuring strategic alignment and with health and care priorities and equity across the ICS. This will include:

-Governance over prescribing,

-Medicines spend,

-Key national policies such as anti-microbial resistance and overprescribing,

-Research,

-National patient safety strategy delivery in relation to medicines and prescribing

-Pharmacy contribution to key service level strategies and requirements e.g. technical services and education and training.

3a.Corporate Leadership

As a Director of the ICS, contribute to the management and strategic development of the ICS in accordance with local health needs, education, and development and research priorities within available financial resources and the legislative requirements of the statutory authorities in relation to the provision of medicines. Work collaboratively with leaders across the ICS to develop and embed inclusive pharmacy professional practice into everyday care for patients and members of the public, to support the prevention of ill-health and address health inequalities within our diverse communities.

The post holder will have a good understanding and appreciation of the benefits that diverse teams can bring to organisations including the potential to deliver more culturally competent and aware healthcare.

This will require high caliber leadership and initiative to support commissioners, providers and systems to delivery and commission high quality care in line with the requirements of the Long Term Plan, and NHSE Integrated Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Programme.

4.Functional Responsibilities

4a. Operational focus

To provide leadership for any delegated and/or transferred commissioning responsibilities, including for community pharmacy.

Lead on ICS aspects of specialised commissioning of medicines and play a key role in the development of further devolvement of specialised commissioning functions in collaboration with neighbouring ICSs.

To be responsible for the development of recruitment, retention and return to pharmacy strategies which enhance job satisfaction and career development for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and support staff, taking appropriate advice from the People team as required.

To work with ICS workforce transformation leads to develop and review of workforce plans for the pharmacy professions, advising the ICS Board on issues of skill mix, deployment and utilisation of the pharmacy workforce consistent with General Pharmaceutical Council Standards including the development of further consultant pharmacy roles.

Work closely with the organisation lead Pharmacists across the system and the Chief Financial Officers to identify and deliver corporate efficiencies in medicines and pharmacy, advising on the implications for service delivery.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• Ability to analyze highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources (verbal, written and numerical)
• Good understanding of quality improvement science and methods to support implementation of policy or new services
• The drive to bring rigorous analysis to data and situations, to see cause and effect, to make objective judgements and understand financial and service implications
• Demonstrable ability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
• Experience or managing budgets or managing large programmes with significant resources

Qualifications

Essential

• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council, with a master's degree in pharmacy (or equivalent)
• Postgraduate or management qualification, or equivalent experience
• Postgraduate qualification (diploma/masters) in Pharmacy Practice, or equivalent experience
• Evidence of sustained personal and professional development
• Senior leadership experience in different NHS / Healthcare settings

Experience

Essential

• Successfully manage potentially challenging situations with stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes, often dealing with complex and conflicting issues
• A well-developed understanding of current health and social care issues and policy
• Experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development in apolitically sensitive and complex environment
• Effective and confident external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relations
• Ability to work flexibly in volatile, complex and uncertain environments
• Ability to read and understand the dynamics of relationships within the ICS and key forces in the external environment (e.g. key opinion formers, regulators, patients/client groups)
• Experience of delivering significant change across organisational boundaries
• Experience of developing and maintaining a safety culture
• Experience of effective partnership and working with internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of working as part of a multi-professional senior leadership team
• Excellent influencing/presentation skills
• Experience of commissioning or equivalent e.g. medicines procurement

Desirable

• Experience of leading and contributing to policy and/or research at a regional or national level
• Experience of leading and managing services beyond pharmacy

Autonomy

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to use autonomy to undertake actions as a result of own interpretation of policy and guidance providing a source of expert advice to the organisation
• Acknowledged by peers as an authority/expert in pharmacy and medicines use; engenders respect of peers for own knowledge and expertise

Equality and Diversity

Essential

• Will consider the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery and has the ability to take actions which support and promote this agenda

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

North West London Integrated Care Board

Address

NHS North West London

15 Marylebone Road

London

NW1 5JD

Employer's website

https://www.nwlondonics.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)