Employer Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type NHS
Site Pharmacy Practice Unit
Town Liverpool
Salary £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
Salary period Yearly
Closing 24/09/2025 23:59
Interview date 08/10/2025
Band 8a
Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic pharmacist (Band 8A) to join NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS). This is a newly established post (1.0 WTE), creating a cross function role within the Medicines Advice (MA) function and the Medicines Use and Safety (MUS) function.
This post is hosted by the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust but it is expected that the successful candidate will work fully remotely. This is one of two similar posts that SPS is advertising (the other being a fixed term post).
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
* Sit within both the MA and MUS functions of the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service; working with key individuals to deliver against the workplan of both functions, including pan-SPS projects
* Contribute to the development, delivery and maintenance of quality assured MA and MUS resources to support commissioners, organisations, and health professionals. Resources may be webinars, podcasts, videos, website articles and workspaces on NHS Futures
* Support senior colleagues with the preparation of information to support the management of national drug shortages and in the preparation of the Medicines Awareness Daily Bulletin (MAD)
* Answer medication related queries, including those related to medicines supply issues, Patient Group Directions (PGDs) and other medicines mechanisms and, medication safety
Working for our organisation
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 organisations 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.
Medicines Advice (MA) team
The MA team supports the provision of a national medicines clinical enquiry answering service. This includes providing long standing support to the Medicines Supply team at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines Procurement and Supply Chain (MPSC) on medicines shortages. We produce a current awareness bulletin (Medicines Awareness Daily) that has been in circulation for over two decades, helping readers keep up to date with the latest developments in clinical and pharmacy practice, horizon scanning, safety alerts, and regulatory news. We also contribute towards writing and updating of SPS webpages to support best practice and the safe use of medicines.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* The post-holder will sit within both the Medicines Advice (MA) and the Medicines Use and Safety (MUS) functions of the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service; working with key individuals to deliver against the workplan of both functions, including pan-SPS projects.
* Contributes to the development, delivery and maintenance of quality assured MA and MUS workstream resources to support commissioners, organisations, and health professionals. Resources may be webinars, podcasts, videos, website articles and workspaces on NHS Futures.
* Supports the MA and MUS team to improve legacy material and create new website content. Achieves this by working closely with the SPS Digital Team, by applying an agile approach, and through reference and application to NHS Digital and aligned gov.uk content standards.
* Answers medication related queries, including those related to medicines supply issues, PGDs and other medicines mechanisms and, Medication Safety.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Vocational masters 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 a specialist area
* Additional post graduate qualification i.e. MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experience
Experience
* Demonstrable diploma level experience related to the practice of clinical pharmacy in a range of settings
* Multidisciplinary working and an ability to work across both professional groups and across organisational bodies
* Significant experience of delivering medicines advice to healthcare professionals
* Experience of supporting healthcare professionals and organisations in the management of medicines shortages and NHS supply issues
* Managing difficult situations and motivating others for service delivery
* Experience of working in a complex matrix type working environment within a diffuse national organisation
* Demonstrable experience in relevant MUS workstreams e.g. medication safety, PGDs, medicines optimisation, network engagement
Knowledge
* In depth knowledge of medicines optimisation as it pertains to both primary and secondary care
* A clear awareness and appreciation of the roles of other healthcare professionals in the delivery of healthcare services to patients
* A clear understanding of programme and project management
* Contemporary knowledge of NHS policy and understanding of its application in primary, secondary and tertiary care, including an appreciation of the relationship between the DHSC, NHSE, provider and commissioner organisations
* Contemporary knowledge of the provision of medicines advice across the NHS provided through SPS. Understanding how this supports medicines optimisation
* Prior use of content management systems to create, manage and publish online article and digital publications with knowledge of the principles of good online publishing
Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
Posts advertised to ‘internal staff’ are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.
Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria.
Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.
We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.
Candidates applying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months’ of their 18 th birthday.
The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.
The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.
Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £23 (standard disclosure) or £43 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment. DBS applications submitted from 2nd December will be subject to the new DBS fee of £26.50 (standard) and £54.50 (Enhanced).
From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults’ policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures.
Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation.
All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action.
As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.
If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on 0151 706 4666 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.
Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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