Pharmacist (Medicines Value)
The closing date is 07 April 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, highly skilled, motivated, forward‑thinking and enthusiastic specialist clinical pharmacist based at either Darlington Memorial or the University Hospital of North Durham.
This is a new role created, following a successful Drugs Invest to Save business case, to support the delivery of a medicines value agenda.
In this role, you will play a pivotal part in ensuring the safe, effective and cost‑efficient use of medicines. You will work closely with hospital clinical teams, trust stakeholders and external partners to optimise the value of medicines, contributing to improved patient outcomes and financial sustainability.
This exciting new role will require the post holder to demonstrate excellent leadership and organisational skills. You will need to be able to communicate effectively across all levels of the healthcare system. The ability to effectively engage with, influence and motivate key stakeholders will be essential to the success of this role.
You will belong to a team that is committed to supporting staff health and well‑being as well as professional development to help you achieve your full potential.
Main duties of the job
* Be responsible for the identification, implementation, development and delivery of successful Medicines Value programmes, ensuring best‑value prescribing and evidence‑based practice.
* Be responsible for managing the delivery of safe, effective and efficient pharmacy and medicines management services to a defined group of patients and service users.
* Monitor the practice of other healthcare providers, including medical staff, to ensure that prescribing and medicines use is safe and effective for patients. Resolve local prescribing issues and contribute to the education and training of clinical and non‑clinical staff to promote safe and effective medicines use within the trust.
* Provide expert advice in the specialist field to all members of the directorate, the Trust and the wider health economy.
* Employ models of practice that recognise the needs of patients and carers whilst maintaining practice that is embedded in the principles of risk minimisation and patient safety.
* Contribute to the strategic development and monitoring of the pharmacy services delivered, where there is a particular emphasis on Medicines Value.
About us
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre‑employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester‑le‑Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community‑based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under‑represented.
From April 9th 2025 – Healthcare assistants – You must have been employed for a minimum of two years as a HCA Band 3 within the NHS for the Trust to consider sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and have a current visa expiring within 3 months).
Job responsibilities
* Support cost‑reduction strategies associated with medicines alongside commissioners, clinicians, and wider departmental and Trust stakeholders.
* Support the successful implementation of programmes of work, including but not limited to best‑value medicine switches and medicine waste reduction schemes.
* Support the development of mechanisms for reporting progress of relevant projects and savings delivered from the implementation of agreed cost‑reduction schemes.
* Attend and report against medicine value workplan into relevant committee and assurance meetings as and when appropriate.
* Contribute to the development of risk management materials to support best‑value prescribing and switching.
* Provide support to clinical teams to enable them to identify opportunities to reduce medicines costs, make changes in line with the identified schemes, and to agreed time‑frames.
* Provide accurate, timely and comprehensible outcome data, suitable for presentation within and outside the organisation.
* Support processes used for the approval, appropriate use, and audit of high‑cost medicines or where variation in cost‑effective prescribing has been identified.
* Support identification of the financial impact of new medicines such as those assessed in NICE technology appraisals.
* Support processes to ensure prescribing is in line with commissioning policies to ensure relevant approvals are gained for medication.
* Actively encourage service improvement, innovation and practice research that supports better outcomes and experiences for patients and improves safety.
* Support the delivery of an efficient Homecare service in line with RPS Standards.
* Participate in a 7‑day pharmacy service, being part of an on‑call, late and weekend rota.
* Engage in flexible‑working conversations.
* Encourage enquiries about the role.
Person Specification
Special Requirements
* Able to work with colleagues and influence the practice and behaviours of others in a positive way.
* Motivated to develop personally and professionally through self‑audit, reflection and learning.
* Good oral and written communication skills.
* Able to travel independently across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post.
* Driving posts must be able to hold a valid Full UK driving licence.
Experience
* Extensive experience of providing pharmacy services in a clinical setting at an advanced level.
* Regular experience of day‑to‑day registered pharmacy staff supervision.
* Experience of using computer software to produce reports or presentations to healthcare professionals.
* Involvement in development of clinical guidelines or protocols.
* Participation in the delivery of education and training in a clinical setting.
* Experience of providing clinical supervision to pharmacists.
* Relevant experience for this role.
* Experience of supporting staff through HR processes.
* Experience of providing directorate pharmacist services eg. drug reviews, specialist drug information.
* Experience of service development, research or quality improvement.
* Experience of presenting an audit or research at a conference.
* Experience of being a Prescribing or Educational supervisor to Foundation pharmacist trainees.
* Experience of teaching healthcare professionals in a classroom setting.
* Experience of commissioning.
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Able to manage, monitor, advise and review medicines reconciliation for patients.
* Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision as an individual.
* Recognises personal limitations and refers to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.
* Able to motivate self to achieve goals.
* Able to improve quality within limitations of service.
* Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co‑operation of relevant stakeholders (including patients, senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals where possible).
* Able to plan and prioritise a pharmacy team’s day‑to‑day clinical service which is a complex and changing environment.
* Demonstrates a good understanding of pharmacy’s role in governance processes.
* Demonstrates a working knowledge of evidence‑based medicines information resources and the ability to interpret the information.
* Demonstrates understanding of the implications of local and national priorities and pressures for the team and/or service.
* Able to demonstrate an area of expertise within a field of pharmacy practice.
* Able to motivate individuals and/or the team.
* Able to successfully manage a project at team and/or service level.
Qualifications
* Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent.
* Relevant postgraduate clinical qualification (to at least diploma level) or portfolio evidence of attainment to the same standard.
* Evidence of CPD.
* Pharmacist Independent Prescriber or currently working towards.
* Supervision, leadership or management training.
* Evidence of an up to date portfolio of personal professional activity.
* Additional training or qualification relevant to the post eg. PGCert.
Statutory Registration
* Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
* Membership of a pharmacy professional body e.g. RPS, UKCPA, BOPA, NPPG.
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.
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
£57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum, pro rata
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full‑time, Part‑time, Flexible working, Compressed hours
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