Job overview
This exciting new post has been created to develop and deliver a workforce development strategy for the pharmacy department that supports the workforce plan ambitions of the trust, the ICS and NHS England. The post holder will oversee the education and training needs of pharmacy professionals and support staff and provide strategic and operational leadership of training programmes undertaken by staff. Supported by a very experienced senior leadership team, they will co-ordinate, develop and deliver medicines training to staff across the wider trust, and act as the pharmacy on-call manager.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will take on overall responsibility for the delivery of education and training for pharmacy staff at the trust. They will lead on the development and implementation of a pharmacy education, training and workforce development strategy. The postholder will lead on the delivery of trainee pharmacist training and early career/newly qualified pharmacist training, and lead the department contribution to undergraduate teaching at our academic partner organisation, King’s College London. The postholder will represent the pharmacy department at trust, system, regional and national education training fora.
Managing the out-of-hours service will include creating of rotas for the on-call pharmacy service as well as providing clinical leadership to pharmacists participating in the service.
We are looking for someone who has experience of working at a senior level in pharmacy who is enthusiastic about taking on the responsibility of workforce development for one of the world’s leading mental health pharmacy departments.
Working for our organisation
SLaM pharmacy employs over 100 members of staff, including several highly cited researchers in the field of clinical psychopharmacology. The department offers a comprehensive clinical service (including Medicines Advice and Clinical Trials) and has pioneered the use of point-of-care capillary neutrophil count monitoring and capillary monitoring of clozapine blood levels. Participation in research is strongly encouraged and supported by a part-time PhD programme which has enabled five current members of staff to obtain a PhD.
The Trust has four pharmacy departments and provide services to inpatient, community and outpatients. We have over 1000 beds and serve a population of 1.4m in five London boroughs.
The Trust is renowned for research in mental health and its links to the IOPPN. Our staff are able to develop their specialist skills in a range of disciplines.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder is expected to develop and deliver a workforce development strategy for the pharmacy team that supports the workforce plan ambitions of the Trust, the ICS and NHS England.
They will oversee the education and training needs of pharmacy professionals and pharmacy support staff to ensure they have sufficient skills and knowledge to competently do their job and provide high quality and safe pharmacy services.
They will provide strategic and operational leadership of key training programmes including pharmacist foundation training, and early career / newly qualified pathways, as well as co-ordinating undergraduate pharmacy placements in conjunction with King’s College London to ensure that all components are delivered to the appropriate syllabuses and standards, supporting practical application of theoretical clinical knowledge.
Together with professional leads and the Pharmacy Leadership Team the post holder will co-ordinate, develop and deliver relevant medicines training to other clinical and non-clinical staff within the trust to ensure that teaching resources are appropriate, and reviewed and maintained in line with Trust expectations.
The post holder will also act as pharmacy On-Call manager, to ensure the pharmacy On-Call service meets the needs of the Trust and that weekend and bank holiday services are planned and delivered in accordance with operational plans. They will oversee, review and develop the pharmacy out-of-hours service to ensure safe and effective medicines management service to all patients and staff, and provide clinical leadership to pharmacists participating in the pharmacy out-of-hours service.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Masters Degree in Pharmacy (MPharm) (or equivalent pharmacy degree) and 1 year pre-registration training, portfolio based experience and final examination
2. Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) of Great Britain
3. Mandatory continuing professional development to support revalidation with GPhC
4. Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
Desirable criteria
5. Formal leadership and / or management qualification or equivalent experiential learning
6. Qualified as a pharmacist independent or supplementary prescriber with relevant annotation on GPhC register
7. Postgraduate Masters degree and / or Doctorate in Pharmacy (DPharm)
8. Royal Pharmaceutical Society Faculty membership / credentialed.
9. Registered member with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
Experience
Essential criteria
10. Recent experience of working as a senior pharmacist in a hospital.
11. Experience of delivering education and training to large and small groups of pharmacy staff.
12. Experience of coaching and mentoring staff and students.
13. Experience of establishing and maintaining constructive partnerships with external agencies
14. Proven leadership skills and experience of managing a team.
Desirable criteria
15. Experience of practice research with evidence of publications, abstracts, presentations, audits etc
16. Evidence of professional involvement at a regional or national level
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
17. Knowledge and experience in a named field of clinical pharmacy.
18. Ability to articulate a clear vision and strategy for pharmacy education and training and the associated developments required to deliver this.
19. Clear knowledge and understanding of the national pharmacy education and training agenda and associated standards.
20. Knowledge of clinical governance and risk management.
21. Excellent IT skills and computer literate using Microsoft software, ESR, Excel databases and other software systems (e.g. ePMA).