Job summary
Band 8B Senior Lead Pharmacist - Clinical Services & Performance

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and dynamic pharmacist to join our pharmacy team as Senior Lead Pharmacist - Clinical Services & Performance.

This is a pivotal senior leadership role at the heart of clinical pharmacy services, providing clinical and operational leadership across the Trust.

Working closely with the Associate Chief Pharmacist, Clinical Lead Pharmacists and multidisciplinary teams, you will lead the performance and development of clinical pharmacy services, using data and service intelligence to drive improvements in patient flow, productivity, quality, medicines safety, workforce performance and service resilience.

You will play a key role in developing our clinical pharmacy workforce and future models of care, including the integration of pharmacist prescribing, service transformation and medicines optimisation, while supporting efficient use of resources and financial sustainability.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to combine senior clinical leadership, operational performance and service transformation to deliver measurable improvements in patient care and the quality and effectiveness of clinical pharmacy services.

Main duties of the job
You will provide senior clinical and operational leadership across clinical pharmacy services, with specific responsibility for delegated Care Groups, ensuring services are safe, effective, responsive and patient-centred.

A key focus of the role will be driving clinical service performance, using KPIs, data and service intelligence to improve patient flow, productivity, quality, medicines safety and workforce performance, while identifying variation and addressing areas of underperformance.

You will oversee workforce deployment, rota management, capacity and service resilience, supporting Clinical Lead Pharmacists and wider teams to deliver consistent and effective clinical pharmacy services.

You will lead and support service transformation and medicines optimisation, including the development of pharmacist prescribing, digital solutions and new models of clinical pharmacy practice, while contributing to financial sustainability and efficient use of resources.

As a senior pharmacy leader, you will contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement, workforce development and strategic planning, deputising for the Associate Chief Pharmacist - Clinical Services as required and representing pharmacy at relevant Trust and system-level forums.

About us
Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our Trust "CARE" values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description for the full list of main responsibilities and the Person Specification for essential and desirable criteria.

Person Specification
Education, qualifications & training
Essential

• Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as a Pharmacist (A)
• Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification at diploma or MSc level, or equivalent experience (A)
• Independent Prescriber (A)
• Evidence of postgraduate training or development in leadership, management, education or clinical practice (A)

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy and or UKCPA (A)
• Advanced Clinical Practitioner (A)
• Formal QI or change management qualification (Lean, Six Sigma, PRINCE2) (A)

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Significant senior hospital pharmacy experience, including leadership of clinical pharmacy services across multiple specialties (A/I)
• Experience of operational service management, including workforce, rota, capacity and performance management (A/I)
• Experience of influencing and working collaboratively with senior clinical and operational stakeholders (A/I)
• Experience of using KPIs, data and performance intelligence to improve clinical services, productivity and patient flow (A/I)
• Experience of guideline, SOP or prescribing pathway development and implementation (A/I)
• Experience of service development, quality improvement and leading complex change (A/I)
• Experience of clinical governance, medicines safety, risk management, audit and implementation of national guidance (A/I)
• Experience of medicines optimisation, including formulary/D&TC processes, prescribing optimisation, complex polypharmacy and deprescribing (A/I)
• Experience of financial and resource management, including efficiency/productivity programmes and business planning (A/I)
• Up-to-date knowledge of pharmacy legislation, NHS policy and workforce developments, including pharmacist prescribing (A/I)

Desirable

• Experience of working with Care Group/Divisional senior leadership teams (A/I)
• Experience of operational management and clinical pharmacy service transformation within a substantial acute hospital setting (A/I)
• Experience of digital, informatics or business intelligence developments supporting clinical services (A/I)
• Experience of cross-organisational or system-level working (A/I)
• Active involvement in professional networks, including regional/national presentation, research or publication (A/I)
• Knowledge of medicines financial reporting and NHS budget management (A/I)
• Awareness of emerging developments in pharmacy practice, including advanced therapies and genomics (A/I)

Skills & abilities
Essential

• Highly developed leadership and people-management skills (A/I)
• Ability to provide complex clinical, operational and professional advice and make autonomous decisions (A/I)
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate data and strategy into measurable improvement (A/I)
• Ability to lead complex service transformation and quality improvement (A/I)
• Strong organisational skills with ability to manage competing priorities and operational pressures (A/I)
• Excellent communication skills, including conveying complex information to a range of stakeholders (A/I)
• Ability to line manage, supervise, coach, mentor and develop pharmacy professionals (A/I)
• Ability to critically appraise evidence and translate national guidance into practice (A/I)
• Competent in relevant digital and electronic prescribing systems (A/I)
• Ability to identify performance variation, challenge underperformance and drive delivery of agreed standards and outcomes (A/I)

Desirable

• Experience of using data, metrics or digital tools to support service improvement and medicines optimisation (A/I)
• Ability to interpret and apply national policy, guidance and benchmarking data to local service development (A/I)
• Advanced performance, dashboard or business intelligence skills (A/I)
• Ability to influence at system level, including across ICS/ICB or external stakeholders (A/I)

Personal Qualities & Other
Essential

• Visible, credible and inclusive senior leader (I)
• Demonstrates integrity, accountability and professionalism (I)
• Strong commitment to patient safety, quality and performance improvement (I)
• Strategic thinker with a strong focus on delivery and outcomes (I)
• Proactive, resilient and able to work effectively under pressure (I)
• Commitment to staff development and continuous professional development (I)
• Demonstrates behaviours consistent with Trust values and equality, diversity and inclusion (I)
• Able to participate in departmental rotas and work flexibly across Trust sites (I)

Desirable

• Shows resilience and adaptability when leading through complex change and organisational pressure (I)
• Demonstrates strategic thinking with an ability to see the wider organisational and system context (I)
• Commitment to developing culture of openness and partnership (I)
• Able to act as an ambassador for the service, promoting the Trust and Pharmacy Department values (I).

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).

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).
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).