Job summary
Wirral University Teaching Hospitals are seeking an experienced, motivated, and forward-thinking Pharmacist to lead the antimicrobial stewardship agenda across the locality and to provide strategic leadership within the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.

This is an exciting opportunity to take up a senior role within a large, diverse locality that is proud of its strong clinical standards, collaborative culture, and commitment to continuous improvement.

We are looking for a registered pharmacist with substantial clinical experience and a strong interest and expertise in antimicrobial stewardship.

Your expertise will directly influence prescribing practice, service development, and patient outcomes.

If you're passionate about antibiotic use, and ready to take on a senior, specialist leadership role where your expertise will make a real difference, we'd be delighted to receive your application.

Main duties of the job
As the Antimicrobial Stewardship Lead Pharmacist, you will provide expert clinical leadership and oversight for the antimicrobial stewardship agenda. You will work closely with primary and secondary multidisciplinary teams to ensure safe, effective, and evidence-based medicines use of antimicrobials across the Wirral.

Key Responsibilities

• The post holder will act as a professional and clinical leader in the area of AMS across the Wirral health economy to deliver improvements in the utilisation of antimicrobials. They will work in partnership with Clinical Leads, Microbiologists, Public Health Experts, Managers and Pharmacy Leads to continually improve the medicines optimisation for patients requiring antimicrobial therapy.
• The post holder will need to work with others to develop a strategy to support the AMS agenda and reduction in AMR across Wirral in collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders that fosters a culture for quality improvement and continuous learning.

About us
We are a large department, employing 95 pharmacists and 47 MMTs delivering services to the acute hospital and primary care network (PCN). High quality, proactive input is expected by our clinicians, nursing staff and patients; as such over half of our pharmacists are independent prescribers, actively using this qualification.

Within our trust we are dedicated to the promotion and expansion of the pharmacist role within the healthcare setting. We actively support and encourage pharmacist postgraduate development. We are highly innovative department; recently winning, or shortlisted for national awards within surgery, antimicrobial stewardship and PCN. CQC describes services delivered by the pharmacy surgical team as "outstanding"; therefore, the successful applicant is expected to deliver and develop this role to meet the needs of patients across Wirral.

Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description & Person Specification for more information about the Antimicrobial Stewardship opportunity available with WUTH.

Person Specification
Qualifications, Specific Experience & Training
Essential

• Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy (or equivalent)
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Extensive post registration experience within the NHS including recent senior service leadership role within NHS pharmacy practice
• Management and/or leadership qualification or relevant experiential learning within the NHS in a senior position within pharmacy.
• Significant experience in project management including leading on major change projects
• Evidence of post-qualification continuing professional development

Desirable

• Independent Prescribing qualification
• Experience working in primary care setting and/or community pharmacy at a senior level
• Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Postgraduate studies in antimicrobials
• Project management qualification

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Excellent written communication skills
• Good IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Excel to manipulate and analyse datasets and produce reports and dashboards

Other requirements
Essential

• Able to travel to multiple sites

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).