Job Advert
A progressive service - that’s at the leading edge
Provisional interview date: 19th June 2023
NHS Forth Valley Pharmacy Service has an opportunity for a dynamic and forward thinking pharmacist to lead the pharmacy team providing care for people within the Mental Health and Learning Disability directorate including the Substance Use Service. The postholder acts as the professional advisor on medicines for the Mental Health Senior Leadership Team and is a member of the Forth Valley Pharmacy Leadership Team.
The mental health specialties pharmacy team supports both inpatient and community services across the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire & Stirling Health and Social Care Partnerships. Forth Valley Royal Hospital is a modern facility with access to Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA), electronic patient records, digital community prescribing databases and automation. The pharmacy team are highly respected and valued within the directorate and work in partnership with a range of health, social care and third sector agencies across Forth Valley ensuring an integrated approach to the provision of patient focused care.
This post provides a unique opportunity for a pharmacist to provide clinical and professional leadership to the growing mental health and substance use pharmacy team of clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmacy technicians. The post holder will be an experienced practitioner with highly effective interpersonal, communication and influencing skills with an ability to lead teams through change at both strategic and local level. One of the key Mental Health directorate objectives is for all parts of the service to become accredited for providing excellent care according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists Centre for Quality Improvement Accreditation Standards. In support of this the pharmacy team has been recognised for their contribution to the general adult psychiatry inpatient wards gaining accreditation this year. In addition, the pharmacy team are fully integrated into the implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards (MAT) with an expected green status of delivery on MAT Standard 2. Experience of service improvement and quality is desirable as the postholder will be responsible for building on this foundation.
This welcoming and dynamic pharmacy team is committed to the provision of high quality pharmaceutical care for people experiencing enduring mental health and substance problems. The clinical pharmacy technicians have an advanced role in supporting the community supply of clozapine and medication assisted treatment. Our clinical pharmacists are expanding their role in case load management in the outpatient setting across mental health specialites and the postholder will also provide professional support for the pharmacist post in CAMHS.
Our Pharmacy Leadership Team are also committed to advancing pharmacy professional roles and the postholder will have relevant post-graduate qualifications, be an independent prescriber and have an understanding of the benefits of extending pharmacy professional roles in delivery of care to patients. We want to offer an excellent training experience for undergraduate and post registration pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and your job plan will include teaching within a wider portfolio of clinical commitment, line management, team development, service improvement and medicines governance. Flexible working is supported where possible and part-time hours for two post-holders with agreed portfolios will be considered.
Forth Valley offers an unrivalled quality of life in an area of outstanding natural beauty which includes Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Historic Stirling has local schools that feature in the top 20 league tables. Scotland’s major cities Glasgow and Edinburgh are within one hour’s travel and relocation packages are available for eligible appointments.
The Pharmacy Team are welcoming and sociable with a Friday cake club, nights out and a book club. Recently awarded a grant from the NHS Charities Fund, a schedule of outdoor fitness and indoor yoga classes were arranged for Pharmacy staff to support their wellbeing and foster teambuilding.
For further information or an informal discussion regarding the above post please contact Fiona McIntyre, Associate Director of Pharmacy, Acute and Specialist Services fiona.mcintyre3@nhs.scot or call 01324 566715 to make an appointment.
The duties of this post require the successful candidate to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. More information on this scheme can be found at www.disclosurescotland.co.uk
Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail, therefore please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders) and also your Jobtrain account for updates.
NHS Forth Valley is positive about disabled people and is committed to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Please contact the Recruitment Office on 0330 041 4694 if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you with your application and/or interview.
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.