195023 (PP) Principal Pharmacist Medicines Information

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.

NHS Scotland is reducing their full time working week from 37.5 to 37 hours per week from 1 April 2024 but with no change in pay.  This reduction will also be applied pro rata for part time staff.  This advert and any subsequent offer/contract of employment therefore reflects the new working hours.  However, as not all service areas will be able to adopt the 37 hour working week immediately from 1 April 2024, you may be required to work up to an additional 30 minutes per week for a temporary period for which you would be paid until the service you are working in changes rosters or working patterns to accommodate the new reduced working week.  If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Recruiting Board.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

NHS Lothian Pharmacy & Medicines Service

Medicines Information and Yellow Card Centre Scotland

Principal Pharmacist

Band 8A, 1.0 WTE, 37 hours, fixed term/secondment 12 months

£56,992 £61,522

including weekend and public holiday commitments

(flexible or part time working requests will be considered)

NHS Lothian covers Edinburgh city, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. We are the second largest health system in NHS Scotland and one of only four teaching Boards. We have strategic partnerships with local Universities, Local Authorities and our four Integration Joint Boards. We serve a population of 900,000, providing a range of primary, community based and acute hospital services. We also provide regional and national services across a range of clinical specialties.

The vision for the Pharmacy & Medicines service is to deliver clinically led, person-centred services to ensure patients across Lothian get the best from their medicines and pharmacy services.  We are focussed on creating an environment where each person in the team has the opportunity to flourish, develop and make best use of their skills.

The Medicines Information and Yellow Card Centre collaborate with colleagues across community pharmacy, primary and secondary care to ensure robust enquiry answering and post marketing adverse drug reaction reporting. This post will further strengthen the teams work to redesign the service with a focus on clinical effectiveness.

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic pharmacist to join the pharmacy team delivering the highest quality pharmacy and medicines services across NHS Lothian. This post will have significant input to shape the implementation and the development of a redesigned service that can respond to the needs of the health board by working with colleagues in medicines governance to progress the delivery of clinically effective prescribing within NHS Lothian in line with local and national strategies and delivery plans.  The successful candidate will work independently in their chosen clinical field at weekly sessions. This clinical practice is in place to ensure that learnings are used to make the clinical effectiveness service relevant to todays prescribing practices and beyond.

You will have proven organisational skills, can demonstrate a clear understanding of medicines enquiry answering and the governance around maintaining a medicines information service while having a strong clinical background. You will have a systematic approach to decision making, a personal commitment to continuing professional development and a dynamic, innovative, and engaging approach to service improvement. 

Candidates must have a Master of Pharmacy Degree or equivalent, post graduate qualification in Clinical Pharmacy (or similar subject), and must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

For those considering a secondment, please also ensure that you discuss with, and gain support from, your line manager prior to your application being submitted and confirm that you have your line manager's support in your submission.

For further information please contact Lesley Macher, Lead Pharmacist, Medicines Information and Medicines Governance and Guidance on MS Teams or lesley.macher@nhs.scot or Louise Smith, Principal Pharmacist, Medicines Information and Yellow Card Centre Scotland on or louise.smith10@nhs.scot

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/ record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.