198902 (KA) Lead Pharmacist RIDU

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

Western General Hospital

Lead Pharmacist for Regional Infectious Diseases Unit

Band 8A

Up to 1.0WTE (37 hours per week)

£56,992 61,522

Fixed term/Secondment

Part-time/Job share will be considered

(weekend and public holiday rota commitments included)

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 Western General Hospital (WGH) is a large teaching hospital with an established reputation for offering the best practice across a wide variety of specialist services. It is also home to the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, which is a leading centre for cancer services provision.

The Regional Infectious Diseases Unit (RIDU) is a dynamic and multidisciplinary unit at WGH, providing specialist patient care to the population of southeast Scotland.  Due to retirement of our current post holder, we have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, motivated and innovative pharmacist to join our friendly clinical pharmacy team.  You will be joint-lead for the Pharmacy RIDU team with an existing part-time post holder. The RIDU Pharmacy team is well established within the MDT, responsible for delivering high quality pharmaceutical services to patients within the unit managing complex and chronic infectious diseases such as HIV, HCID and also patients attending the Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) service. The OPAT service is expanding and is key to reducing length of stay in hospital.

This is an excellent time to join our team who is committed to service modernisation and developing the role of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff.  We are looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic leader who demonstrates a high level of professional practice to implement local, regional and national strategies and work collaboratively with the existing team members, wider pharmacy team, MDT and other relevant teams in the southeast Scotland region.

Experience in service and staff development is highly desirable. Post-qualification knowledge of infectious diseases is desirable but not essential.

You must be registered as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council and have a post-graduate qualification in clinical pharmacy (Diploma/MSc or equivalent).  An Independent prescriber qualification is essential for this post in view of the prescribing activity undertaken by this post holder in the HIV and OPAT clinics.       

For further information please contact:

Jin Hah, Site Lead Pharmacist, WGH/SCAN

or via email at jinwerne.hah@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.