201578 - Lead Pharmacist - Medicine of the Elderly (AJM)

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.

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 Medicine of the Elderly

(including weekend working and public holidays rota commitment)

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 best practice across a wide variety of specialist services.

We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and motivated pharmacist, with a passion in caring for frail elderly patients, to support the frailty front-door portfolio expansion of clinical pharmacy services within this specialist area. The individual will be pioneering as co-lead of the medicine of the elderly team amongst the multidisciplinary team (MDT) as part of the frailty service at WGH, building on a proactive role to optimise patients medicines and improving their stay in the hospital through effective discharge planning. We are also keen to build on the integration of clinical pharmacy service with primary care to ensure a smooth transition when patients move across different care settings. The postholder will also be participating in the wider clinical pharmacy services provision to the medical admissions unit and medicine of elderly service with particular focus on frail elderly patients.

Candidates should have excellent clinical, organisational, and interpersonal skills. Experience in working in a patient-focused environment and proactively influencing prescribing within the MDT is highly desirable. This post-holder will have a key role in leading on service and personal development roles within the frailty/medicines of the elderly pharmacy teams as well as wider in the directorate.

Candidates must have a Master of Pharmacy Degree or equivalent, be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and should have completed a Clinical Diploma or Masters in Clinical Pharmacy. An independent prescribing qualification is essential. Candidates who have not completed a Clinical Diploma or Masters in Clinical Pharmacy must demonstrate:

• Engagement with the RPS Core Advanced Curriculum
• Active participation in a community of practice/peer network
• Submit a screenshot of portfolio (programme of learning page)
• Complete the RPS learning needs analysis tool to assess progress with the Core Advanced Curriculum and gaps that will need addressed as part of PDP plans.

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. 

For further information on what is included in the role and what skills/experience are being looked for, click on the links at the bottom of the screen to the job description and person specification. If after reading this information you have any questions please contact Reshma Chhana-Brown, Lead Clinical Pharmacist WGH, Reshma.chhana@nhs.scot OR Jin Hah, Site Lead Pharmacist WGH/SCAN, , jinwerne.hah@nhs.scot

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.