Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Band 8b
- Contract
- 24 months (Fixed term for 2 years - opportunity to join the Pharmacy Department permanently in a suitable role after the term)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 151-FM
- Employer
- Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Frimley Park Hospital
- Town
- Frimley
- Salary
- £64,337 - £74,415 per annum Including fringe HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/12/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Principal Pharmacist - Medicines Efficiency
Band 8b
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced, enthusiastic and motivated clinical pharmacist to work with the Chief Pharmacist and Project Managament Office in the Principal Pharmacist -Medicines Efficiency role.
This newly created post as lead for the Medicines Efficiency Team will support the Trust Pharmacy department, clinicians and PMO team in delivering biosimilars switch and medicines efficiency programme, delivering cost-effective switches and ensuring best value in the use of high-cost medicines, particularly biologics and biosimilars. You will be expected to work across the Frimley Health Trust sites.
You will be expected to contribute to the strategic development of the department, both within the Trust and within the wider ICS.
Main duties of the job
§ To support the Trust Pharmacy department, clinicians and PMO team in delivering biosimilars switch and medicines efficiency programme, delivering cost-effective switches and ensuring best value in the use of high-cost medicines, particularly biologics and biosimilars.
§ Oversee the identification, implementation, and evaluation of medicines optimisation initiatives and efficiency schemes across the Trust, including tracking outcomes and reporting to stakeholders.
§ To update and inform the Trust’s Medicines Value Group (MVG) to coordinate the strategic approach and tracking of savings delivery for the medicines efficiency programme.
§ Work collaboratively with pharmacy, medical, nursing and project management office (PMO) colleagues to promote safe, effective, and value-based prescribing of high-cost drugs, supporting improved outcomes and reduced harm.
§ Provide leadership and line management to the medicines efficiency team, ensuring delivery of agreed workstreams and the development of team members.
§ Manage relevant financial and workforce resources within the Pharmacy department to support effective service delivery and ensure the achievement of cost improvement targets.
§ Work with the Formulary Pharmacist and the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee particularly in relation to high-cost and specialist medicines.
§ Ensure timely reporting to NHS England and NHS Frimley ICB on agreed cost-saving initiatives, including audits and progress updates.
Working for our organisation
The Frimley Health Pharmacy Department is a forward-thinking department with many innovative practices across the team. The department has an ambitious plan to deliver excellent and high quality pharmacy services to its patients and to develop the pharmacy team.
This role will offer significant rewards and seeks a driven, passionate individual with experience in engaging with various stakeholders, as well as a proven history of service development and delivering to agreed targets
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
§ Lead a programme of horizon scanning projects to identify biosimilar and medicines savings opportunities, including patent expiries and market entry.
§ Support the development of Trust wide policies and pathways for the safe and effective introduction of biosimilars, working with the ICB and NHSE Medicines Optimisation Teams to align procedures and pathways related to medicines.
§ Provide specialist advice on commissioning and reimbursement mechanisms (e.g. BlueTeq, homecare contracts), ensuring financial and operational readiness for new high-cost drugs.
§ Produce detailed monthly forecasts of potential and realised savings from biologic switches and prepare variance analysis reports for review by senior leads.
§ Oversee the completion of Quality Impact Assessments for proposed medicines value savings ensuring a wide range of complex considerations and factors are assessed to implement medicines savings effectively.
§ Design and deliver detailed implementation plans for each biosimilar switch, including stakeholder mapping, projected benefits, communication strategies and patient switch schedules.
§ Lead/facilitate divisional switch meetings, track project milestones, and escalate issues to Medicines Value Group or Chief Pharmacist as required.
- Analyse prescribing data at specialty level (e.g. Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Dermatology) to inform the prioritisation of switches and monitor trends
Person specification
Special Requirements
Essential criteria
- Able to work at weekends and to participate in Bank Holiday working
Desirable criteria
- Ability to be able to travel between sites
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered with GPhC
- Postgraduate clinical diploma or equivalent
- Registered Independent Prescriber
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
- Pharmacy degree (master’s level, 4 years)
Desirable criteria
- Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society
- Formal leadership and management qualification
- Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Professional/ Functional Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant post-qualification experience working as a pharmacist in a clinical environment
- Experience in producing horizon scans or commissioning plans for high-cost medicines.
- Able to provide specialised clinical pharmacy services within own area of expertise, including prescription prescribing, review, dispensing and supply, and to give highly specialised advice to clinicians and patients on the safe and effective use of medicines, in line with medicines legislation and risk management principles
- Proven medicines related risk management, incident investigation and audit
- Experience of training others
- Ability to recognise areas for development of current practice
- Management of staff including recruitment, appraisal
- Proven medicines related risk management, incident investigation and audit
- Experience with managing Individual Funding Requests
- Experience of leading guideline development and implementation
Desirable criteria
- Track record of large‐scale service improvement and cost‐saving initiatives
- Directorate pharmacist experience
- Management training
- Experience of delivering presentations at local, regional, national level
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability and confidence to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, from patient to hospital consultants
- Good interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
- Ability to work on own and as part of a team
- Ability to compile reports /cases where data is presented effectively based on evidence-based information
- Excellent organisational skills
- Ability to prioritise workload and work to deadlines
- Ability to work under pressure and cope with stressful situations
Desirable criteria
- Excellent IT skills
- Working experience of working with e-prescribing software
- Evidence of interest in research
- Knowledge of human resource policies and procedures
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Abe Addo-Atuah
- Job title
- Chief Pharmacist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07764292699
- Additional information
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
Heatherwood Hospital
London Road
Shortlisting:Shortlist
SL5 8AA
- Telephone
- 07392288737
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