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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent: 37.5 hours a week including late, weekend and on call commitments
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (including late, weekend and on call commitments)
Job ref
418-DTO4392-KA
Employer
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Luton and Dunstable Hospital
Town
Luton
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
23/10/2026 23:59
Interview date
05/11/2026

Employer heading

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Specialist Pharmacist - Medication Safety & Governance

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic Medication Safety & Governance Pharmacist to join our friendly and supportive Medicines Use, Safety, Governance and Quality team within the Pharmacy Department at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

We are a dynamic and compassionate team who collectively aspire to deliver a safe and effective service for our staff and patients, in line with our Trust objectives.

The post-holder will form part of the medication safety team, working closely with the Medication Safety Officer, Medication Safety Matron and wider patient safety team, providing expert clinical input trust-wide to support the safe, effective and evidence-based use of medicines across the Trust. The post holder will play a key role in driving quality improvement, governance and service development.

Main duties of the job

·        Support the Principal Pharmacist – Medication Safety and Governance (Medication Safety Officer) to improve medicaiton error incident reporting and learning within the Trust and coordinating, monitoring and auditing the required actions to ensure compliance with Care Quality Commission criteria

·        Actively support the Principal Pharmacist – Medication Safety and Governance (Medication Safety Officer), to improve medication safety within the trust and to ensure good clinical governance, audit and risk management within medicines management activities

·        Plan, develop, coordinate and audit the impact of medicines safety initiatives across the Trust. This will involve close working with other members of the multidisciplinary patient safety team.

·        Be a key member of the Pharmacy Clinical Governance Meetings, Pharmacy Weekly and Monthly incident Meetings

·        Provide support and advice on medicines related Patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF) actions, ensuring any agreed plans or areas of concern are fully integrated into the overall Quality Management System within Pharmacy

·        Support the running of the Trust Medicines Safety Committee (MSC), including reporting output of designated subgroups; to produce Trust wide medicines safety communication and to assist with the Trust PSIRF agenda work streams

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton.  Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Refer to Job Description for further details. 

  • Medication Safety & Governance
  • Risk Management & Audit
  • Clinical Pharmacy

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Pharmacy degree (Masters level)
  • Registration as a pharmacist with the GPhC
  • Post graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
Desirable criteria
  • Accredited Diploma Tutor
  • Post graduate Masters in Pharmacy
  • Member of the RPS
  • Stage 1 Faculty Member (MIFRPS)
  • Independent Prescriber
  • QSIR training or equivalent

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Validated expertise in hospital pharmacy
  • Experience of supervising and training staff
  • Demonstration of up to date clinical awareness in specialist area
  • Knowledge and awareness of medication safety developments
  • Understanding the need of confidentiality awareness at all times
  • Audit/Research/Project experience
  • Policy and service development
  • Evidence of relevant continued professional development
  • Awareness of current developments in Pharmacy practice
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of process redesign / continuous improvement work
  • Validated project management experience
  • Experience of coaching staff
  • Knowledge of improvement methodology tools and techniques
  • Knowledge of Clinical Governance
  • Line manager experience

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Organised and able to devise, plan and manage work programmes
  • Critical review/analysis and interpretation of clinical literature and medicines legislation
  • Ability to influence other professionals
  • Negotiation skills
  • Report writing
  • Training and mentoring skills
Desirable criteria
  • Ability to formulate, lead and implement service improvements

Other

Essential criteria
  • Enthusiastic and passionate about safe medicines management systems
  • Ability to thrive on development/change
  • Flexible and proactive

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerEmployer with HeartNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Dona Wingfield
Job title
Head of Medicines Governance, Safety and Quality
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07776 512218

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust
Lewsey Road
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU4 0DZ
Telephone
01582 497325
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