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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
430-CC25-110A
Employer
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Pharmacy (Dept)
Town
Milton Keynes
Salary
£62,215 - £72,293 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
05/06/2025 23:59
Interview date
16/06/2025

Employer heading

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust logo

Pharmacist - Medicines Value Programme Lead

Band 8b

MKUH staff scored highest for ‘I look forward to coming to work’ (NHS Staff Survey 2023).

You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours.  At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

  • Free on-site parking
  • Free refreshments
  • Great flexible working opportunities
  • Discounted gym membership
  • Lease car scheme
  • Generous annual leave and pension scheme
  • On site nursery (chargeable)
  • Extensive staff health and well-being programme

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

 

Job overview

Pharmacist - Medicines Value Programme Lead

Department: Pharmacy

Band 8b: £62,215 - £72,293 per annum

Full-time 37.5 hours per week including weekend and BH commitments, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working

Working as part of the senior pharmacy team, you will be the lead for medicines value, homecare services and digital medicines optimisation. You will be responsible for managing a drug budget c.£50M, driving cost-saving initiatives and ensuring compliance with national commissioning policies. This is a diverse role that includes high-level stakeholder engagement, team leadership, business case development, and strategic oversight of medicine cost and productivity improvements.

We are looking for an exceptional clinical pharmacist with proven experience at a senior level, who is passionate about medicines optimisation, has a strong grasp of medicine commissioning and finance and excels at leading change in complex environments.

Interested? For further information, please contact Vivian De Vittoris, Associate Director of Pharmacy - Operations, Quality & Governance at [email protected]

MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.

 

Interview date: 16.06.2025 

Main duties of the job

  • The Medicines Value Programme Lead is professionally and managerially responsible for the development and delivery of successful Medicines Value and waste reduction programmes for MKUH, ensuring best value prescribing and evidenced based practice. They will utilise horizon scanning, monitoring drug usage, prescribing patterns and expenditure to support MKUH achieving a balanced drug budget and planning for new drug developments. 
  • They are accountable for managing the approval, appropriate use, and audit of high-cost medicines reimbursed centrally as well as under block arrangements. 
  • They are responsible for ensuring useful and accurate reporting of data from Pharmacy systems to support the running of the department and good financial management of medicines across the organisation.
  • They will provide clinical expertise to the procurement team.
  • They will participate in the provision of clinical pharmacy services, on-call, weekend and bank holiday commitments. 

Working for our organisation

"We Care We Communicate We Collaborate We Contribute"

 

"90% reported feeling trusted to do their job and always knowing their responsibilities" (NHS Staff Survey 2023).

You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours.  At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

  • Free on-site parking
  • Free tea and coffee
  • Great flexible working opportunities
  • Discounted gym membership
  • Lease car scheme
  • Generous annual leave and pension scheme
  • On site nursery (chargeable)
  • Extensive staff health and well-being programme

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Medicines value & commissioning responsibilities: 

  • To be responsible for the identification of cost-reduction strategies associated with medicines alongside commissioners, clinicians, and wider departmental and Trust stakeholders, to scope feasibility and methods for safe implementation. 

Expert practice:

  • To provide strategic advice to the Clinical Director for Pharmacy to ensure the Trust manages medicines in a safe and effective way.

Research, evaluation & service development:

  • To interpret national guidance, research, and audit and where it does not exist to formulate an expert opinion and/or contribute to the evidence.

Leadership & management:

  • To manage the team in accordance with organisation policy and procedures, for example, pharmacy rotas including cover for sickness, vacancies and leave and performance management.

Professional practice role:

  • To practice in compliance with the General Pharmaceutical Council code of professional conduct within scope of practice, being responsible and accountable for own decisions, actions, and omissions.

Educational & training responsibilities:

  • To ensure a comprehensive induction programme for all new members of staff coming into the team.

Professional role:

  • To ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Please refer to the Job Description for further details

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.  

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system.  Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS.   This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Upon commencing  employment  with  the  Trust,  all  employees  (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are  subject  to  a probationary period lasting  a  period  of  six  months  with  an  option  to extend  for  a  further  six  months  to  a total of  12 months.

Person specification

Qualifications and knowledge

Essential criteria
  • GPhC Registration
  • MPharm Degree or equivalent
  • Higher Degree / Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experience
  • Evidence of CPD
Desirable criteria
  • Formal management qualification
  • Extensive knowledge of reporting systems available for the management of medicines use

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Broad experience of providing a relevant service at a senior level
  • Extensive experience of managing drug expenditure and understanding of budgetary mechanism
  • Experience of working with commissioners to manage drug use
  • Experience working as part of a multi-professional team
  • Experience of audit work.
  • Service development
  • An awareness of current national standards, guidelines, and service delivery issues relevant to the role.
  • Experience of supervising, developing and appraising staff as well as giving feedback
  • Proven experience of working at a strategic level with senior clinicians and managers
  • Demonstrates a passion for good financial management and optimizing care

Skills

Essential criteria
  • IT and presentation skills and report writing
  • Meets targets and identifies a vision for the delivery of pharmacy services to patients
  • Good inter-personal skills, with the ability to liaise and influence senior managers and consultants
  • Meets expected levels of practice as identified by others and identifies new areas of practice
  • Identifies and prioritizes goals
  • Understands local and national priorities in care and has the ability to reconcile these with local realities
  • Demonstrable ability to manage time, people, and resources to deliver outcomes
  • Integrates research evidence and audit results into practice; documented experience of own research & audit
  • Identifies and manages risk
  • Demonstrates excellent awareness of and commitment to the Clinical Governance agenda
  • Demonstrates expert knowledge, reasoning, and judgement; manages difficult and ambiguous problems
  • Identifies own training needs, actively seeks training opportunities, and maintains a portfolio of practice
  • Works autonomously and can delegate authority appropriately
  • Evaluates the quality of own work and can evaluate service quality
  • An ability to prioritise a complex workload and work accurately under pressure

Personal and people development

Essential criteria
  • Experience of supervising, developing and appraising staff as well as giving feedback
  • Has a positive approach to developing others and supporting change
Desirable criteria
  • Experience as a trainer

Communication

Essential criteria
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

Specific requirements

Essential criteria
  • Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoHSJ Best places to workCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardDisability confident employer

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
Vivian De Vittoris
Job title
Associate Director of Pharmacy
Email address
[email protected]
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