Lead Pharmacist, High Cost Drugs
| Posting date: | 17 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £70,723.00 to £84,752.00 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £70723.00 - £84752.00 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 31 July 2025 |
| Location: | Guernsey, GY4 6UU |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | K0005-25-0107 |
Summary
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Providing strategic guidance for newly developed high-cost drugs that will enable accurate budget forecasting. Optimising the use of high-cost medicines across HCS, leading on projects for cost saving initiative and maximising value for money for the organisation. Work across care groups to provide oversight and clinical support for managing high-cost drugs used in specialist, complex or rare conditions within different specialities. Engaging with clinical teams to ensure appropriate use of high-cost drugs ensuring and monitoring that they are used in line with appropriate policies and guidelines, especially NICE guidelines. Lead on the analysis of monthly spend of high-cost drugs, sending monthly reports to care groups within HCS to help ensure budgets are maintained. Horizon scan for new drugs and assist with related implementation and budget setting for new drugs. Identify changes in practice that may impact on the medicines budget, communicate any national project or policy changes, and provide support on implementation of national and local policy that has been identified for each financial year. Develop and implement national or locally agreed patient specific selection criteria for use of high-cost drugs via monitoring systems so as to ensure appropriate use and safeguarding of public money. Identify investment/disinvestment opportunities and optimise the use of high-cost drugs for example via cost effective procurement, review of prescriptions, support for biosimilar switches, correct stock storage, rotation and return of unused drugs from clinical areas. Developing cost-saving proposals in conjunction with the clinical teams. Undertaking regular audit of high-cost drug prescribing and monitoring. Ensuring that there is robust monitoring and regular reporting of savings achieved. Leading on the use of other new technology to support prescribing eg. BluTecq. Liasing with drug companies to ensure that HSC can access all Patient Access Schemes either via discounts at invoicing or rebate schemes available to the NHS. Becoming proficient in the use of the EPACT and JAC systems Using the EPACT system and NHSBSA outputs, to monitor, interpret and act on all aspects of prescribing, dispensing and charging via the Pharmaceutical Benefit system. Negotiating decisions or recommendations by the Prescribing Panel, to the CfHSCand to the Healthcare Community. Fostering positive and effective communication within the team. Establishing links with other pharmacists in similar roles elsewhere to share / learn from examples of best practice. Undertaking any other training and duties as required. Practicing at all times in accordance with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) code of ethics CLINICAL GOVERNANCE: To report and to investigate clinical incidents involving all aspects of prescribing, dispensing and administration of medication, particularly in Primary Care and at the interface, ensuring processes are in place to develop learning from these incidents. Assist in the investigation of complaints and errors, in conjunction with the Prescribing Advisor, to resolve any issues as close to source as possible. To prepare, to interpret and to share prescribing data at island, prescribing organisation, prescriber and dispenser level. To facilitate the undertaking of and contribute to multi-disciplinary audit. To contribute, monitor and act on departmental and HSC Key Performance Indicators and Benchmarking. LEADERSHIP: To collaborate on transformation of and innovation in service delivery. To attend and advise relevant HSC committees, recommend mechanisms for internal and external audits as required providing advice to medical staff on medicines usage and expenditure. To be a member of the HSC Committees as required Line management of pharmacists/technicians as required. TRAINING, EDUCATION AND RESEARCH: To actively participate in Continuing Professional Development. To attend training courses and conferences as appropriate and provide feedback to colleagues. To develop and deliver training to practice teams, care home staff and other multidisciplinary staff as appropriate on the safe and efficient management of medicines. (e.g. repeat prescribing systems). To promote positive working between care homes, GP practices, community pharmacists and other health professionals in relation to medicines management. To Partake in on call services for HSC.