Lead Pharmacist Patient Safety & Quality

Due to promotion of the current post holder, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and enthusiastic pharmacist to lead on maximising medicine related patient safety, pharmacy service quality and patient experience. As the Medication Safety Officer, you will drive the strategy for the Trusts multidisciplinary Medication Safety Group, ensuring that all medicines related events are reported and reviewed, learning is shared, and medicines safety strategies are reviewed as a result of learning. You will work across organisational boundaries and actively contribute to local and national medication safety groups. Supporting the Trusts aim of striving for excellence and to achieve excellent patient experience, you will lead Pharmacys quality agenda, ensuring that the department reports on all aspects of service quality, working with other leaders to seek opportunities for service improvement to benefit patient care and experience. You will also contribute to the implementation of the Medicines Optimisation & Pharmacy Services strategy to actively promote high standards of care. You must have an in-depth understanding of the national medication safety agenda and be experienced in problem solving, influencing, and facilitating change with a multidisciplinary team. For further information or to arrange a visit, contact Nav Johal Associate Director of Pharmacy Patient Care or Paula Briggs Lead Pharmacist Patient Safety & Quality . Main duties of the job

• To ensure a multidisciplinary approach is applied to medicines safety, in accordance with legislation, national, local and Trust guidance.
• Act as the Medication Safety Officer for the Trust, becoming a clinical expert for medication safety.
• Produce and contribute to medication related investigations as required according to the patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF), and NHSE Never Events involving medicines.
• Produce a quarterly Thematic Review of Local Incident Medication Priority Events to disseminate Trust-wide.
• Act as the Professional Secretary to the Medication Safety Group
• Respond to urgent requests for advice from pharmacy, medical, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals with regard to medication safety related issues and concerns.
• Lead the development and implementation of local strategies and policies to reduce risks with medicines.
• Act as the clinical governance lead for Pharmacy and Chair of the Pharmacy Quality & Governance Group and lead on the monitoring and formal reporting of the quality of Pharmacy services using appropriate agreed performance indicators.
• Assist the Director of Pharmacy with the safe and secure handling of Controlled Drugs Trust-wide.
• Lead the development of a long-term departmental audit plan, promoting a culture of learning and positive change within the department that will contribute to improving delivery of pharmacy services., Act as the Medication Safety Officer for the Trust, becoming a clinical expert for medication safety.
Provide a highly specialised pharmacy service in the field of medication safety and risk management. Promote an open and honest culture to encourage, promote and increase the reporting of medication events and learning. Review all medication events reports, adopting a questioning approach and root cause analysis to identify contributory factors to ensure data quality for local and national learning, and where necessary, investigate and find additional information from reporters. Produce and contribute to medication related investigations as required according to the patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF), and NHSE Never Events involving medicines. Produce a quarterly Thematic Review of Local Incident Medication Priority Events to disseminate Trust-wide. This will contain information from analysis of reports and identify trends for lessons to be learnt. Act as the Professional Secretary to the Medication Safety Group :
• Ensurethat the Group regularly reviews medication event reports, improves reportingand learning, and takes local action to minimise harm to patients.
• Workwith colleagues in nursing, medicine and other healthcare professionals toensure there is clarity on roles with respect to medication event reporting.
• Agreemechanisms to feedback data on medication events to reporters.
• Supportthe dissemination of medication safety communications from NHS England and theMHRA, and the management of medication-related national patient safety alertsand campaigns.
Provide regular updates and formal reports to the Chief Medical Officer on medicines related patient safety events. Regularly review information from the LFPSE and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to support improvements in reporting and learning and to take local action to improve medication safety. Respond to urgent requests for advice from pharmacy, medical, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals with regard to medication safety related issues and concerns. Ensure the role of the Medication Safety Officer is covered for planned and unplanned absences. Lead the development and implementation of local strategies and policies to reduce risks with medicines. Deliver medication safety education and training to pharmacy, medical, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals as required. Build relationship with existing Trust risk management and / or clinical governance teams. Investigate reports that are available locally, for example the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trusts data compared to selected others. Actively contribute to the national Medication Safety Network, including attendance at monthly Medication Safety Officer webinars organised by NHS England. Attend and actively contribute to the Yorkshire and Humber Medication Safety Officers Group, bringing learning back to the Trust. Attend and actively contribute to the West Yorkshire ICS Medicines Safety Network Meeting. Attend and actively contribute to the Trust Patient Safety Oversight Group and MY Shared Learning Group.


• Track record in problem solving and dealing with clinical services and other departments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to build rapport with colleagues at all levels.
• Ability to cope with constant interruptions and maintain professional approach.
• Demonstrate ability to concentrate, prioritise and manage an unpredictable workload.
• Demonstrate ability to motivate self and others.
• Demonstrate ability to use initiative and be proactive.
• Negotiation skills.
• Able to manage and lead change.
• Ability to deal with highly distressing situations and complaints from patients, staff and managers.
Desirable
• Relevant medication event investigation and analysis training.
• Completion of Serious Incident reports., Team player who leads by example
• Innovative
• Organised and methodical
• Tactful and diplomatic
Qualifications Essential
• Masters or Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy.
• Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Masters Degree in Clinical.
• Pharmacy or the equivalent degree of experience.
• Registered as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Desirable
• Management training obtained through in house training or formal qualification.
• Membership of a relevant Pharmacy professional leadership bodies eg. United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacists Association, Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• Independent Prescribing qualification.
Experience Essential
• Experience of medication incident / event reporting systems, risk assessment and medication safety initiatives.
• Experience of writing guidelines, policies and procedures and putting them into practice.
• Appreciable post-qualification experience in hospital pharmacy, including time at a senior practitioner level.
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Relevant and broad clinical expertise.
• Experience in a leading role (eg. team, service or directorate).
• Experience of audit against quality standards.
Desirable
• Training relevant to medication safety and quality.
• Experience in training and development.
• Experience of risk assessment and delivering risk reduction initiatives.
Knowledge and Awareness Essential
• In depth understanding of the national medication safety agenda.
• Understanding of medicines legislation and ethical principles.
• Awareness of national policies and strategies relating to medicines.
• Awareness of own limitations.
  
  We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield).
We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work. We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust. If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.