Clinical Effectiveness Pharmacist & MSO: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Are you a senior pharmacist with a passion for medicines safety, clinical effectiveness and quality improvement?

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is seeking a Clinical Effectiveness Pharmacist and Medication Safety Officer (MSO) to provide strategic leadership for medicines safety, governance, formulary management and quality improvement across mental health, learning disability and community services.

As the Trust’s MSO, you will lead medication safety initiatives, coordinate responses to MHRA Drug Safety Updates, medicines recalls and National Patient Safety Alerts, support learning from incidents, and promote the safe and effective use of medicines.

Working closely with the Chief Pharmacist, senior leaders, clinicians, the Central East ICB and external partners, you will drive medicines optimisation, support regulatory compliance and ensure practice is aligned with national guidance and evidence-based care.

We are looking for a GPhC-registered pharmacist with significant post-registration experience, strong leadership skills, and expertise in medicines safety, governance and service improvement. Experience as an MSO, involvement in POMH-UK audits, digital prescribing systems or quality improvement programmes would be advantageous.

Join us and help make medicines safer and more effective for the people we serve.Please note the advert may close early if sufficient number of applications received.

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the Trust’s Medication Safety Officer and leading medicines safety programmes.
• Leading the implementation and assurance of medicines-related MHRA Drug Safety Updates, medicines recalls and National Patient Safety Alerts.
• Providing strategic leadership for medicines governance, clinical effectiveness and medicines optimisation.
• Leading the development and governance of the Trust Medicines Formulary.
• Supporting implementation of NICE guidance and evidence-based practice.
• Leading audit, quality improvement and service development programmes.
• Supporting safe optimisation of electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA) systems.
• Leading investigations into significant medication incidents and supporting organisational learning.
• Representing HPFT on regional and system-wide medicines optimisation, safety and clinical effectiveness groups.

Providing leadership, support and professional development to pharmacy staff.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Master’s degree in Pharmacy (MPharm) or equivalent
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as a pharmacist with no restrictions
• Postgraduate pharmacy qualification or evidence of equivalent experience
• Evidence of and commitment to continuing professional development
• Management or leadership qualification or evidence of equivalent experience

Desirable

• Independent Prescriber
• Quality Improvement qualification
• Project management qualification

Previous Experience

Essential

• Relevant post-registration hospital clinical pharmacy experience with significant mental health experience
• Good, broad clinical knowledge and ability to apply to a ward, community and dispensary setting
• Demonstrable evidence of specialist knowledge in medicines safety, governance and clinical effectiveness
• Demonstrable experience of clinical audit, quality improvement and clinical effectiveness programmes
• Demonstrable knowledge of NICE guidance, medicines optimisation and patient safety principles, with the ability to apply these in clinical practice and governance
• Experience of leading medicines safety programmes
• Experience of patient safety investigations
• Experience of incident investigation and risk management
• Experience of developing policies, protocols and governance frameworks
• Experience of service development and leading change
• Experience of managing, training, mentorship, supervision of staff including appraisals and giving feedback
• Experience of presenting complex information to senior stakeholders and committees
• Experience of producing reports and presenting the findings to various committees
• Experience of using incident reporting systems.

Desirable

• Experience as a Medication Safety Officer
• Experience of working with national audit programmes such as POMH-UK.
• Experience of working with digital prescribing systems.
• Experience of research and publication.
• Experience of working across organisational boundaries and Integrated Care Boards

Communication / Knowledge Skills

Essential

• Advanced theoretical and technical, clinical and pharmaceutical knowledge relating to the promotion of high quality, effective and cost-efficient use of medicines, including a wide range of work procedures and practices
• Advanced knowledge of medicines safety principles and patient safety systems
• Comprehensive understanding of medicines legislation and governance requirements
• Knowledge of NICE guidance, MHRA requirements, NHS Patient Safety Strategy and CQC standards.
• Ability to analyse highly complex information and develop practical solutions
• Excellent leadership and people management skills
• Strong report writing and presentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and manage competing priorities
• Ability to influence stakeholders across professional groups
• Competent in audit design, data analysis and presentation
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to remain calm and objective under pressure
• Advanced IT skills including data analysis and reporting
• Knowledge of quality improvement methodologies.

Desirable

• Knowledge of national medicines optimisation programmes.

Analytical / Physical Skills

Essential

• Able to make judgements involving complex facts or situations which require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options
• Able to critically appraise clinical trial data and research papers
• Excellent computer skills to include Word, PowerPoint, Excel and the Internet
• Car driver, own transport (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)

Physical/ Mental / Emotional

Essential

• Moving and handling laptop and handouts for mandatory training in medicines management
• Driving across Hertfordshire to different bases/units
• The job will require frequent use of VDU equipment every day and intense concentration in a sometimes noisy open plan office environment
• The post holder may encounter challenging/hostile service users when visiting the mental health units
• Communication of complex information about medicines regarding individual service users within own organisation and across other organisations for example commissioning organisations, acute trusts or community pharmacy. This may be multi-professional and there may be barriers to overcome in effective communication
• Ability to manage dispensary workflow as the sole pharmacist with minimal support
• Significant ability to concentrate in multidisciplinary ward rounds
• Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations.

Closing Date: 10 September 2026