NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Senior Pharmacist - Antimicrobial & COVID Ultra High Risk Pathway
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Fixed Term or Secondment Opportunity for 12 months to cover substantive post holders maternity leave
Secondment Opportunity – Existing permanent employees must first discuss this opportunity with their substantive line manager and complete the secondment request form prior to interview. The secondment request form and the associated secondment policy can be found on the HR/Recruitment intranet pages and must be completed and signed by the substantive line manager. The Candidate should then take it with them to interview as confirmation that an agreement has been granted.
An exciting opportunity for a 12-month secondment/fixed-term post has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated pharmacist to join NHS Forth Valley Pharmacy Services in a unique senior role spanning Antimicrobial Stewardship, the COVID Ultra High Risk Pathway and wider Acute Clinical Pharmacy Services.
For the first three months, the successful candidate will play a key role in delivering and developing antimicrobial stewardship services across the Board, working closely with Infectious Disease Consultants, Microbiology colleagues and multidisciplinary teams. You will participate in antimicrobial stewardship ward rounds, OPAT and complex infection MDTs, and pharmacist-led COPAT clinics, while providing specialist advice on complex infection management, leading guideline development, undertaking audit and quality improvement work and supporting antimicrobial governance and service development.
For the remaining nine months, the post holder will provide cover for the pharmacist-led COVID Ultra High Risk Pathway, delivering specialist clinical assessment, prescribing and treatment advice for high-risk patients. During this 9 month period, the post holder may be required to support wider acute clinical pharmacy services, including priority areas such as Unscheduled Care, depending on service priorities and operational requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Deliver antimicrobial stewardship services across NHS Forth Valley.
- Participate in antimicrobial ward rounds, OPAT/COPAT services and infection MDTs.
- Provide specialist advice on complex infection management and antimicrobial prescribing.
- Lead guideline development, audit, quality improvement and governance activities.
- Deliver pharmacist-led COVID Ultra High Risk Pathway services.
- Support wider acute clinical pharmacy services and medicines optimisation initiatives.
- Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to improve patient outcomes.
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What We're Looking For
We are seeking a pharmacist who:
- Has strong clinical and leadership skills.
- Is an Independent Prescriber (or working towards this).
- Has experience in advanced clinical pharmacy practice.
- Is proactive, adaptable and able to work across multiple specialist areas.
- Is passionate about improving patient care and developing services.
Why Join Us?
This role offers an excellent opportunity to further develop advanced clinical practice, leadership and service development skills within a supportive and forward-thinking team committed to excellence in antimicrobial stewardship, medicines optimisation and patient-centred care. You will gain experience across multiple specialist services while helping to shape and develop future pharmacy services within NHS Forth Valley.
The duties of this post require the successful candidate to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. More information on this scheme can be found at www.disclosurescotland.co.uk
Additional Information
This post includes weekend and public holiday cover.
For a Confidential Discussion About The Role, Please Contact
Michael Smith, Lead Clinical Pharmacist – Acute Services
Email: michael.smith11@nhs.scot
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK are advised to carefully review the eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa routes. NHS Forth Valley may be able to offer sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. If you are currently working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, transitional arrangements may apply. Please note that sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks. For further information on visa requirements and sponsorship eligibility, please refer to the UK Government guidance.
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It is also recommend that anyone applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad read the following guidance: Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad - GOV.UK
Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.
Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail, therefore please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders) and your Jobtrain account for updates.
NHS Forth Valley is positive about disabled people and is committed to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Please contact the Recruitment Office on 0330 041 4694 if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you with your application and/or interview.
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
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