Advanced Pharmacist, Controlled Drug Governance - Pharmacy Services

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is one of the largest healthcare systems in the UK employing around 40,000 staff in a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and job roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health care services to a population of over 1.15 million and a wider population of 2.2 million when our regional and national services are included.

The shift pattern for this position is Monday to Friday, 18.5 hours. (Please note the salary is Pro Rata) for part time hours.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Controlled Drug Governance Team in NHSGGC as an Advanced Pharmacist. This post originally arose out of the lessons learnt from investigations into Dr Harold Shipman. NHSGGC requires to balance patient needs for effective medicines and to also ensure that the strict legislation and regulatory requirements are complied with to ensure patient safety.

The post holder will provide highly specialised expert advice on all aspects of controlled drug (CD) management and legislation across all services within NHS GGC. You will actively lead on the ongoing development, monitoring and reporting of appropriate governance systems to support the Accountable Officer’s responsibilities in relation to the safe management of controlled drugs.

You will support healthcare professionals to ensure systems are in place for routine monitoring of CDs and not to deter the use of CDs when clinically required.

The work is diverse and satisfying, a balance between activities and interacting with healthcare providers in varied settings. This will include gathering information, interpreting data, and preparing reports. The post holder will be involved in developing and implementing new systems for pro-active analysis, identification, investigation and monitoring of concerns and incidents relating to CDs.

Linking with colleagues in other Health Boards across Scotland through the CD Accountable Officers Group, Local Intelligence Network and other groups will provide opportunities for sharing good practice. There will be opportunities to develop and deliver training to a wide range of staff and students.

You will be required to travel to all hospital departments;

• police custody suites
• prisons
• medical practices
• community pharmacies
• other locations across the Health Board area.

The post holder will be:

• A UK registered pharmacist with experience in data handling, report writing and policy development.
• Excellent organisation and presentation skills, and experience of project planning.
• A strong communicator, you will liaise closely within multidisciplinary teams and senior level staff in all care settings.
• Have the ability to work on their own initiative, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.

Informal contact:Mantej Chahal, Lead Pharmacist Forensic Health Services & CD Governance, 07854 684 289,

Details on how to contact the Recruitment Service can be found within the Candidate Information Packs.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community. We promote a culture of inclusion across the organisation and are proud of the diverse workforce we have.

By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NHSGGC has pledged its commitment to being a Forces Friendly Employer. We support applications from across the Armed Forces Community, recognising military skills, experience and qualifications during the recruitment and selection process.

NHS Scotland is reducing their full time working week from 37.5 to 37 hours per week from 1 April 2024 but with no change in pay. This reduction will also be applied pro rata for part time staff. This advert and any subsequent offer/contract of employment therefore reflects the new working hours. However, as not all service areas will be able to adopt the 37 hour working week immediately from 1 April 2024, you may be required to work up to an additional 30 minutes per week for a temporary period for which you would be paid until the service you are working in changes rosters or working patterns to accommodate the new reduced working week. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Recruiting Board.

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.

For application portal/log-in issues, please contactJobtrain support hubin the first instance.