About this role
Job summary
We are seeking an experienced, innovative and forward-thinking Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician to provide senior programme leadership for the organisation's Digital Medicines agenda. This high-profile leadership role will drive the strategic development, governance, and delivery of digital medicines systems and services, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities, national policy, and the evolving needs of clinical services.
As Digital Medicines Programme Lead, the postholder will provide professional, operational, and strategic leadership across the Digital Medicines team. The role will be responsible for directing the delivery, optimisation, and continuous improvement of digital medicines solutions, ensuring systems are safe, effective, interoperable, and support excellence in patient care.
The postholder will act as expert lead for digital medicines programmes working closely with Chief Clinical Information Officers and Digital Medicines Lead. They will provide oversight and assurance across multiple complex projects and services, working closely with the wider digital and informatics teams to deliver transformational change at scale.
Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
Accountable for delivery and performance of the Trust's digital medicines services impacting all clinical areas Leads a multidisciplinary team including Digital Medicines Operational Lead, clinical informatics specialists and wider digital/clinical staff Responsible for organisation-wide ePMA systems used by prescribers, nursing, pharmacy and AHP staff Manages complex programmes covering system optimisation, upgrades, integrations and transformation initiatives Accountable for quality assurance, governance, risk management and compliance with legislation and national standards Responsible for prioritisation and allocation of digital medicines resources and contributing to financial planning Provides organisation-wide expert leadership on digital medicines safety and system design decisions Leads development of integrations with clinical and corporate systems Responsible for ensuring effective use of digital medicines data for performance, safety and decision-making
About us
We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality - opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn't, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way! Please read 'applicant guidance notes' before submitting your application.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post holder will provide strategic leadership and management of the Trusts DigitalMedicines function, with responsibility for the development, delivery and optimisation ofelectronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) services across theorganisation. As the Trusts Digital Medicines Programme Lead, the post holder will work in associationwith the trust CCIOs (Chief Clinical Information Officers) and Digital Medicines Lead todevelop trust wide strategy around digital medicines and set the strategic direction for ePMAand clinical informatics, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities, national policy andregulatory frameworks. The role is accountable for the safe, effective and efficient design, implementation andgovernance of digital medicines systems, ensuring that services deliver improved patientsafety, clinical outcomes and operational efficiency at organisational scale.The post holder will lead complex programmes of work spanning multiple clinical andcorporate services, overseeing system lifecycle management, digital transformation, andcontinuous service improvement, while managing associated risks, resources andperformance. Working in partnership with senior clinical, digital and operational leaders, the post holderwill influence organisational strategy, investment decisions and innovation in digitalmedicines, ensuring delivery of high-quality, sustainable and future-focused services. The role provides professional and operational leadership to multidisciplinary teams,building organisational capability in digital medicines, and ensuring compliance with allstatutory, governance and clinical safety requirements.There will be a requirement to maintain a level of clinical practice within their area ofprofessional registration. To role model compassionate and inclusive leadership in order to shape the creation of acollective leadership culture within the trust. This means demonstrating a consistentleadership style which (a) engages, enables and empowers others (b) uses coaching topromote ownership of learning and quality improvement and (c) facilitates team working andcollaboration within teams / departments and across organisational boundaries.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Professional Registration Essential
Registered healthcare professional (e.g. registered with GPhC) Educated to master's degree level or equivalent, or able to demonstrate extensive senior-level experience within an NHS organisation, evidencing advanced specialist and leadership expertise Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to digital medicines, informatics or leadership
Desirable
Postgraduate qualification in Digital Health, Clinical Informatics, Leadership or Management Formal programme or project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, Agile) Clinical Safety Officer (CSO) accreditation or willingness to obtain
Experience and Knowledge Essential
Significant senior leadership experience within: Digital medicines / clinical informatics / pharmacy services in the NHS Demonstrable experience of leading organisation-wide programmes or services Demonstrable experience of delivering complex digital or transformation projects Demonstrable experience of managing multidisciplinary teams and services Demonstrable experience of working with senior stakeholders, including clinicians and executives Demonstrable experience of leading service improvement and redesign initiatives Experience of managing financial resources, budgets or service investment decisions Experience of clinical risk management and governance processes Experience of maintain practice clinically within area of professional registration Experience leading the development, implementation and review of policies and service standards within a healthcare setting Experience interpreting national policy and guidance and translating into local strategy and delivery Evidence of leading service redesign resulting in improvements to safety, quality or efficiency Experience ensuring compliance with governance, clinical safety and risk management frameworks
Desirable
Experience leading large-scale ePMA implementation or optimisation programmes Experience working across organisational or system-wide partnerships Experience of research, audit, or innovation in digital healthcare Experience using advanced data analysis tools or reporting methodologies (e.g. SQL, Power BI). Experience coordinating regional or multi-Trust digital projects. Experience presenting at regional or national digital forums. Experience with automated testing tools, scripting or custom configuration environments. Experience in participating in regional or national ePMA development networks.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub
Avenue Road
Seaton Delaval
NE25 0QJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)