Encompass Optimisation Pharmacist Band 8A

Job details

• Branch: Southern HSC Trust area (SHSCT)
• Location: Craigavon Area Hosp-Main Building
• Directorate: Adult Community and Acute Services
• Salary: Band 8a (£55,690 - £62,682 )
• Contract Type: Temporary
• Opening Date: 14/07/26
• Closes: Tue, 28 July 2026 @ 4:00 PM
• Interview Dates: TBC

Notes

If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week. Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE

Encompass Optimisation Pharmacist

BAND

DIRECTORATE

INITIAL LOCATION

8a

Medicine & Unscheduled Care

The post holder will be based at Craigavon Area Hospital but will also be required to work elsewhere within the Southern Trust area

REPORTS TO

Encompass Lead Pharmacist

ACCOUNTABLE TO

FLEXIBLE WORKING PROVISIONS AVAILABLE

Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management

Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Job-share or Homeworking

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will

work closely with the SHSCT encompass Lead Pharmacist to co-ordinate, oversee and develop operational optimisation activities

work collaboratively with other multi-professional colleagues to drive engagement and service adoption of encompass.

provide clinical leadership within Pharmacy to support the development implementation and longer term optimisation of encompass across all teams and settings.

act as champion within Pharmacy and more widely across the multidisciplinary team to promote the encompass platform to improve safety, quality and efficiency in the delivery of care and medicines management

collaborate with HSC and Epic colleagues to ensure digital transformation can support the delivery of best practice pharmaceutical care to ensure the needs of service users and the Trust are met.

undertake additional training as required to gain a better understanding of the Epic system and act as digital champion and play an active role in supporting and training other colleagues.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Encompass programme

To provide visible and responsive leadership and project management for the implementation of new ways of working and work collaboratively with medicines management, governance and safety and education colleagues to develop policies and procedures to ensure safe, efficient and cost-effective medication practice.

Become an integral member of any relevant local governance structures, regional workgroups and advisory councils as required, to represent Pharmacy and promote effective medicines management.

Work collaboratively with Willow and Epic colleagues to support the development of Pharmacy and medicines management application within the Epic system (Willow Inpatient, Willow Ambulatory, Willow Inventory) and validate and test the system to ensure it is safe and effective and the risks to patient safety are minimised.

Work collaboratively with the SHCST encompass Professional Lead Pharmacist, other HSC Trust encompass pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and local clinical staff to ensure successful service adoption of encompass.

To engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels, both within and outside of the Trust, acting as an ambassador for digital transformation, securing the involvement and commitment of others.

Attend and contribute to local and regional encompass Team meetings as required.

Produce and contribute to encompass related communication materials and initiatives in a range of formats and deliver and actively participate in engagement activities e.g. roadshows, presentations etc.

Collaborate with Willow and Epic colleagues to develop and support the training of staff to safely and effectively use the encompass system and in particular the Willow application.

To document and disseminate best practice and ‘lessons learned’ for the benefit of future encompass implementations.

Lead and participate in change impact analysis workshops to assess new workflows within the Epic medicines management application (Willow Inpatient, Willow Ambulatory, Willow Inventory) providing relevant recommendations for appropriate mitigation activities e.g. communication, training, policy and SOP development etc.

Analyse and provide recommendations where applicable, to improve the current medicine build ensuring subsequent workflows are appropriate and meet Trust and pharmacy service needs.

Participate in build validation as required, including testing workflow scripts to ensure a full and detailed understanding of pharmacy Willow applications and providing pharmaceutical input where necessary, to identify opportunities to optimise the system and ensure high quality, safe patient care.

Analyse user and system readiness and provide expert advice to ensure the Electronic Prescribing and Administration (EPMA) and Willow applications are used safely and effectively.

Monitor the impact of implementation on service users, staff and the wider Trust, tracking benefits risks and issues, providing reports and assurance to the encompass Professional Lead Pharmacist and other senior managers developing appropriate responses to problems when required.

Analyse reported encompass-related medication incidents or issues within the Trust post go live and to contribute to a work plan for the development and optimisation of encompass build. This may include issues of a highly complex nature and require in-depth analysis and interpretation of a wide range of options.

Apply sound professional judgement to complex clinical issues and dilemmas where definitive information is lacking.

Contribute to and where appropriate lead on key activities to develop and plan activities for system optimisation within the Trust, both within Pharmacy and the wider multi-disciplinary team.

To work to urgent deadlines and take action to plan and organise workload to ensure specified tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Support the SHCST encompass professional lead pharmacist with external reviews and audits that relate to benefits and other governance activities.

Monitor and evaluate the impact of encompass on expected benefits using outcomes and measures of success agreed locally and regionally.

Take responsibility of his/her/their own performance, work autonomously.

Use a detailed understanding of Willow and Hyperspace applications to be able to identify and troubleshoot problems and minimise risks to service provision and ensure there are no additional risks to patient safety.

Identify and track faults post go live, errors and risks to patient safety generated by the system and report to the SHCST encompass Professional Lead Pharmacist on any potential mitigating actions to improve the encompass build.

Participate in proactive identification and resolution of local and regional medication risks and provide clinical advice to the multidisciplinary team on any local mitigations that may be required to protect patient safety.

Produce local and regional medication safety information for patients / clients to ensure that medicines are handled and administered safely.

Work with the SHCST encompass Professional Lead Pharmacist, the regional Medicines Safety Team, Willow / Epic colleagues and other healthcare professionals in developing regional strategies and policies working across organisational and professional boundaries to minimise risk of medicines related incidents to the benefit of patients and staff alike.

Identify and develop local and regional SOPs / guidelines / policies for all Trust staff involved in the safe handling of medicines ensuring existing documentation is updated to take account in any change in workflows with the adoption of the encompass system.

Review update and implement Trust-wide medicines management strategy by contributing to the development of any medicines safety aspects of the encompass build.

Contribute to the development of an encompass pharmacy business continuity plan.

Promote the role of digital practice within pharmacy including the meaningful use of prescribing information and other performance metrics to improve service provision and the pharmaceutical care provided to patients.

Work with primary care colleagues as required to support cross sector working and promote the use of digital strategies to improve the pharmaceutical care of clients and patients regionally.

Collaborate with colleagues to identify opportunities to improve and redesign future workflows using digital transformation as an enabler for the benefit of patients, nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and other multidisciplinary care providers such as GPs and social care providers.

Ensure optimisation to the encompass system is in accordance with current legal requirements and professional standards and ensures safe systems of work are maintained.

Explore opportunities to develop, implement and embed automated systems in order to increase efficiency and accuracy.

Responsible for identifying and facilitating training and education needs for staff groups associated with the use of medicines within the encompass system to reduce the risk and increase knowledge and competency.

Support the local and regional delivery of encompass training by contributing to and where required participating in the Willow Curriculum Review Board overseeing the training requirements for all staff using the Willow application.

Participate in relevant continuing postgraduate education, training and professional development and apply knowledge gained to current and future work in the area of medicines governance.

Lead on the development and implementation of audit as a core part of the post.

Participate in practice research projects relating to safe medication practice and publish and present the results of the research.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES

Comply with all Trust policies and procedures relevant to area of work.

Ensure the maintenance of appropriate documentation and records.

Complete and maintain mandatory training requirements for your role.

Support the Trust in defending legal actions and participate in tribunals as required.

Acquire and/or retain the core technology skills required to support the use of digital healthcare systems e.g. Encompass.

Promote team working among other areas within pharmacy e.g. patient services, cancer services and procurement.

To ensure that work practices and the working environment conform to the requirements of current legislation and professional recommendations.

To ensure appropriate security measures are employed in the pharmacy department and in your designated clinical area.

To participate in the provision of other pharmaceutical services as required

Provide pharmacist supervision within the Trust pharmacy dispensaries as required.

Support the Trust in its drive for seven day working in order to ensure it best meets the needs of our patients.

To participate in extended hours duties, weekend and bank holiday working as part of the pharmacy department rotas.

To participate in the out-of-hours emergency on-call rota.

Any other duties as required in response to changing demands of the service.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trust supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

Establish and promote a supportive, fair and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.

Review individually, at least annually, the performance of immediately subordinate staff, ensure access to skills and provide guidance on personal development requirements and advises on and initiates, where appropriate, further training and support.

Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.

Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.

Maintain staff relationships and morale amongst the staff reporting to him/her.

Review the organisation plan and establishment level of the service for which he/she is responsible to ensure that each is consistent with achieving objectives, and recommend change where appropriate.

Delegate appropriate responsibility and authority to the level of staff within his/her control consistent with effective decision making, while retaining overall responsibility and accountability for results.

Participate, as required, in the selection and appointment of staff reporting to him/her in accordance with procedures laid down by the Trust.

Adhere to and promote Organisational policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins The Organisation’s values.

Take such action as may be necessary in disciplinary matters in accordance with procedures laid down by the Trust.

RAISING CONCERNS - RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

The post holder will, in the event of a concern being raised with them, ensure that it is managed correctly under the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and ensure feedback/learning is communicated at individual, team and organisational level.

PERSONAL AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES (PPI)

Involve patients, clients, carers and the wider community where relevant, in developing, planning, delivering and evaluating our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to Personal Public Involvement (PPI) and Co-Production. Further information is available at engage.hscni.net

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to

Assist the organisation in fulfilling its statutory duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to promote equality of opportunity and good relations and under the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. Staff are also required to support the organisation in complying with its obligations under Human Rights Legislation.

Ensure the Organisation’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of The Organisation's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free policy

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

Take responsibility to minimise the Trust’s environmental impact wherever possible. This will include recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel.

All employees of the Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the Trust’s policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent The Organisation’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

Available / able to work any 5 days out of 7 over the 24 hour period, which may include on-call / stand-by / sleep-in duties, shifts, night duty, weekends and Public Holidays if required immediately on appointment or at a later stage following commencement in response to changing demands of the service.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within The Organisation's area, as needs of the service demand.

June 2026

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE AND BAND

Encompass Optimisation Pharmacist 8A

DEPARTMENT

DIRECTORATE

Pharmacy

Medicine & Unscheduled Care

SALARY

8a

HOURS

30-37.5hr (0.8-1 WTE)

Temporary for 2 years

Shifts to include weekends and bank holidays

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note The Organisation reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Registration

MPharm in Pharmacy or equivalent

Shortlisting by Application Form

Registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) or eligible to register

Shortlisting by Application Form

Completed or enrolled in a Post Graduate Masters, or equivalent, in relevant area of pharmacy

Shortlisting by Application Form

Experience

3 years in hospital, 2 of which must be at Band 7 or above

Shortlisting by Application Form

2 years post registration experience working as a clinical pharmacist

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment.

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities

Excellent communication skills to meet the needs of the post in full

Ability to be innovative and work both independently and as part of a team

Ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders both within and outside the organisation

Ability to train and mentor staff

Effective analytical skills

Ability to identify solutions to problems and implement them effectively.

Good planning and organisational skills

Self-management skill with regard to time management

Self-motivation and ability to effectively prioritise the differing demands of the job role and meet tight deadlines

Excellent influencing and negotiating skills.

Computer literacy and ability to use Microsoft office products including at least one of the core packages i.e. Outlook (Email), Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

Interview

Knowledge

Knowledge of the encompass Programme and electronic prescribing and administration.

Knowledge

Ref No: <to be inserted by HR> June 2026

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the required competencies to be effective in this demanding leadership role. The competencies concerned are set out in the NHS Healthcare Leadership Model, details of which can be found at http://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/resources/healthcare-leadership-model. Particular attention will be given to the following dimensions:

Inspiring shared purpose

Leading with care

Evaluating information

Connecting our service

Sharing the vision

Engaging the team

Holding to account

Developing capability

Influencing for results.

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for The Organisation to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE ORGANISATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants

may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.

are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times