Specialist Pharmacist – Hospital at Home

OUR VALUES IN ACTION

• Care and Compassion • Quality and Teamwork • Dignity and Respect • Openness, honesty and responsibility

Specialist Pharmacist – Hospital at Home

NHS Borders is seeking a Specialist Pharmacist – Hospital at Home to lead and deliver a high-quality, safe and person-centred clinical pharmacy service within our Hospital at Home (H@H) team. Working as part of a supportive multidisciplinary team, you will help patients receive hospital-level care in their own home and support safe, effective and cost-effective use of medicines across care settings.

Key responsibilities

· Provide specialist pharmaceutical advice and medicines optimisation for patients supported by the Hospital at Home service.

· Undertake pharmacist-led medication reviews and patient consultations (in person, by telephone and/or by video), including polypharmacy reviews.

· Practise as an independent prescriber (or be willing to undertake prescribing training) to manage a defined patient caseload.

· Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to improve medicines safety, support safe transfer of care and reduce avoidable admissions/readmissions.

· Contribute to service development, including medicines-related policies, pathways and governance (e.g. audit, incident learning, antimicrobial stewardship).

· Support education, training and supervision of colleagues and learners, contributing to the wider pharmacy service.

What we offer

A varied and rewarding specialist role within an innovative community-facing service, with opportunities to contribute to service development, quality improvement and prescribing practice, supported by a collaborative pharmacy and multidisciplinary team.

About the service

The Pharmacy Department provides secondary care services from Borders General Hospital and delivers primary care services across a range of settings, including GP practices, care homes and patients’ homes. The Hospital at Home team supports people to transition safely between hospital and home by monitoring treatment and delivering care in the community.

Hospital at Home (H@H) provides hospital-level assessment and treatment in a patient’s own home when it is clinically appropriate to do so. The service supports people who would otherwise need admission, or who can be discharged earlier with enhanced support, delivering interventions such as clinical monitoring, symptom management, and administration of medicines (including complex regimens) with clear plans for escalation and follow-up. Care is coordinated across primary, secondary and community services, with a focus on improving patient experience, maintaining independence, and reducing risks associated with hospital stays.

How to apply / informal enquiry

For an informal discussion, please contact Cathryn Park, Associate Director of Pharmacy (cathryn.park@nhs.scot). In your application, please provide clear examples demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined below

Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form

***PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept late applications so please ensure your application is submitted early***

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

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