Community Pharmacy Liaison Lead in Sunderland

Build stronger pharmacy partnerships. Expand access. Improve health outcomes. Community pharmacies are often one of the most accessible parts of the health system. They can provide treatment, reduce harm, identify emerging needs and connect people with support at the right time. But achieving that impact takes strong relationships, shared standards and someone who can bring services together.

At Change Grow Live, we’re looking for a Community Pharmacy Liaison Lead to strengthen the connection between our Sunderland service, local pharmacies and wider health partners. This is an opportunity to shape how community pharmacy services are delivered across Sunderland—improving access, strengthening quality and creating better experiences for the people who rely on them.

You’ll become the trusted link between Change Grow Live, the Local Pharmaceutical Committee, individual pharmacies, commissioners and other key partners. Through strong relationship-building and practical leadership, you’ll help pharmacies deliver high-quality interventions including supervised consumption, needle exchange, naloxone, alcohol brief interventions, BBV testing and referrals into treatment. You’ll review and expand the local pharmacy network to improve coverage, resolve service issues and ensure pharmacies and Change Grow Live teams have the guidance, training and information they need. This is a visible, influential role where partnership, data and service improvement come together.

What you’ll be doing:

• You’ll lead the day-to-day relationship with local pharmacies, creating open communication and responding confidently to operational questions or concerns.
• You’ll use audits, service data and feedback to understand what’s working, identify where improvements are needed and support a consistently positive experience for people accessing pharmacy-based treatment.
• You’ll develop and deliver training and bespoke events for pharmacy and Change Grow Live colleagues.
• You’ll monitor activity across supervised consumption, missed doses, needle exchange, naloxone and wider interventions.
• You’ll lead on pharmacy-related incident reporting, investigation and shared learning.
• You’ll produce clear reports for service leaders and commissioners.
• You’ll support contract monitoring, Service Level Agreement audits and pharmacy payment processes.
• You’ll work with our National Pharmacy Team to embed current guidance and best practice.

Who you are:

You’re a confident relationship-builder who can bring different organisations together around a shared goal. You understand drug and alcohol treatment and the important role community pharmacies play in reducing harm, improving access and supporting recovery. You’ll be comfortable leading workstreams, analysing information and turning complex data into clear insight. You’ll also know how to communicate technical or operational information in a way that people can understand and act upon. You bring strong judgement, organisation and the confidence to manage competing priorities independently, while remaining collaborative and responsive to the needs of colleagues and partners. Most importantly, you’ll be motivated by creating pharmacy pathways that are accessible, safe and focused on achieving better outcomes for people across Sunderland.

Why Change Grow Live?

Everything we do starts with people. Guided by our values—Be Open. Be Compassionate. Be Bold.—we work alongside individuals and communities to provide treatment and support that reflects their needs, strengths and ambitions. Our strategy is focused on improving access, strengthening partnerships and using evidence and insight to deliver safe, innovative and person-centred services. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to influence an important part of the local treatment system and make a visible difference across an entire community.

What we offer:

• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days with service.
• A paid weekly Wellness Hour, Wellness Hub and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Learning, development and progression opportunities.
• A wide range of employee benefits and discounts.
• A supportive, inclusive and values-led working environment.

A note about using AI in your application: AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you. We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles. There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you. Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy. We reserve the right to close this opportunity early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Please note: This opportunity is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Help build pharmacy partnerships that make treatment easier to access and better connected across Sunderland.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time): CGL points 28 to 30 (£32,802.41 - £35,069.56)

ILW / OLW /Fringe: N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

If you have any questions or concerns on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us using the below details:

Daniel Banks | dan.banks@cgl.org | 07443767659

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.