Clinical Commissioning, Medicines Access & Assurance Pharmacist in Leicester

Come and join University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust as a Clinical Commissioning, Medicines Access and Assurance Pharmacist. This vital role involves managing high-cost drugs, implementing NICE technology appraisals, and providing expert pharmaceutical advice to commissioners and clinical teams. You will play a key part in horizon scanning for new medicines, managing their introduction across the LLR community, and overseeing the UHL homecare programme. This position requires strong leadership, analytical skills, and a commitment to optimising medicines use and ensuring patient access to appropriate treatments. You will contribute to strategic planning, financial reporting, and the development of robust commissioning arrangements. Flexibility to work across multiple sites and participate in rotas, including evenings, weekends, and on-call, is required.

Main duties of the job:

• Managing approval, use, and audit of high-cost drugs (excluded from tariff), ensuring NICE guideline implementation.
• Advising planners, commissioners, and UHL Clinical Management Groups on financial and implementation aspects of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance.
• Liaising with NHSE Specialised Commissioning or LLR ICB for high-cost/specialist medicines during business planning and contracting.
• Interpreting and implementing NHSE/ICB policies for specialist High Cost Drugs, NICE Technology Appraisals, and FOC medicines schemes within UHL.
• Horizon scanning for new medicines, assessing LLR community impact, and managing their introduction, including integrating NICE Technology Appraisals into the Leicestershire Medicines Formulary.
• Contributing to medicines optimisation and safety oversight within UHL (e.g., guidelines, shortages).
• Developing systems for identifying/reviewing NICE Guidance and High Cost Therapies, evaluating financial impact, and preparing summaries for commissioners.
• Contributing to annual budget setting for high-cost drugs and monitoring UHL expenditure.
• Developing annual commissioning intentions with NHSE Midlands Regional Pharmacy Lead Specialist Commissioning and UHL Deputy/Associate Chief Pharmacist for drugs excluded from the national tariff.
• Implementing and developing processes for authorising use of high-cost/out-of-tariff medicines, implementing the Blueteq system, and auditing their use.

Job responsibilities:

• Lead on the development of effective systems for identifying and reviewing impending NICE Guidance and High Cost Therapies at UHL for their onward LLR commissioning services.
• Evaluate NICE/HCTs recommendations and identify the financial impact of such recommendations with NHSE specialist commissioning services at UHL.
• Prepare summary documents of NICE/HCTs, including provisional details where applicable, for presentation to NHSE specialist commissioners.
• Contribute to the agreement and development of patient‑specific selection criteria for use of all current and impending NICE and non‑NICE tariff‑excluded high‑cost medicines.
• Implement and develop a process to identify and authorise Trust use of high cost and out‑of‑tariff medicines for individual patients meeting agreed criteria.
• Work with relevant clinicians to ensure that the Blueteq system for prior approval of drugs is implemented according to the timescales required by NHSE.
• Ensure that effective monitoring arrangements are in place for out‑of‑tariff and high‑cost medicines and that appropriate audits and data analysis are undertaken.
• Work with the NHSE Midlands Regional Pharmacy Lead Specialist Commissioning and the UHL Deputy/Associate Chief Pharmacist to develop annual commissioning intentions for drugs excluded from the national tariff under PbR.
• Develop QI/Cost improvement projects with NHSE Midlands Regional Pharmacy Lead Specialist Commissioning and LLR ICB leads and report improvements and savings.
• Contribute to the implementation and support of NHSE CQUINs or medicine value schemes relating to High Cost Drugs.
• Contribute to the implementation of the ICB prescribing and medicines management strategy in relation to interface and pharmaceutical commissioning issues.
• Facilitate and contribute to annual budget setting process for high‑cost drugs, including organising NHSE or ICB Confirm and Challenge meetings.
• Monitor the implementation and adherence of prescribing and medicines management recommendations in national guidelines and policies across the interface and provide expert advice when required.
• Support the development of robust contracting arrangements with secondary/tertiary care to promote rational, quality and cost‑effective prescribing.
• Manage the introduction of new drugs into the LLR Health Community.
• Provide strategic level advice on drugs close to launch and national guidance with major financial implications to inform the annual budget setting round; chair the LLR Horizon scanning group and adapt this information for LLR use.
• Develop a robust process and liaise with budget holders across all CMGs at UHL and with LLR Area Prescribing Committee to ensure funding is in place before introduction for both in‑tariff and excluded‑to‑tariff drugs.
• Provide strategic and governance oversight of the UHL homecare processes.
• Contribute to implementation and maintenance of systems to ensure that medicines shortages are identified in a timely manner and mitigation plans are developed as needed.

Performance, Risk Management, Audit, Education and Training:

• Contribute to and support the clinical audit activity undertaken by UHL in compliance with NICE recommendations.
• Provide an annual report of work undertaken for presentation to UHL and the commissioners.

Leadership and Management:

• Liaise with UHL to ensure that commissioning intentions are appropriately prioritised and incorporated into clinical programmes.
• Establish and maintain an effective working relationship with secondary care colleagues to influence their behaviour and assist in the delivery of the primary care prescribing and medicines management strategy.
• Provide line management for the UHL lead homecare pharmacist and direct the work of the High Cost Drugs lead pharmacy technician and other staff working in the HCD field within UHL.
• Work with the Interface pharmacist and CMG lead pharmacists and others to ensure UHL and LLR guidelines are developed and updated in a timely manner.

Specialist Clinical Responsibility:

• Undertake horizon scanning for new medicines and highlight the implications for the acute Trust commissioning terms.
• Support acute Trust clinicians with applications to the appropriate Appeals Panel when funding decisions are disputed.
• Participate in and contribute to the ICB process for implementation of NICE guidance, ensuring the ICB commissioning intentions accurately reflect the requirements of NICE.
• Provide clinical pharmaceutical advice to prescribers, healthcare professionals and other staff in response to queries related to NICE and other high‑cost and tariff‑excluded drugs.
• Undertake monthly monitoring of UHL expenditure against plan with formal reporting to NHSE.
• Provide response to monthly queries from NHSE.
• Support acute Trust clinicians with NHSE Individual Funding Requests (IFRs).
• Liaise with UHL pharmacy and finance staff, carrying out regular reviews to verify that monthly reporting of recharges is accurate and reflects approved uses for NHSE/ICS patients.
• Develop further the monthly financial reporting system for the NHSE.
• Identify the financial impact of the above recommendations within both the acute Trust and the NHSE.
• Support UHL Clinical Management Groups in identification of annual cost pressure data related to high‑cost specialist medicines.
• Support UHL Clinical Management Groups in preparation of business cases to obtain funding for new high‑cost medicines and protocols.

Person Specification:

• Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours: Must demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's Values and Behaviours.
• Training & Qualifications: Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council. Post‑graduate diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent level of knowledge gained through extensive experience. Evidence of recent and ongoing C.P.D / learning.
• Experience: Recent significant experience in a number of senior managerial and/or clinical roles. Experience of managing a budget. Recent significant experience at a senior level in the NHS or relevant environment with proven track record of using professional knowledge (managerial and/or clinical) to bring about change. Significant experience of facilitating and managing change. Significant experience of working with senior managers and leaders. Significant experience of working within a hospital clinical pharmacy setting. Experience of working within the High Cost Drugs field. Experience of working within homecare.
• Communication and relationship skills: Experience of communicating highly complex drug information or medicine related information to prescribers, clinicians, where professionals may challenge the advice. Proven track record and significant experience of successful working with clinical staff. Highly developed interpersonal, negotiation, influencing and conflict management skills.
• Analytical and Judgement skills: Highly developed analytical and problem‑solving skills will be required for assessment of service delivery plans of multiplicity of organisations and formulation of improvement strategies where opinion may differ on the best course of action.
• Skills: Track record of achievement in the development and delivery of improved services. Understanding the prescribing and medicines management issues in primary and secondary care. Critical appraisal skills. Demonstrates the full range of leadership qualities, skills and behaviours. Highly developed presentation skills. Audit skills. Able to understand and work within complexity and translate it into understandable knowledge. Ability to use databases, spreadsheets and word processing IT software. Ability to use, analyse and interpret complex, multi‑faceted prescribing data.
• Planning and organisation skills: Knowledge and application of Payment by Results (PbR) and excluded medicines. Understanding of Homecare delivery systems. Prioritisation skills with ability to manage multiple projects.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs. All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others.
• Other requirements specific to the role: Proven team worker with ability to motivate others. Flexible, enthusiastic and committed. Able to travel.

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.