GENERAL PRACTICE PRESCRIBING & DISPENSING OPERATIONS MANAGER in Norwich

The Humbleyard Practice is seeking a capable and highly motivated leader to join our team to manage prescribing & dispensing operations. This is an opportunity for someone with a medicines management background and proven leadership and management skills to help the Practice meet our mission of sustained delivery of high-quality primary healthcare.

Candidates will embrace our core values of: compassion & kindness, professionalism, growth, candour, and promoting an uplifting work environment.

Applicants should have a background and associated qualifications related to medicine management and demonstrate evidence of continual professional development. A pharmacy technician qualification and experience would be beneficial but not essential. We are a practice that invests heavily in the professional development of its staff and this role would be perfect for someone to grow their capability within the primary care setting.

An empathetic style of leadership is required to ensure our dispensing and prescribing teams work to the best ability, efficiently and that quality and performance objectives are met. Interested candidates should refer to the attached job description and person specification.

The closing date for applications is 27th February but may close earlier should sufficient applications be received.

The Prescribing & Dispensing Operations Manager will lead the practice's medicines management, prescribing quality, and dispensary operations to ensure safe, efficient, cost-effective, and patient-centred service delivery. This role is ideal for an experienced manager with demonstrable expertise in prescribing optimisation, dispensary management (community or GP), and NHS medicines quality schemes.

The postholder will support the Business Manager to drive a series of strategic and operational objectives, including:

• Improving dispensing profitability and operational efficiency
• Delivering against Norfolk’s Prescribing Quality Scheme (PQS) and other income-generating programmes
• Optimising repeat prescribing workflows, medicines reviews, and long-term condition management support
• Ensuring compliance with CQC standards related to medicines management
• Providing specialist input to the wider practice management team (HR, premises, IT and governance)

We are a large, semi-rural, dispensing, research and GP training Practice operating over three surgery sites just to the southwest of the fine city of Norwich. We have a fast-growing list size of over 22,300 patients and we are part of the Ketts Oak Primary Care Network. The Practice is growing at a rapid pace with a new large medical centre on the planning horizon. Potential candidates are encouraged to contact the Business Manager, Chris Stace (via humbleyard.d82064@nhs.net) to discuss the role further.

Hours: Full-time (30 to 37.5 hours per week)

Location: Large Dispensing GP Practice (22,300 patients)

Reports to: Business Manager / GP Partners

Direct Reports: Dispensary Supervisors/Dispensers (x6 staff), Medicines Management Support Roles

One Year Fixed Term Contract extendable based on mutual assessment.

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience (in NHS Band 7)

1. Job Purpose

The Prescribing & Dispensing Operations Manager will lead the practice's medicines management, prescribing quality, and dispensary operations to ensure safe, efficient, cost-effective, and patient-centred service delivery. This role is ideal for an experienced manager with demonstrable expertise in prescribing optimisation, dispensary management (community or GP), and NHS medicines quality schemes.

The postholder will support the Business Manager to drive a series of strategic and operational objectives, including:

• Improving dispensing profitability and operational efficiency
• Delivering against Norfolk’s Prescribing Quality Scheme (PQS) and other income-generating programmes
• Optimising repeat prescribing workflows, medicines reviews, and long-term condition management support
• Ensuring compliance with DSQS, controlled drugs legislation, cold chain procedure, SOPs, and GPhC/NHS standards
• Lead projects to redesign workflows, automate processes, and optimise space and technology use

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Strategic Leadership Prescribing & Medicines Optimisation

• Lead the practice's prescribing quality agenda, ensuring rational, safe, and cost-effective prescribing across all clinicians.
• Maximise income and performance against the Norfolk Prescribing Quality Scheme (PQS), ICB medicines initiatives, and other relevant frameworks.
• Analyse ePACT2, OpenPrescribing, ICB dashboards, and practice audits to identify trends and opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with GPs, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and the ICB Medicines Management Team.
• Implement proactive LTC/prescribing projects to reduce cost, waste, and clinical risk; e.g., deprescribing initiatives, aligned review cycles, and targeted medication switches.

B. Dispensary & Medicines Supply Operations

• Provide operational leadership to both dispensaries, ensuring safe, accurate, and efficient dispensing processes.
• Line-manage approximately six dispensary staff, ensuring appropriate training, SOP adherence, rota planning, and performance development.
• Oversee stock control, purchasing, procurement contracts, endorsements, claims accuracy, and dispensary profitability.
• Ensure full compliance with DSQS, controlled drugs legislation, cold chain procedure, SOPs, and GPhC/NHS standards.
• Lead projects to redesign workflows, automate processes, and optimise space and technology use.

C. Repeat Prescribing, Medicines Safety & Patient Support

• Oversee the end-to-end repeat prescribing process, ensuring accuracy, speed, and clinical safety.
• Improve patient experience and access to medicines through clear, efficient processes and communication pathways.
• Work closely with the PCN pharmacy team to support safe, consistent medication reviews and chronic disease management.
• Lead audits, significant event reviews, and improvement plans relating to medicines safety, near misses, and medication errors.
• Track dispensary income, GP prescribing spend, rebates, and PQS performance to maximise practice profitability.
• Produce regular reports for the Business Manager and GP Partners, including KPI dashboards and trend analysis.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and stock/ordering decisions.

D. Governance, CQC & Compliance

• Act as the medicines management lead for CQC compliance, ensuring evidence, policies, and processes meet regulatory expectations.
• Maintain and update medicines-related SOPs and contribute to the wider governance framework.
• Lead staff training for medicines safety, cold chain compliance, controlled drugs, dispensing accuracy, and repeat prescribing.
• Ensure readiness for inspections, audits, and ICB visits, with full documentation available.

E. Wider Management Team Support

• Provide specialist advice to support colleagues leading on HR, premises, IT, finance, and clinical operations where medicines processes intersect.
• Alongside the Operations Manager, occasionally deputise for the Business Manager.
• Support the development and implementation of practice-wide strategic plans.

3. Person Specification

Qualifications & Professional Background

• Significant experience in medicines optimisation, dispensary management or pharmacy operations
• Experience in NHS primary care, community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, or GP practice environments
• Strong working knowledge of repeat prescribing, medication review processes, and prescribing optimisation
• Understanding of CQC requirements and medicines-related governance
• Proven leadership and people management experience
• Pharmacy technician qualification (NVQ Level 3 / Accredited Checking Technician) or equivalent dispensary qualification
• Experience in a dispensing GP practice
• Familiarity with Norfolk ICB Prescribing Quality Scheme
• Knowledge of EMIS / SystmOne, ePACT2, and OpenPrescribing
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to convert data into actionable improvements
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to work alongside senior clinicians
• Ability to lead change, redesign processes, and manage multiple projects
• High levels of accuracy, attention to detail, and understanding of clinical risk
• Ability to build strong working relationships with ICB MMT and PCN pharmacy teams
• Financial acumen, with experience monitoring income, expenditure, and budgets

Personal Attributes

• Proactive, solution-focused, and improvement-driven
• Calm, resilient, and capable of working in a fast-paced GP environment
• Professional, supportive, and collaborative
• Committed to high-quality patient care and safe medicines management

4. Additional Information

• Full training in local systems will be provided.
• Opportunities for continuous professional development, including leadership and pharmacy-related training.
• The role may evolve as the practice develops new services and PCN arrangements.

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.