Lead Pharmacist EPMA and Digital Systems, Band 8a
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced pharmacist to play a key role in the development and optimisation of our Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) system.
Working closely with pharmacy colleagues and the Trust's Electronic Patient Record (EPR) team, you will provide senior clinical pharmacy expertise to support system design, implementation and new ways of working.
We are looking for someone who is curious, solution-focused and collaborative, with a strong interest in digital transformation and improving patient safety through better use of technology.
This senior clinical informatics role offers the opportunity to shape EPMA across Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, influencing medicines optimisation, quality of care and digital maturity. You will join a supportive organisation with strong clinical leadership and established EPMA, Digital Pharmacy Systems and EPR teams, giving you the autonomy and support to make a real impact across our acute services.
Additional working pattern details: weekend and late nights work
Main duties of the job
The post holder leads the design, implementation, optimisation, and governance of the EPMA system across GHFT, combining advanced clinical pharmacy expertise with digital leadership to ensure safe, effective, and efficient medicines management.
They maintain and update the medicines template database, develop and review EPMA policies, and ensure clinical content is evidence-based. Quality assurance responsibilities include auditing templates, order sets, and workflows, reviewing incidents and risks, and reporting findings to the Medicines Optimisation Committee.
Acting as a key liaison between clinical and digital teams, they gather feedback, support users, and promote best practice. They develop order sets, capture medicines-related data, and contribute to clinical governance through investigation of incidents and awareness of policy changes. They also plan for EPMA downtime, ensuring continuity of safe medicines management.
Maintaining a ward-based clinical presence, they support patient care through medicines reconciliation, prescription review, discharge planning, and staff/patient education. They collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, support pharmacy staff, and may utilise non-medical prescribing skills.
Overall, the role blends digital leadership, governance, and frontline pharmacy practice to ensure a safe, effective, and continuously improving EPMA system, underpinning high-quality medicines management across GHFT.
About us
With over 9,000 staff, we are Gloucestershire's largest employer, offering flexible working and the chance to contribute to a digitally progressive Trust. Our acute hospital sites are centrally located with easy access to local amenities.
The pharmacy department has around 240 staff across both sites, providing inpatient and outpatient dispensaries, medicines information, procurement, and comprehensive clinical pharmacy support. Pharmacy is at the forefront of digital transformation, advancing EPMA and digital maturity to enhance patient safety, workflows, and care quality.
We work closely with the EPR programme, digital systems, and clinical informatics teams to deliver integrated, user-centred digital solutions. Specialist teams include Mental Health & Learning Disabilities pharmacy and oncology/haematology services, with award-winning initiatives such as pharmacist-led orthopaedic pre-admission clinics.
We are a friendly, inclusive, forward-thinking department committed to staff development, offering mentoring, support for pharmacist prescribers, and opportunities to grow as digital leaders, enabling career progression at all levels.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will lead the build, implementation, optimisation, and ongoing development of the EPMA system across GHFT. This role ensures that the EPMA system supports patient safety, delivers high-quality care, enables efficient workforce utilisation, and promotes cost-effective prescribing. The post holder will provide specialist clinical pharmacy expertise, maintain a robust and accurate medicines and templates database, and ensure full compliance with Trust policies, national guidance, and statutory and regulatory requirements.
Key responsibilities include the development and maintenance of order sets, the creation and regular review of policies and procedures to support the safe and effective use of EPMA, and the delivery of a continuous audit and assurance programme. The post holder will proactively identify, analyse, and manage risks and incidents related to EPMA use and will provide regular reports and recommendations to the Medicines Optimisation Committee and other relevant governance forums.
The role requires close collaboration with multidisciplinary clinical teams, the EPMA and Electronic Patient Record (EPR) project teams, and external stakeholders, including Integrated Care System (ICS) partners and commissioners. The post holder will lead user engagement initiatives, deliver system training and expert advice, drive optimisation across all Trust sites, and contribute to business continuity and downtime planning to ensure safe prescribing and administration during system outages.
In addition to EPMA leadership responsibilities, the post holder will deliver clinical pharmacy services on designated wards. This includes undertaking medicines reconciliation, clinically reviewing prescriptions for safety, effectiveness, and appropriateness, resolving prescribing discrepancies in collaboration with medical staff, and supporting safe and timely discharge processes. The post holder will provide expert advice to medical and nursing teams, educate patients on the safe use of their medicines, liaise with community healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care, and participate in multidisciplinary ward rounds. Effective supervision and collaboration with pharmacy technicians is integral to this role, alongside strict adherence to legislation, national standards, and Trust policies.
Where qualified as a non-medical prescriber, the post holder may continue to prescribe within their scope of practice and in accordance with professional and legal requirements, in order to maintain clinical competence and support patient care.
Contact Details
Israr Baig (Associate Pharmacy Director)
israr.baig@nhs.net
07816 206873
Bilal Topia-Associate Pharmacy Director- operational services
Tel: 07977 021218
Person Specification
shortlisitng
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Master's degree in pharmacy (4years) or equivalent, plus 1 year pre-registration training
- Knowledge of electronic prescribing systems
- Previous extensive hospital experience inclusive of Clinical Pharmacy practice
- Demonstrates the ability to work effectively to deadlines, consistently meeting objectives and performance targets
- Able to maintain a high standard of performance when working in stressful, emotionally challenging, or unpleasant situations.
- Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice or equivalent experience
- IT or Project management qualifications
- Experience of participating in an ePMA or EPR workstream processes on behalf of pharmacy
- Project planning and process mapping skills
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Employer name
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Trustwide (GRH/CGH)
Great Western Road
Gloucester
GL1 3NN
Employer's website
https://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/