Medicines Management Lead

Job summary
At LCW, we're looking for an exceptional Medicines Management Lead to take ownership of medicines management across our diverse portfolio of services. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real impact, ensuring medicines are used safely, effectively, and in line with best practice to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients.

As our subject matter expert for medicines management, you'll work alongside doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and operational leaders, providing specialist advice and guidance on all aspects of medicines use. You'll lead the development of robust medicines governance frameworks, oversee procurement and supply arrangements, and ensure medicines are stored, distributed, and utilised safely and efficiently across the organisation.

This is far more than a governance role. You'll have the chance to shape strategy, influence clinical practice, and help build a culture of excellence in medicines management. You'll lead audits and quality improvement initiatives, drive compliance with national and Integrated Care Board guidance, develop policies and procedures, and take responsibility for obtaining and maintaining LCW's Controlled Drugs Licence.

This role is part time, working 22.5 hours a week across 3 days.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be an experienced pharmacist who will support and deliver the medicines management function at LCW. The role will provide specialist medicines management advice to medical and allied health professional team members regarding the use of medicines and will play a key part in ensuring that medicines are used optimally within LCW services, so that our patients obtain the best possible outcomes.

The Medicines Management Lead will lead on medicines management to ensure that medicines are procured, distributed and stored effectively to support service delivery. The role will include assisting in authoring key policies and documents related to the safe utilisation of medicines within LCW. The postholder will be responsible for the audit and quality review of prescribing and medicine utilisation at LCW in line with national and ICB guidance. They will need to apply to hold the Controlled Drug Licence for LCW.

The postholder will have a key role in training other Health Care professionals and support staff and developing the medicines management function across all services within LCW.

About us
London Central & West Unscheduled Care Collaborative is a not-for-profit Social Enterprise, now in its 29th year of providing high-quality services across a range of primary and urgent care contracts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to 5 million patients in North West, North Central and North East London. We pride ourselves on delivering safe, effective, responsive, caring, and well led patient centred clinical services as recognised by our Good CQC rating in all areas of our organisation.

Key responsibilities

• Provide specialist pharmaceutical advice to medical, ACP and nursing staff on the use of medicines.
• Ensure effective medicines optimisation in all settings.
• Be the controlled drug licence holder and ensure compliance with Home Office requirements for all LCW sites.
• Support the effective procurement, distribution and storage of medicines.
• Advise on stock control.
• Advise on specific situations such as Flu Management and outbreaks of other diseases.
• Monitor compliance with Controlled Drug Procedures.
• Assist in authoring key policies and documents related to medicines, including Patient Group Directions.
• Train other healthcare professionals and support staff in understanding the importance of medicines management.
• Conduct regular team meetings and, where asked by the Deputy Medical Director, chair the Medicines Management meetings.
• Conduct supportive 1-2-1s with operational and clinical team leads.
• Audit prescribing and medicine utilisation and provide feedback to clinicians, working closely with the audit and performance lead.
• Ensure internal and external reports requiring medicines management input are completed by required deadlines.
• Conduct Annual Safe Storage and Handling of Medicines (Duthie) Audits.
• Register Non-Medical prescribers with the NHSBSA.
• Attend internal and, where asked, external assurance meetings to discuss and present matters relating to LCW medicines management.
• Support the creation of items for newsletters and bulletins relating to medicines management.
• Support and enable LCW to deliver evidence-based care according to recognised evidence such as NICE and other national guidelines.
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking, and formal evaluation.
• Initiate and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation, including clinical audit, peer review, risk management and incident reporting.
• Support the development and delivery of the audit programme at LCW, taking a lead in delivering medicines management audits, sharing learning and embedding any actions required.
• Support and/or lead any complaint responses relating to medicines management issues.
• In partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of health care responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate.
• Evaluate patient response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care.
• Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation.
• Lead and/or participate in the investigation of incidents or serious incidents using a structured framework (e.g. PSIIRF).
• Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery.
• Monitor and develop medicines management performance in accordance with local policies.
• Be a professional advocate for medicines management within the organisation.
• Take responsibility for own learning and performance, including continual professional development, and act as a positive role model.
• Support staff development to maximise potential.
• Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice.
• Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging complacency or actions not in the interest of the public and/or users of services.
• Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments relevant to the area of work.
• Enlist support and influence stakeholders and decision-makers to bring about new developments in the provision of services.
• Take a lead role in planning and implementing changes relating to medicines management.
• Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards.
• Maintain effective communication with those responsible for the overall commissioning and procurement process.
• Lead by example and instil leadership qualities regarding medicines management.
• Understand own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time.
• Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
• Delegate clearly and appropriately.
• Prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.
• Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery.
• Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.
• Manage and lead on the delivery of specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the organisational management team.
• Agree plans and outcomes by which to measure success.
• Manage and assess risk within medicines management, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients.
• Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Oversee the monitoring, stock control and documentation of controlled drug usage according to legal requirements where appropriate.
• Ensure mandatory and statutory training requirements for clinicians in the organisation are understood and enabled.
• Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines for safe handling of medicines.
• Advocate for policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all.
• Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies aligned to the values and culture of general practice.
• Use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information.
• Understand responsibility of self and others in relation to the Freedom of Information Act.
• Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (e.g. courses and conferences).
• Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.
• Provide an educational role to colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Person specification
Essential experience

• Providing specialist pharmaceutical advice to medical, ACP and nursing staff on the use of medicines.
• Train other healthcare professionals and support staff in understanding the importance of medicines management.
• Monitoring work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Essential qualifications

• Maintain competence in Pharmacy Practice in line with GPhC regulations and remain on the GPhC register.
• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the GPhC.

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.

Closing date: 13 November 2026

Employer: LCW UCC, St. Charles Hospital, Exmoor Street, London, W10 6DZ

Contact: HR, lcwucc.hr@nhs.net

Employer website: https://www.lcwucc.com/