Position Details
Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822
Grade: 7
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to March 2027
Closing date: 28th June 2026
Background
SCRIPT is a national eLearning programme designed to encourage safe and effective prescribing and medicines management. The web-based modules are aimed at healthcare professionals and undergraduate healthcare students. SCRIPT was commissioned by Health Education England (HEE) and developed by the University of Birmingham in partnership with OCB Media. The programme is freely available to all NHS staff and from August 2021, all Higher Education Institutions in the UK to support undergraduate teaching in healthcare programme, particularly for nursing, pharmacy and medicine.
An estimated 237 million medication prescription errors occur in England each year, with avoidable errors costing £1.6 billion and contributing to 22,303 deaths per annum. In 2009, the General Medical Council commissioned the EQUIP study and found that Foundation trainee doctors prescribed with an error rate of 8-10%. As a result, SCRIPT was created and launched in 2010 with 38 modules aimed at improving the prescribing and therapeutics knowledge of Foundation trainee doctors. Development of the initial portfolio continued the number of modules expanded. The programme’s success led to further SCRIPT portfolios being developed for dentists, paediatric trainee specialists, nurses, general practitioners, Foundation pharmacists and ambulance service staff.
Overall, the SCRIPT programme now comprises more than 120 modules. Each individual portfolio covers a wide range of therapeutic topics. Each module is designed to take learners around 60 minutes to complete. The asynchronous online nature of the modules offers learners ease of access and flexibility in the time and place of learning. Modules can be completed at each learner’s own convenience with the option to partially complete a module and revisit later if needed. Modules are authored, edited and peer reviewed by a team of expert healthcare professionals, and are regularly reviewed and updated in line with national guidance and current evidence-based practice.
SCRIPT eLearning is established as a best practice resource in the UK and recommended in professional guidelines and training standards. In 2020, the SCRIPT eLearning programme celebrated ten years of providing education to over half a million module completions to date. Use of the programme continues to grow with most medical and pharmacy schools in England signed-up to use SCRIPT to support their undergraduate healthcare professionals in training.
The SCRIPT programme at the University of Birmingham is research-led, informed by the latest practice and pedagogy. It is led by a group of academic pharmacists and clinical pharmacologists. These academics direct and manage a team of eLearning managers (all registered healthcare professionals), research associate(s) and post-graduate research student(s) associated with the programme, at the University of Birmingham.
SCRIPT eLearning managers support senior members of the team to manage, maintain, develop, and disseminate information about all SCRIPT eLearning portfolios. They support the recruit, liaise with and coordinate healthcare specialists to author, bi-/tri-annually review and peer review module content. They edit and ensure modules are kept updated in between formal reviews. As well as supporting remote learners using the SCRIPT eLearning programme through online feedback mechanisms, SCRIPT eLearning managers form part of the wider team within the School of Pharmacy to support undergraduate and postgraduate research or education associated with SCRIPT at the University of Birmingham. To do this, it is a requirement that all SCRIPT eLearning managers are registered healthcare professionals with relevant clinical experience and an understanding of the healthcare environments in which most SCRIPT learners, authors and peer reviewers will be working within.
Role Summary
This role requires a registered healthcare professional with clinical experience and an interest in prescribing, therapeutics, and education.
- To manage designated SCRIPT eLearning portfolios across the SCRIPT eLearning programme as part of the SCRIPT eLearning programme team and under the supervision of the senior eLearning manager(s) and the SCRIPT eLearning programme director.
- Develop and maintain online teaching resources for the SCRIPT eLearning programme under the supervision of the senior eLearning manager(s) and the SCRIPT programme director.
- Contribute to response to tender and funding applications for the SCRIPT eLearning programme.
- Contribute to enhancement of the SCRIPT programme learner/user experience.
- Contribute to the design and delivery of the SCRIPT programme for clients external to the University.
- Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar.
- Support the research conducted for and associated with the SCRIPT eLearning programme, including contributing to writing bids and funding proposals, contributing to the analysis and interpretation of research findings
Main Duties
Teaching and Learning
- Manage, develop and maintain one or more SCRIPT eLearning portfolios at a range of levels for undergraduates, postgraduates and CPD learners/users, guided by the external commissioners (e.g. Health Education England) and under the supervision of the senior eLearning manager(s) and the SCRIPT programme director, so that SCRIPT eLearning programme delivery objectives are met.
- Develop and implement operational plans to ensure the content is developed in a timely and systematic fashion.
- Contribute to the design of SCRIPT eLearning portfolios with other colleagues.
- Plan, prepare, develop and maintain SCRIPT eLearning modules and portfolios, including user guides in accordance with the established objectives of the SCRIPT eLearning programme.
- Report on SCRIPT portfolio progress, including preparation and presentation of reports, e.g. portfolio evaluations or other regular progress reports to internal and external stakeholders.
- Devise and supervise projects, student dissertations and practical work.
- Develop a reflective approach to planning and reviewing teaching practice (e.g. content development, presentation) within the SCRIPT eLearning programme.
- Contribute to supervision, marking and examining for the College as directed by the senior eLearning manager(s) and/or the SCRIPT programme director. (Summative assessment, including assessed work contributing to the final award – as a mark or as a credit – such as unseen examinations, essays, dissertations or presentations, is subject to validation by the academic supervisor).
- Frequently update own subject expertise by identifying own training needs and undertaking continuing professional development as required relevant healthcare profession’s regulatory body (e.g. GMC, GPhC, NMC).
- Undertake personal professional development in teaching, including self-reflection on own teaching, using student and peer review feedback, to enhance own teaching and learning processes.
- Contribute to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities associated with the SCRIPT programme under supervision of the senior eLearning manager(s) and the SCRIPT programme director.
- Contribute to SCRIPT eLearning programme and where appropriate departmental/School, teaching-related activities and teaching-related administration.
- Undertake management/administration arising from SCRIPT eLearning portfolio management and development.
- Undertake teaching to integrate SCRIPT into undergraduate education, and to advise and support appropriate use of the learning for bi-modal delivery.
- Undertake ad hoc teaching sessions for undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development courses as directed by the senior eLearning manager(s) and the SCRIPT programme director.
- Promote equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
Research
- Contribute to writing bids and proposals for research funding.
- Support data capture, analysis and interpretation for research projects associated with the SCRIPT eLearning programme.
- Support the dissemination of SCRIPT eLearning associated research findings and scholarly activities to include drafting of academic publications (or parts thereof), presentations at seminars and conferences.
- Provide guidance, as required to support staff, doctoral and any other students working on research projects associated with the SCRIPT eLearning programme.
- Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the SCRIPT eLearning programme under supervision of the senior eLearning manager(s) and the SCRIPT programme director.
Person Specification
- Registered healthcare professional with relevant post-registration clinical experience
- High level analytical capability.
- Ability to communicate complex information clearly.
- Ability to design and deliver learning materials successfully.
- Ability to assess and organise resources effectively.
- Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
- Contribute to the planning and organising of the programme.
- Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort.
Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
-
Further particulars can be found here
Informal enquiries to Sarah Pontefract, email: [email protected]
View our staff values and behaviours here
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .
