Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Band 8A
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Until 21 June 2027)
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Maternity Cover)
- Job ref
- 430-CC26-926A
- Employer
- Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Pharmacy (Dept)
- Town
- Milton Keynes
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 Per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/06/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 06/07/2026
Employer heading
Principal Pharmacist Homecare
Band 8A
At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.
MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).
Our benefits
We believe in recognising and rewarding the amazing contribution of our staff and that is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional growth, including:
- Free on-site parking including EV charging
- Complimentary refreshments
- Flexible working arrangements
- Discounted gym membership
- Salary sacrifice car scheme
- Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
- Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
- On-site nursery (charges apply)
- A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
- VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial Wellbeing
Job overview
Principal Pharmacist Homecare
Department: Pharmacy
Band8a : £57,528 - £64,750 Per annum pro rata
Fixed Term until July 2027 (Maternity Cover)
Hours: Part time, 22.5 per week, including weekend and bank holiday commitments.
All MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
We are seeking an experienced pharmacist to join our Pharmacy team as Principal Pharmacist – Homecare on a fixed-term basis.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop the Trust’s Homecare Service. You will provide strategic and operational leadership, working closely with clinical teams, commissioners, regional networks and homecare providers to optimise patient care and medicines value.
Working alongside the Medicines Value Programme Lead, you will play a key role in supporting the Trust’s medicines optimisation agenda, including leading on the relevant biosimilar adoptions and other quality improvement initiatives within homecare services. You will further support the development of new services, supporting the care closer to home agenda, and oversee governance and contractual arrangements with homecare providers.
'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Interview date: 22 June 2026
Main duties of the job
Leading the delivery, development and evaluation of the Pharmacy Homecare Service.
Providing specialist clinical pharmacy input for patients receiving medicines via homecare services.
Supporting the safe, effective and cost-efficient use of high-cost medicines and biologic therapies.
Monitoring, analysing and reporting homecare activity, expenditure and service performance.
Leading quality improvement, audit, governance and risk management initiatives within homecare services.
Representing MKUH at regional forums and pharmacy networks.
Supporting the wider Pharmacy team by contributing to education, training and workforce development.
The role would suit a pharmacist with experience in hospital pharmacy, medicines optimisation, high-cost medicines or homecare services who is looking to further develop their leadership and service improvement skills within a supportive and forward-thinking pharmacy department.
At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:
• Free on-site parking
• Free tea and coffee
• Great flexible working opportunities
• Discounted gym membership
• Lease car scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• On site nursery (chargeable)
• Extensive staff health and well-being programme
Working for our organisation
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a “Good” rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.
Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards – a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards – and the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.
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Detailed job description and main responsibilities
NHS Staff Survey: With high scores in Team Working and Line Management, our teams collaborate, communicate, and care for one another—because we know we’re stronger together.
To ensure that appropriate levels of service are provided in accordance with statutory requirements and professional standards as described in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Standards for Hospital Pharmacy
To ensure that appropriate levels of service are provided as described in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Standards for Homecare Services and any other relevant standards.
Please refer to attached Job description for further information.
We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity, and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.
MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.
We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once enough applications have been received.
MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.
By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.
Person specification
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential criteria
- MPharm degree (or equivalent).
- Registered as a Pharmacist with the GPhC
- Postgraduate Clinical Diploma.
- Evidence of ongoing CPD in line with GPhC
Desirable criteria
- MSc in relevant subject
- Independent prescribing qualification
- Education and training qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Proven experience as a clinical pharmacist within an hospital based setting
- Previous experience of working in homecare
- Experience of managing drug expenditure for a specialty and understanding of budgetary mechanism
- Previous evaluations or reviews of medicines used in the specialty’s patient.
- Experience as a trainer
- Experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care
- Experience of audit work.
- Personnel management
- Service development
- An awareness of current national standards, guidelines and service delivery issues relevant to the directorate’s patient
Desirable criteria
- Experience of appraising staff and giving feedback
- Medicines Information
- Management qualification
- Introduction of a new service
- Project management
- Published work
- Knowledge of the medical management of disease in the specialty’s patients
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to manage time effectively and work to deadlines demonstrated in a previous post
- Ability to plan, prioritise and organise self and others
- Effective verbal and written communication demonstrated in a previous post
- I.T. skills such as computer literacy, word processing and spreadsheet skills.
- Ability to use Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word
- Managerial skills
- Communication skills
- Good presentation skills
- Report writing
- Problem solving
- Good team work and ability to work alone
- Leadership skills
- Critical appraisal skills
- Radical thinking
- Innovative
Desirable criteria
- Ability to motivate and act as a role model
Personal and people development
Essential criteria
- Experience of supervising and developing colleagues
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
Communication
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Vivian De Vittoris
- Job title
- Associate Director of Pharmacy
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Interested? For further information please contact:
Vivian De Vittoris, Associate Director of Pharmacy - Operations, Quality & Governance at [email protected]
MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.
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