Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Agenda for Change Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week (This role includes late shifts, bank holidays, weekends and on-calll commitments on a rota basis.)
- Job ref
- 370-AST8APHA-2158
- Employer
- North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Warrington Hospital
- Town
- Warrington
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/09/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 01/10/2026
Employer heading
Lead Pharmacist for Cardiology
Agenda for Change Band 8a
Job overview
We are recruiting a Band 8a Lead Pharmacist for Cardiology to work 22.5 hours per week across Warrington and Halton Hospitals.
You will lead and develop the cardiology pharmacy service, combining specialist clinical practice with service development, medicines governance, financial management, education and influencing prescribing.
The main inpatient service is based at Warrington Hospital’s 27-bed Acute Cardiac Care Unit, with eight high-care beds with cardiac monitoring and 19 core cardiology beds. Working closely with consultants, specialist nurses and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will support patients with complex cardiovascular conditions.
You will take professional responsibility for pharmacy’s contribution to cardiology, setting priorities, improving services and supporting new treatments to ensure medicines are used safely, effectively and within available resources.
We welcome applications from established Band 8a pharmacists and experienced Band 7 pharmacists ready to lead a specialty. You may bring substantial cardiology experience or strong hospital pharmacy experience and an interest in developing in this area.
A postgraduate cardiology qualification and independent prescribing qualification are desirable, rather than essential. Applicants who are not independent prescribers must be willing to undertake the appropriate training.
Main duties of the job
The Lead Pharmacist for Cardiology will lead the specialty’s clinical pharmacy service and be the main contact for medicines-related matters.
The post holder will:
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Provide and oversee highly specialist cardiology pharmacy care, from medicines reconciliation and clinical review to safe, timely discharge.
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Attend consultant ward rounds and advise colleagues on complex medicines issues, treatment and monitoring.
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Develop and review prescribing guidelines, protocols and pathways, applying NICE guidance, formulary decisions, safety communications and evidence locally.
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Work with clinical, management and finance teams to monitor medicines expenditure, explain changes and improve value.
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Undertake horizon scanning, assess the clinical, operational and financial impact of new medicines, and support their safe introduction and review.
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Lead or contribute to audit, service evaluation, quality improvement and practice-based research.
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Review medication incidents and medicines-related risks, translating learning into practice.
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Provide supervision, teaching and professional support to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, foundation pharmacists, students and other healthcare professionals.
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Undertake prescribing and clinic-based work when appropriately qualified and assessed as competent.
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Contribute to wider pharmacy services, including late, weekend, bank holiday, dispensary and emergency duties.
Working for our organisation
North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust brings together Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals and Bridgewater Community Healthcare’s services. Around 6,500 colleagues serve over one million people across Warrington, Halton and the wider North West, working across two hospitals and more than 70 community hubs and facilities.
Warrington Hospital provides emergency and acute care; Halton Hospital offers elective, diagnostic and outpatient services. Integrating hospital and community care offers opportunities to improve medicines information at transitions of care, strengthen community links and develop pharmacy services across the patient pathway.
Our mission is to be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other. Our values are:
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Kind: caring, supportive and respectful.
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Open: honest, transparent and open to new ways of working.
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Fair: listening, valuing difference and being inclusive.
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One team: working together and with our communities.
As a teaching organisation partnered with the University of Chester, we offer professional development and onsite training. Benefits include the NHS Pension Scheme, 27–33 days’ annual leave depending on NHS service, additional leave purchase, flexible working policies, car lease and cycle-to-work schemes, wellbeing support and NHS discounts.
You will join an experienced pharmacy team, supported by the Principal Pharmacist for Unplanned Care and senior pharmacy colleagues.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will lead cardiology pharmacy at Band 8a, combining specialist patient care with leadership, governance and service development.
Responsibilities include:
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Providing highly specialist cardiovascular care, medicines reconciliation, review and care planning.
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Joining consultant ward rounds and advising patients, carers and clinicians on treatment and monitoring.
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Supporting safe discharge through prescription checks and communication with primary and community care.
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Undertaking prescribing and clinics once trained, registered and assessed as competent.
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Acting as cardiology’s pharmacy lead, agreeing priorities with the Principal Pharmacist and cardiology teams.
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Developing guidelines and pathways and implementing NICE, formulary and medicines safety recommendations.
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Monitoring expenditure and prescribing trends, supporting cost-effective care and assessing, introducing and reviewing new treatments.
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Managing medicines risks and incidents, applying learning and contributing to audit, evaluation, improvement and research.
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Representing Pharmacy at specialty and Trust meetings.
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Supervising, teaching and supporting pharmacy staff, students and other professionals, while maintaining specialist competence.
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Supporting services under pressure, dispensary work and Responsible Pharmacist duties.
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Joining late, weekend, bank holiday and emergency rotas and working across Trust sites.
See the full job description and person specification for details.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Masters qualification in Pharmacy (4 years), or equivalent qualification, plus 1-year pre-registration training and experience.
- Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent documented clinical experience
Desirable criteria
- Independent prescribing qualification (V300 or equivalent)
- Relevant master’s or postgraduate qualification relating to cardiology.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Relevant post-registration hospital pharmacy experience, or equivalent documented clinical experience, for example in mental health.
- Experience of delivering training and supervising others.
- Experience of audit and/or practice-based research.
- Experience of collaborative multidisciplinary working.
- Experience of pharmacy electronic medicines management systems.
- Experience of working through organisational change and understanding its effect on behaviours and processes.
Desirable criteria
- Medicines information or aseptic services experience.
- Project management experience
- Experience of policy, guideline and service development
- Risk management
- Staff management
- Experience of developing electronic prescribing systems.
Skills, knowledge and competencies
Essential criteria
- Excellent written communication, organisational and Microsoft Office skills
- Able to work collaboratively with, and influence, staff from different professions and grades.
- Able to use initiative, work effectively within a team and solve problems using lateral thinking.
- Able to prioritise competing demands, work accurately under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Good general clinical knowledge and practical clinical skills.
- Knowledge of national guidance, including NICE guidance, and evidence-based practice relevant to cardiology.
- Good understanding of adverse drug reactions and associated reporting requirements.
- Knowledge of NHS medicines management, clinical governance and modernisation agendas.
- Demonstrable commitment to continuing professional development and willingness to undertake training for a prescribing role.
- Maintains patient confidentiality and acts with honesty and integrity.
- Responds positively to constructive feedback and treats patients and colleagues with empathy and sensitivity.
- Interested in expanding knowledge and personal competencies through a commitment for self-development and continuing development
- Able to travel to study days and other work locations, using private or public transport, as required across a 24-hour service.
- Flexibility in working (shifts, weekends, bank holidays)
- Good working knowledge of standard computer software
- Able to undertake the moderate physical activity required by the role.
- Able to work flexibly and reliably.
- Ability to prioritise own work effectively
- Self-motivated, persistent and persuasive
- Aware of own limitations and able to ask for help when needed
- Ability to cope with difficult situations
- Caring nature, enjoy helping and being with other people, committed to patient care
- Requirement to work in both the pharmacy department and at ward level
- Work at ward level may involve exposure to infectious diseases with the use of appropriate PPE.
- Dispensing / checking / handling of hazardous materials e.g. cytotoxic medicines
Desirable criteria
- Able to develop services within the designated clinical area.
- IT skills relevant to electronic prescribing system development.
- Effective teaching and tutoring skills.
- Able to lead and manage change, motivate others and support team development.
- Able to manage time, staff and resources to deliver agreed outcomes.
- Able to identify, assess and manage risks.
- Expert knowledge of drug-related hospital admissions and adverse drug reactions.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Greg Hobson
- Job title
- Principal Pharmacist for Unplanned Care
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01925 662025
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