Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 197-R-UT7460
- Employer
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- University Hospital Lewisham
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £64,455 - £74,896 per annum plus HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 18/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Principal Pharmacist - Medicine (UHL)
Band 8b
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Principal Clinical Pharmacist to lead the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred pharmacy services at University Hospital Lewisham.
This Band 8b role is pivotal in shaping clinical strategy, medicines governance, and service development across the Medicine division.
The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership, oversee clinical pharmacy operations, and support multidisciplinary teams to optimise medicines use and improve patient outcomes.
PLEASE NOTE: We may not be able to offer sponsorship for this post
Main duties of the job
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for clinical pharmacy services across the Medicine division at UHL.
- Lead and manage a team of specialist pharmacists, ensuring safe, effective, and economical use of medicines.
- Act as a clinical role model and independent prescriber, supporting complex decision-making and multidisciplinary care.
- Oversee medicines governance, audit, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Support the development and implementation of divisional and Trust-wide medicines optimisation strategies.
- Contribute to financial planning, PbR-excluded drug management, and delivery of cost improvement plans.
- Deputise for the Associate Director of Pharmacy for Clinical Services as required.
Working for our organisation
Working for Your Organisation
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is a progressive and inclusive organisation committed to delivering high-quality care across its sites. Our pharmacy services have embraced cluster working since 2020, fostering close collaboration between University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This integrated model supports shared learning, consistent service standards, and innovative approaches to medicines optimisation across the Trust.
You will be joining a supportive and ambitious pharmacy team with a strong track record in clinical leadership, service development, and multidisciplinary working. We value diversity, flexible working, and professional development, and we are proud to support our staff in achieving their full potential.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key Result Areas & Performance
Leadership & Service Development
- Provide strategic leadership for clinical pharmacy services across the Medicine division at University Hospital Lewisham.
- Lead the development and implementation of advanced clinical roles, including pharmacist prescribing and enhanced clinical input into multidisciplinary teams.
- Support adherence to local and national guidelines to ensure safe, evidence-based, and cost-effective prescribing.
- Collaborate with divisional and Trust-wide teams to develop integrated care pathways and medicines optimisation strategies.
- Represent pharmacy in divisional governance and contribute to service planning and redesign.
- Work with colleagues across the Lewisham & Greenwich cluster and South East London ICS to promote system-wide collaboration and consistency.
Clinical Services & Patient Care
- Act as a clinical role model and independent prescriber, providing expert input into complex patient care decisions.
- Provide direct clinical pharmacy services as required, including screening, prescribing, and medicines reconciliation.
- Ensure robust clinical supervision and training for pharmacists and technicians within the division.
- Lead on the development and review of prescribing protocols and clinical guidelines.
- Support the delivery of medicines optimisation targets, including biosimilar switching and PbR-excluded drug management.
Division Support
- Monitor and report on medicines expenditure across the division, including forecasting and cost improvement planning.
- Provide financial oversight of high-cost drugs and support the delivery of NHSE medicines efficiencies.
- Contribute to business case development and service expansion proposals.
- Actively participate in divisional meetings and represent pharmacy in strategic discussions.
Governance, Information & Data Management
- Lead on clinical audit, service evaluation, and performance reporting within the division.
- Support the investigation of medication-related safety incidents and implement improvement actions.
- Contribute to formulary management and the evaluation of new medicines and NICE guidance.
- Ensure compliance with Trust policies and national standards for medicines governance.
Staff Management & Training
- Line manage pharmacists within the Medicine division, overseeing performance, development, and workload allocation.
- Support the education and training of pharmacy staff, including postgraduate supervision and CPD.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, professional development, and collaborative working.
- Act as a role model and mentor for junior staff and trainees.
Research & Development
- Lead and support practice research and quality improvement initiatives.
- Encourage publication and presentation of research at regional and national forums.
- Collaborate with academic partners to develop research capacity within the pharmacy team.
Financial
- Provide budgetary advice and oversight of medicines spend within the division.
- Support the delivery of cost improvement plans and ensure efficient use of resources.
- Attend financial meetings and contribute to strategic financial planning.
Communications and Relationships
- Liaise effectively with multidisciplinary teams, service managers, and external stakeholders.
- Communicate clearly and sensitively about medicines-related issues across the Trust.
- Provide training and education to pharmacy, nursing, and medical staff on medicines policies and developments.
General
- Ensure effective management of staff within area of responsibility, including appraisals, training, and HR processes.
- Uphold the principles of safe and secure handling of medicines.
- Contribute to departmental meetings and Trust-wide initiatives as required.
Person specification
Qualifications && Training
Essential criteria
- B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy) or equivalent
- Professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- Postgraduate Diploma in either Clinical Pharmacy or General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
- Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice.
- Specialist higher degree (Masters) or a portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience at senior management level and relevant short courses taught at postgraduate level.
Desirable criteria
- Independent Prescriber
- Other postgraduate qualifications relevant to pharmacy practice, such as management or education & training qualifications
Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial post registration experience
- Demonstrable experience of working with senior healthcare professionals outside of Pharmacy to achieve across Trust developments.
- Demonstrable experience of managing staff/ teams.
- Demonstrable experience of co-ordinating and leading on clinical audit and practice research.
Desirable criteria
- Publications in relevant specialty.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable ability to analyse trial data and use available evidence to make sound judgements.
- Ability to work on own initiative and effectively as part of a team both within pharmacy and a multidisciplinary environment
- Ability to prioritise and plan work effectively alone and for a team including the ability to delegate appropriately.
- Ability to think strategically.
- Applies sound professional judgement to legal and ethical issues.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate complex information effectively using clear written and spoken English and overcome barriers to understanding.
- Ability to provide highly complex information on Pharmacy Services issues and impart knowledge to all levels of healthcare professionals (up to and including senior consultants /professor/ executive director level).
- Proficient in all Microsoft Office software with proven computer literacy and IT skills
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Daniel Connolly
- Job title
- Associate Chief Pharmacist - Clinical Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 020 8836 4927
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