Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 179-8103783-C
- Employer
- West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
- Town
- Bury St Edmunds
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 Per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/07/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Lead Pharmacist - Surgery, Theatres and Critical Care
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Job overview
Join Our Team as Lead Pharmacist – Surgery, Theatres and Critical Care - Lead the Way in Healthcare Innovation.
Are you ready for an exciting opportunity to lead a dynamic service in the restructured pharmacy team at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust?
We are looking for a Lead Pharmacist to provide leadership and strategic direction to our clinical pharmacy service within the surgical directorate. This is a 12-month fixed term position to cover maternity leave, offering you the chance to make a real impact within an ambitious and supportive team.
Working closely with and reporting to the Principal Pharmacist for Clinical Services, you will play a pivotal role in maintaining and developing high-quality clinical pharmacy services across the Trust’s surgical wards. This role requires an experienced clinical pharmacist with specialist knowledge of critical care practice and a passion for delivering excellent patient care within complex and fast-paced clinical environments.
Main duties of the job
· The post-holder will be Lead Pharmacist for Surgery, Theatres and Critical Care and must develop the specialist clinical pharmacy service to patients within the associated area in line with local and national standards and policies, ensuring the safe, clinical and cost-effective use of medicines and staff resources.
· The post-holder will provide a highly specialised level of pharmaceutical care to patients and will support other healthcare staff in meeting risk management, financial management and clinical governance responsibilities around the use of medicines.
· The post-holder will provide highly specialised advice within their area of clinical specialism to other pharmacists and healthcare professionals, including participation in multidisciplinary and governance meetings.
· The post-holder will deliver training to pharmacists and foundation pharmacist trainees within their area of clinical specialism and must undertake clinical supervision, mentoring and assessments of junior pharmacists, medicines management technicians and pre-registration pharmacists.
· The post-holder will carry out clinical pharmacy audit and practice research in conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist Clinical Services.
Working for our organisation
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
What you'll be doing:
- Leadership: Take charge of a skilled and dedicated team delivering clinical pharmacy services across Surgery, Theatres and Critical Care, ensuring excellence and consistency in patient care.
- Specialist Critical Care Practice: Provide expert pharmaceutical care to critically ill patients, acting as the lead pharmacist for Critical Care. Work closely with the multidisciplinary team to optimise medicines use, support complex clinical decision-making, and ensure the safe, effective and evidence-based management of medicines within critical care services.
- Strategic Impact: Contribute to the delivery of the department’s strategic objectives, supporting innovation and service development during this key period.
- Patient-Centred Care: Ensure services remain safe, efficient, and effective, with a strong focus on optimising outcomes for patients across surgical and critical care pathways.
- Collaboration and Influence: Build strong working relationships with multidisciplinary teams both within and outside the organisation to influence and drive improvements across the Trust.
- Education and Development: Support the training, supervision and development of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other healthcare professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning and clinical excellence.
Why Join Us?
This is a fantastic opportunity to lead and shape a respected service while gaining valuable leadership experience within a supportive, innovative environment. You’ll be joining a department committed to excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement in patient care.
Please view full job description attached for full details of role.
Person specification
Education and qualifications
Essential criteria
- Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical or Technical Pharmacy or equivalent demonstrable experience
- Registered as a pharmacist with The General Pharmaceutical Council
Desirable criteria
- MSc in Clinical or Technical Pharmacy
- Independent prescribing qualification
- Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Experience and knowledge
Essential criteria
- Extensive post-registration experience with substantial hospital experience
- Extensive experience providing a pharmacy clinical service to patients in a range of surgical or ITU specialities
- Experience of multidisciplinary team working
- Experience in providing and evaluating pharmacy education & training including mentorship
- Experience of managing or supervising other staff
- Experience of implementing and/or reviewing policies, guidelines, PGDs or equivalent
- Evidence of on-going revalidation with the GPhC
- Highly specialised knowledge of the treatment of patients in a range of surgical or ITU specialities
- Knowledge of how the delivery of the clinical pharmacy service must meet the needs of local and national priorities
- Knowledge of pharmacy based computer systems
Desirable criteria
- Experience in the provision of pharmacy expertise to the clinical governance agenda
- Experience of providing post-graduate level training and/or education
- Experience of managing the entry of new medicines into a hospital formulary
- Experience of budgetary responsibility and/or experience with high cost drugs
Skills and abilities
Essential criteria
- Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of healthcare professionals and patients
- Able to provide expert advice on the use of medicines to treat patients within a specialist area
- Able to manage difficult or ambiguous situations
- Able to manage time effectively and meet tight deadlines
- Able to prioritise and manage workload
- Able to demonstrate an advanced level of reasoning and judgment
- Able to present complex information to a large groups of staff
- Able to train and supervise staff
- Able to undertake prescription review of complex medication regimes
- Attention to detail and good problem solving skills
- Proficient computer skills
Personal qualities
Essential criteria
- Takes responsibility for own actions and promotes positive team working ethic
- Shares information and good practice appropriately
- Treats others with courtesy and respect at all times
- Maintains high levels of concentration for prolonged periods of time
- Excellent verbal and written skills
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Alexis Pedro Marcos
- Job title
- Principal Pharmacist – Clinical Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01284713232
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