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Job summary

Main area
Critical Care & Anaesthetics
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent: Weekend, bank holiday, late night, on call if rotas require.
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (Weekend, bank holiday, late night, oncall if rotas require.)
Job ref
249-8173274
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Western Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 pro rata per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
19/08/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Lead Pharmacist - Critical Care and Anaesthetics

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital. 

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

The Great Western Hospital is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity for a pharmacist to work with us as the lead for critical care and anesthetics. 

This is a great opportunity for a pharmacist looking to specialise in intensive care medicine. As a key member of the multi-disciplinary team you will attend daily ward rounds  and lead on all aspects of medicines optimisation and pharmaceutical care. You will be supported by a friendly team and work closely with the lead pharmacist for Surgery and Planned Care to innovate and and develop the service.  

Main duties of the job

  • Provide expert clinical pharmacy input to Critical Care, Anaesthetics and associated specialties, supporting the management of complex, critically ill patients
  • Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical guidelines, policies, SOPs and quality improvement initiatives to ensure safe, evidence-based and standardised practice
  • Provide professional leadership, supervision and education for the pharmacy team and the wider multidisciplinary team
  • Lead medicines governance and patient safety activities, including medication incident review, antimicrobial stewardship, clinical audit and implementation of national guidelines

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people. We are creating a heath and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the position.

Clinical Leadership

  • Provide expert clinical pharmacy input to Critical Care, Anaesthetics and associated specialties, supporting the management of complex, critically ill patients
  • Act as an Advanced Clinical Pharmacist, providing specialist advice to consultants, junior medical staff, nursing teams and allied health professionals
  • Lead medicines optimisation initiatives to improve patient safety and quality of care
  • Critically appraise emerging evidence and translate research into clinical practice

Medicines Governance

  • Lead the development, implementation and review of clinical guidelines, prescribing policies and standard operating procedures
  • Lead medication safety reviews, incident investigations and implementation of risk reduction strategies

Leadership and Management

  • Provide professional leadership and undertake line management duties
  • Act as a role model for advanced clinical practice and professional behaviour
  • Contribute to workforce planning and service resilience

Education and Training

  • Deliver education programmes for the pharmacy team and the wider multidisciplinary team
  • Support competency assessments and supervision of rotational pharmacists and trainee pharmacists 

Person specification

Education, Qualification and Training

Essential criteria
  • MPharm Degree or equivalent
  • Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
  • Evidence of significant, relevant, and ongoing CPD
  • Independent prescriber or working towards qualification
  • Leadership experience/ qualification
Desirable criteria
  • Formal Leadership Experience / Qualification
  • Member of Royal College of Pharmacy
  • Credentialing against RPS Advanced Pharmacist Framework
  • Critical care diploma or equivalent specialist training
  • Active member of UKCPA

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive post registration hospital experience at least at band 7 level or equivalent including management of highly complex patients
  • Evidence of significant post registration experience and relevant clinical experience in delivering specialist clinical pharmacy services to critically ill patients
  • Evidence of advanced practice in critical care medicines optimisation
  • Experience of working across departmental and organisation boundaries to deliver specific targets and improve services for patients
  • Knowledge of financial systems and structures within the NHS
  • Demonstrable experience leading audit, quality improvement or practice development projects resulting in service change
  • Experience developing policies and Guidelines
  • Experience of developing and leading on projects including change management and service development
  • Experience in supervising and training pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and students
Desirable criteria
  • Previous experience as a divisional pharmacist
  • Experience of managing a team
  • Experience of service development
  • Experience of critical care
  • Knowledge and clear understanding of Good Distribution Practice (EU GDP 2013/C 343/01), and other relevant regulations, guidance and quality standards
  • Regular formal refresher training on EU GDP at least annually if no changes in legislation have occurred

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in People: GoldCare Leaver CovenantStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthArmed Forces Covenant

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Shenin Anowar
Job title
Lead Pharmacist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01793 605030
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