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Job summary

Main area
Clinical Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
193-7436066NCG
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Town
Reading
Salary
£55,690 - £62,682 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
01/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Lead Pharmacist - Biologics and Medicines Value

NHS AfC: Band 8a

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.  

Job overview

Lead Pharmacist - Biologics & Medicines Value

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated pharmacist to join our newly established Biologics and Medicines Value team as a Lead Pharmacist for Biologics (Band 8a). This is a patient-facing role with a strong focus on prescribing and medicines optimisation, offering an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to patients through the safe and effective use of biologic and biosimilar medicines.

Working closely with patients and specialist clinical teams, you will use your prescribing skills to support the safe initiation, monitoring and switching of treatments, particularly in areas such as rheumatology, gastroenterology and oncology. The post will be embedded within clinical teams to deliver biosimilar switches, ensuring continuity of care and a positive patient experience.

Alongside this, you will contribute to the governance and delivery of the Trust’s medicines value programme, helping to ensure that the use of high-cost medicines remains safe, effective and sustainable. You will also support service design and quality improvement projects, working with colleagues across the Trust and the wider system to improve pathways and outcomes for patients.

This role provides excellent opportunities for professional development, including developing leadership skills, leading patient-facing projects, and building expertise in biologics and high-cost medicines

Main duties of the job

·     The Pharmacy Service at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is committed to supporting patients, carers and staff in achieving safe, effective and person-centred use of medicines. Our focus is on ensuring that medicines are used optimally to deliver the best outcomes for patients while making the most effective use of NHS resources.

We do this by:

  • Providing clear, evidence-based information and education about medicines to healthcare professionals, patients and carers.

  • Delivering clinical pharmacy services that enable safe prescribing, administration and monitoring of medicines across inpatient and community settings.

  • Working in partnership with clinical teams and system partners to ensure that medicines are used in a way that is both clinically effective and financially sustainable.

Working for our organisation

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  This is a great opportunity to join our clinical or non-clinical teams to create a positive and motivating environment within our trust.  Come and join our team in this exciting time of change as we pride ourselves, our staff and our services on excellence.

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

    For further information on the job role, please refer to the job description and Person specification attached.

     This job description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review in association with the post holder.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Current registered practising Member of GPhC
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
  • Independent Pharmacist Prescriber
Desirable criteria
  • Advance Clinical Practitioner
  • Post graduate diploma/degree in Leadership & Management

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to patients, clinical staff, and senior colleagues
  • Ability to work autonomously and manage a complex workload, prioritising effectively to meet deadlines
Desirable criteria
  • Advanced data visualisation or dashboard development skills

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant post-registration clinical pharmacy experience at a specialist level
  • Demonstrable experience in medicines optimisation and delivering cost-effective changes within clinical practice
  • Experience of direct patient counselling, education, and shared decision-making regarding complex therapies
  • Experience in supervising, mentoring, or training junior pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, or other healthcare professionals
  • Experience in contributing to the identification and implementation of medicines efficiencies
Desirable criteria
  • Experience at a specialist level in relevant areas such as Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, or Dermatology
  • Experience in the practical implementation of biosimilar switches or similar formulary/guideline changes
  • Experience in analysing and interpreting prescribing data to inform practice
  • Experience line managing other staff
  • Experience of contributing to or developing clinical guidelines or protocols

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.National Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024Florence Nightingale Foundation

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
Grant Sugiura
Job title
Associate Chief Pharmacist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01183227799
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