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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
193-8109694NCG
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Town
Reading
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
21/07/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Lead Pharmacist – VTE & Stroke

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.  

Please note: all vacancies automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Job overview

Band 8A Lead Pharmacist – VTE & Stroke

We are looking for an enthusiastic and forward-thinking clinical pharmacist to join our Pharmacy team as Lead Pharmacist – VTE & Stroke.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop specialist pharmacy services for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, anticoagulation stewardship and stroke medicines optimisation across the Trust. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in improving patient safety, driving evidence-based practice and delivering high-quality, patient-centred care.

As an Independent Prescriber, you will provide advanced clinical care for patients with complex needs, contribute to specialist clinics and multidisciplinary meetings, and support the development of integrated stroke and thrombosis pathways. You will also lead quality improvement, clinical audit, guideline development and education, helping to shape and enhance services across the organisation.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced clinical pharmacist looking to develop their leadership skills while making a tangible impact on patient outcomes and the future of pharmacy services. You will work closely with colleagues across pharmacy, medicine, nursing and the wider healthcare system to deliver innovative, safe and effective medicines optimisation.

Main duties of the job

To provide highly specialist clinical pharmacy leadership for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, anticoagulation and stroke services across the Trust.

The post holder will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of anticoagulation stewardship, stroke medicines optimisation and VTE prevention programmes, ensuring safe, effective, evidence-based and cost-effective use of anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapies.

The post holder will work as an independent prescriber, providing advanced pharmaceutical care, participating in clinics and multidisciplinary team meetings, and supporting the delivery of high-quality stroke and VTE care pathways.

The post holder will provide strategic leadership for anticoagulation governance, VTE prevention, hospital-acquired thrombosis investigations, stroke medicines management, guideline development, audit, quality improvement and education.

The post holder will support the lead in the development, delivery and continuous improvement of pharmacy services across Stroke medicine.

They will also act as a member of the pharmacy clinical leadership group and contribute to the strategic development of pharmacy services within the Trust.

Working for our organisation

Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our "CARE" values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Personal Specification for further details of the job role.

Person specification

Education, qualifications & training

Essential criteria
  • MPharm degree or equivalent (A)
  • Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) (A)
  • Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification (Diploma/MSc or equivalent experience) (A)
  • Independent Prescriber Qualification (A)
Desirable criteria
  • Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy, UKCPA or equivalent (A)
  • Postgraduate qualification or training in leadership, education, or clinical practice (A)
  • Training in quality improvement or service development methodologies (e.g. Lean, QI, PRINCE-2) (A)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant post-registration hospital pharmacy experience (A/I)
  • Experience of working as an independent prescriber within a clinical setting (A/I)
  • Experience of leading guideline, SOP, PGD or pathway development (A/I)
  • Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams to deliver patient care (A/I)
  • Experience of clinical governance, including incident reporting, investigation, audit and risk management (A/I)
  • Experience of contributing to service development, quality improvement, or implementation of new ways of working (A/I)
  • Experience of supporting, supervising, or mentoring junior staff (A/I)
  • Experience of line management, supervision, or mentoring of staff (A)
  • Experience of anticoagulation stewardship and VTE prevention
  • Experience of working within stroke services (A/I)
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of managing or coordinating clinical pharmacy services or workload (A/I)
  • Experience of working across primary–secondary care interfaces (A/I)
  • Experience of involvement in research, audit, or practice-based publication (A/I)
  • Awareness of emerging developments in advanced therapies and genomics (A/I)
  • Experience managing cost improvement projects related to medicines (A/I)
  • Involvement or experience presenting at regional or national conferences or professional forums (A/I)

Skills & abilities

Essential criteria
  • Strong clinical decision-making skills, with the ability to manage complex patients and optimise prescribing (A/I)
  • Ability to prioritise and manage a complex workload within a fast-paced, high-pressure clinical environment (A/I)
  • Effective communication skills, with the ability to convey complex clinical information to patients and multidisciplinary teams (A/I)
  • Ability to influence and negotiate with clinical and operational colleagues (A/I)
  • Strong organisational skills with the ability to coordinate clinical and service priorities (A/I)
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use clinical judgement and data to inform decisions (A/I)
  • Experience of delivering education or training sessions to multidisciplinary teams (A/I)
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of using data, metrics or digital tools to support service improvement or patient flow (A/I)
  • Leadership skills appropriate to a senior clinical role (A/I)
  • Ability to independently assess, prescribe and manage patients within specialist clinics (A/I)

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships 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.Florence Nightingale FoundationNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024

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
Kush Bhargava
Job title
Associate Chief Pharmacist - Clinical Services
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0118 322 7800
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