Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- 37.5 hours per week (Full time to include weekend working 1 in 6)
- Job ref
- 339-CCS9871-DAC
- Employer
- North Bristol NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Southmead Hospital
- Town
- Bristol
- Salary
- £66,582 - £77,368 per annum, pro rata for part time roles
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Principal Pharmacist
Band 8b
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Job overview
Lead and shape the future of Clinical Pharmacy for Medicine at North Bristol NHS Trust!
We are seeking an experienced and ambitious pharmacist to take on a senior leadership role, driving the development of clinical pharmacy services across a range of medical specialities within a large and complex acute Trust.
As Principal Pharmacist for Medicine, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care while improving patient flow, service efficiency and medicines optimisation. You will lead a well-established team of senior pharmacists and work closely with multidisciplinary and senior clinical leaders to influence service transformation.
This is an exciting opportunity to combine strategic leadership with clinical expertise, contributing to innovation, digital development, and the future direction of pharmacy services across the Trust and wider healthcare system.
Why join us?
- Lead clinical pharmacy across multiple medical specialities in a large, complex acute Trust
- Play a key role in improving patient flow and service efficience
- Influence digital transformation and medicines optimisation
- Work as part of a forward-thinking pharmacy leadership team
- Opportunities to shape services across the wider healthcare system
Main duties of the job
In this role, you will:
- Lead the Clinical Pharmacy Service for Medicine, providing clear professional and operational direction
- Manage and support a team of senior pharmacists, helping them to develop and perform at their best
- Identify and lead improvements to services, with a focus on patient flow, quality and efficiency
- Promote safe, effective and cost-conscious use of medicines across your areas of responsibility
- Take the lead on medicines governance, ensuring standards are maintained and issues are addressed
- Build strong working relationships with clinical and operational colleagues across the Trust and wider system
- Support the ongoing development of digital systems, including electronic prescribing
- Contribute to the training, supervision and development of pharmacy staff and the wider workforce
Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialties. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.
North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For a full overview of the Job Description, please refer to the PDF Job Description attached as an additional document to this advert
Leadership
- Responsible for leading the delivery, management and development of the Clinical Pharmacy Service to high standards of efficiency and effectiveness for the specialities.
- Regularly review Clinical Pharmacy roles in line with skill mix and ensure that staff allocation reflects best practice.
- Maintain workload and performance records and identify and manage significant variances using key performance indicators (KPIs). Use this information to help further develop the service.
- Monitor activity, plan and co-ordinate changes necessary for the further development of Clinical Pharmacy services. Identify and negotiate for the resources needed to effect the change.
- Lead on allocated pharmacy work streams to support local and national initiatives.
- Acts as a role model for less experienced pharmacists and promote best practice
- Identify, develop and take opportunities to further improve the service through established and innovative practices
Pharmacy Service Management
- Lead on the recording, reporting and monitoring of Clinical Pharmacy interventions for the specialities.
- Responsible for Clinical Governance and incident monitoring, using Radar, within Clinical Pharmacy Services for your specialities and take action to minimise risks.
- Ensure that the relevant division receives regular reports on finance and governance relating to medicines for the specialities you are responsible for.
- In conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist Pharmacoeconomics monitor medicines usage and expenditure against BNSSG Formulary and commissioning guidance to provide recommendations in order to contain costs.
- Work closely with the other Principal pharmacists to ensure a consistent pan-trust clinical service.
- Maintain a good working relationship with other section heads and line managers and equivalent throughout the Trust to contribute to the business planning cycle.
- Work with the other Principal Pharmacists and managers to further develop and deliver a 7 day pharmacy clinical service.
- Advise on matters relating to Clinical Pharmacy to ensure safe and effective practices are developed and adhered to.
Person specification
Education/Training/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MPharm degree or equivalent plus post graduate diploma/MSc in clinical pharmacy
- Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacist
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Completion of leadership or management qualification or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
- Qualified Independent Prescriber
Work Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant demonstrable experience of working in hospital-based pharmacy and significant experience as a specialist clinical pharmacist
- Significant relevant managerial and leadership experience
- Experience of carrying out audits and the formulation of action plans
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
Essential criteria
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Proactive approach to the application of specialist pharmaceutical knowledge in order to enhance patient care
- Ability to successfully develop knowledge in specialist area
- Relevant IT skills to ECDL level or equivalent
- Excellent problem-solving skills and demonstrates using initiative
- Ability to manage time, people and resources to deliver timely outcomes
- Ability to manage change and leading service developments
- Understand and practice excellent leadership skills
- Good negotiation skills and the ability to influence senior pharmacy and medical staff and the management team
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Thomas Gruar
- Job title
- Associate Director of Pharmacy Clinical Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0117 41 42283
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