Skip to main content
Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
430-CC25-14A-B
Employer
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Pharmacy (Dept)
Town
Milton Keynes
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
10/09/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust logo

Specialist Pharmacist - Frailty & CoE

Band 7

 

At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.  

MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).

Our benefits

We believe in recognising and rewarding the amazing contribution of our staff and that is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional growth, including:

  • Free on-site parking including EV charging
  • Complimentary refreshments
  • Flexible working arrangements
  • Discounted gym membership
  • Salary sacrifice car scheme
  • Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
  • Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
  • On-site nursery (charges apply)
  • A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
  • VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial Wellbeing

 

Job overview

Specialist Pharmacist - Frailty & CoE

Department: Pharmacy

Band 7: £47,810 - £54,710 per annum

Full-time: Hours: 37.5hrs per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working

Are you a Pharmacist with a passion for Elderly Care and Frailty?

Now is an excellent time to become part of the pharmacy team at MKUH; we are a friendly, forward-thinking department who continue to grow in both size and influence. Recent enhancements include a major departmental refurbishment, the introduction of a new Pharmacy Robot, the establishment of a new Pharmacy and Aseptic Unit in the Cancer Centre, and the opening of a new Outpatient Pharmacy.

Our services are evolving to provide our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with more time to work alongside patients while supporting their medical and nursing colleagues. Our commitment is to ensure that every patient receives safe, high-quality care, placing our patients at the heart of our mission. This role is a compelling career opportunity for a skilled and dedicated pharmacist to join our hardworking, forward-looking, and innovative pharmacy team.

If successful, you will be part of a supportive and learning environment that encourages both professional and personal development. If you would like to find out more, please contact Emily McDonald, Clinical Pharmacy Manager – Frailty, Elderly Care & Endocrine at [email protected] for an informal discussion.

Interview date: w/c 22 September 2025

Main duties of the job

  • You will work closely with the Principal Pharmacist to providing pharmacy input in the form of comprehensive medication reviews to elderly inpatients. You will support with providing safe and effective use of medicines to enable the best possible outcomes, reduce inappropriate polypharmacy & improve adherence and patients understanding of medicines.
  • In addition to delivering ward based clinical pharmacy services within elderly care, as well as clinical support to the dispensary, you will have the opportunity to gain experience in supporting and supervising junior staff, undertaking quality improvement and audit work, advocating for medicines optimisation and safety initiatives at the ward level, and collaborating with the Principal Pharmacist to address any medicines related issues affecting the elderly care division.
  • To take a key role in the delivery, development and evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Service provided to Divisional Teams and Clinical Service Units (CSU); to meet the requirements of pharmacy customers in accordance with pharmaceutical legislation, national guidance and departmental objectives. 
  • To deputise, with appropriate support, for the Principal Pharmacists at meetings and in delivery of training within their assigned areas of pharmaceutical care.
  • To provide ward-based clinical pharmacy services, working alongside our other specialist pharmacists and technicians, and supporting pharmacists and technicians and trainees. 

Working for our organisation

Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a “Good” rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.

As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.

We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.

Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards – a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards – and the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.

Visit our website to explore the latest news and opportunities at MKUH - News - Milton Keynes University Hospital

For further information about Milton Keynes please visit - Visit Milton Keynes

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

"We Care We Communicate We Collaborate We Contribute"

Our standard working hours now consist of four long days (8 am to 6.30 pm) per week, with coverage on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays on a rota basis. After a period of induction and training, you will contribute to the pharmacy out-of-hours service.

We are looking for an outstanding pharmacist who is enthusiastic, self-motivated and committed to forging excellent communication between primary and secondary care teams and drive the pharmacy team forward. You will be passionate about helping the elderly patients get the best from their medicines, and keen to use your initiative and drive to take opportunities to create an outstanding service and demonstrate leadership around optimal and safe medication use within the board rounds.

As the Specialist Pharmacist you will work as part of a pharmacy team and develop specialist clinical pharmacy services to elderly patients working across the interface. The post holder will develop the role in the transfer of care across the interface to ensure optimisation and safe discharges for the elderly population.

Please refer to the Job Description for further details

 

Person specification

Qualifications and knowledge

Essential criteria
  • B.Sc. / B.Pharm. / M.Pharm
  • Registered with GPhC
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy (or equivalent)
  • Evidence of on-going CPD (in line with GPhC requirements)
Desirable criteria
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or evidence of equivalent experience e.g. GLF
  • Member of RPS
  • Evidence of a good understanding of medicines management issues at the interfaces between primary, secondary and tertiary care

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Post registration experience in a hospital-based clinical post
  • Experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care
  • Experience of clinical audit work.
  • An awareness of current national standards, guidelines and service delivery issues.
  • Experience of Medicines Information.
  • Knowledge of the medical management of disease in a range of the specialties
Desirable criteria
  • At least 2 years post registration experience in a hospital-based clinical post
  • Evidence of influencing medicines use to optimise care and help clinicians manage expenditure
  • Evidence of experience managing prioritisation in relation to the use of new drugs and new uses for drugs
  • Evidence of significant contribution to innovative or developmental roles and activities within pharmacy

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Effective and safe pharmaceutical skills
  • Ability to manage time effectively and work to deadlines
  • Ability to plan, prioritise and organise self and others and deal effectively with unexpected demands
  • I.T. skills such as computer literacy, word processing and spreadsheet skills.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with other staff, patients and members of the public
  • Good presentation skills.
  • Good written communication skills
  • Problem solving
  • Good team work and ability to work alone
  • Evidence of leadership skills
  • Ability to motivate and act as a role model
Desirable criteria
  • Good negotiation skills and ability to justify advice given should this be challenged
  • Critical appraisal skills
  • Evidence of understanding of clinical risk and clinical governance
  • Innovative Thinking

Personal and people development

Essential criteria
  • Experience of supervising and developing colleagues
  • Evidence of Continuous Professional Development to meet GPhC standards
  • Evidence of leadership

Communication

Essential criteria
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Evidence of team working
  • Evidence of effective and timely project delivery

Specific requirements

Essential criteria
  • Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
  • Flexible, polite and courteous
  • Dedicated professional attitude
  • Able to take the initiative
  • Ability and willingness to take responsibility for own actions and lead, when required, including when on call

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoHSJ Best places to workCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardDisability confident employerNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024Smoke Free

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
Emily McDonald
Job title
Clinical Pharmacy Manager – Frailty & CoE
Email address
[email protected]
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies