Skip to main content
Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
  • Home or remote working
  • Compressed hours
18.75 hours per week (Take part in weekend, bank holiday, early and late working rotas and out-of-hours on-call, as required)
Job ref
364-A-9915
Employer
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Harlow/Epping
Town
Harlow
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 per annum, pro rata for part time
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
19/04/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust logo

Advanced Community Mental Health Pharmacist (West)

Band 8a

Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk. 

We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.

You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive. 

The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.

We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years. 

We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.

We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.  

Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.

Job overview

Are you an experienced mental health specialist Pharmacist looking for a unique opportunity? EPUT Pharmacy are looking for a pharmacist with a proven track record supporting patients with severe mental illness (SMI) to join our dynamic and enthusiastic team.

The NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan identified the need for additional specialist mental health pharmacists in the community to support patients with SMI. As part of our restructured pharmacy department, we have a part time opportunity for an experienced mental health specialist to join our established team of Advanced Community Mental Health Pharmacists. This is an exciting role designed to support patients with SMI live fulfilling independent lives in the community. The success of the established service based in West Essex has been shown to offer vast patient benefits and new funding has been made available to expand the team. Joining our team will provide you with opportunities to undertake further study and help support your professional development.

This post is suitable for hybrid working with time split between your trust base and home

Main duties of the job

This post is based within a multi-disciplinary team of professionals that accept GP referrals, and have the skill and knowledge to offer expert clinical advice and personalise medication plans in real time, to keep patients well. The role requires more than undertaking medication reviews, although that will be a starting point for some patients on complex regimens. Sometimes remote advice will be required; some patients you will choose to see in person. At other times you will respond to the need to upskill primary care colleagues, giving them the confidence to manage these patients. You will be expected to forge strong professional relationships with specialist nurses, psychologists and consultant psychiatrists. This role requires a zeal for mental health, and a genuine drive to help patients; You will be working to provide practical clinical solutions, and you will be changing patients’ lives for the better.

Although community based, these posts form an important pillar of the EPUT pharmacy department. At times, the post holders will need to work on our inpatient wards in order to maintain their expertise and contacts in the field. For the same reasons, supervising junior colleagues and a commitment to providing responsible pharmacist duties plus out of hours services are implicit. Post holders should ideally be registered with the GPhC as independent prescribers and be able to demonstrate their clinical credentials. 

Working for our organisation

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you. 

  • Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
  • Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
  • If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
  • We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.

Benefits

  • 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
  • Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
  • Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
  • £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
  • Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

  • Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
  • Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for leading and delivering a specialist clinical pharmacy service within Primary Care Networks in West Essex, to support the medicines-related care of patients, address and improve existing pathways in mental health, participate in training, education and research as required, and support robust medicines optimisation across the interface. To work within clinical competence, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, to provide highly specialised advice in medicines optimisation across the PCNs.

  • Develop, promote and implement high quality, evidence based, and cost effective use of medicines at the interface, in a manner that maximises the benefits of medicines to patients and service users whilst minimising clinical, legal and financial risks
  • To support and influence PCN Pharmacists and GP based Clinical Pharmacists to ensure the pharmaceutical needs of patients with mental illness are met through partnership working at the interface
  • To participate as an active member of clinical teams in West Essex to support the safe and effective use of medicines.
  • Communicate highly complex clinical pharmacy advice on the management of patients with mental illness in order to maximise benefit and minimise risk in relation to medicines.
  • Develop, promote and implement tools within the interface that support the safe use of psychotropic medicines.

For further details see the full job description and person specification in the additional documents section. 

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Master's degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
  • General Pharmaceutical Council registration
  • PG certificate/diploma in mental health pharmacy or equivalent experience
  • Member of the RPS / Faculty membership
Desirable criteria
  • Independent prescriber / willing to work towards
  • Certificate in management studies / equivalent experience

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Post registration experience in mental health
  • Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
  • Experience of clinical audit
  • Experience of managing quality and cost effectiveness initiatives
Desirable criteria
  • Post registration experience in primary care
  • Experience of managing staff

Knowledge / Skills

Essential criteria
  • Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
  • Evidence of CPD
  • Proficient IT skills
Desirable criteria
  • Evidence of planning and delivering training
  • Evidence of writing procedures, guidelines etc

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • Driving license / access to a car for work

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyMenopause Friendly EmployerPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Essex Family Friendly Employers

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
Ade Aderogba
Job title
Pharmacist Team Lead
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07581056127
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies