Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Your paid hours will be 37.5 hours per week and shifts operate between 9am and 9pm and are subject to departmental rotas. Weekends are worked on a 1 in 6 basis. Weekend shifts involve working 7 hours on a Saturday or a Sunday between 9am and 6pm. Your paid weekly hours include one hour and ten minutes which contributes to a day at the weekend. Weekend working is subject to Agenda for Change pay enhancements. Rotas also include 1 or 2 Bank Holidays a year. Working patterns are subject to change to meet patient need. Staff must wear a uniform.)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 408-25-742
- Employer
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital
- Town
- Upton
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Highly Specialist Pharmacist
Band 8a
To discover why you should consider applying for a role at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, please watch our video and hear directly from our staff about what it’s truly like to work at WUTH and its surrounding areas: https://youtu.be/Z5oMaNXprn8
Job overview
Following a successful bid for ICB transformation monies we have an exciting fixed-term opportunity for an experienced, enthusiastic and forward-thinking pharmacist to shape and deliver a project focussing on reducing inappropriate polypharmacy. The project will ensure dedicated pharmacist time for reactive falls reviews in the admission phase and proactive community polypharmacy reviews for patients who have fallen but not required admission. This project will explore development of an MDT approach to discuss specific cases. By focusing on structured medication reviews and deprescribing where appropriate, the post will contribute to a reduction in medicines-related falls and associated harm. A key priority will be to enhance patient engagement through shared decision-making and understanding. You will be self-motivated and organised and able to work effectively alone and as part of a team. You will contribute to service development and innovation within polypharmacy. |
Main duties of the job
Funding is until 31st March 2026 with an option to extend should further funding be made available.
You will conduct inpatient structured medication reviews with an emphasis on the identification and deprescribing of Falls Risk Increasing Drugs (FRIDs) and the optimisation of therapy for those most at risk.
You will also provide proactive, community-based polypharmacy reviews for patients identified by falls response teams, community services, or general practice/PCN teams.
In addition you will actively engage with patients, carers, and multidisciplinary teams to promote shared decision-making around medicines.
You will also work with the project leads and medical teams to explore an advice and guidance MDT approach to support decision making within primary care for complex polypharmacy.
You will lead on developing the referral processes, identifying appropriate patients, recording outcomes and reporting.
You will also ensure robust communication to primary care on discharge.
Working for our organisation
All new colleagues can expect to receive a warm and friendly Wirral welcome from the very first time they make contact with us. We are described as “competent and caring staff” by our patients. Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is situated on The Wirral peninsula which has a stunning coastline and beautiful countryside surroundings, with great activities for its residents. We are one of the largest and busiest acute Trusts in the North West of England, comprising of the Wirral’s only Emergency Department. We provide a high quality range of acute care services and employ over 6,000 staff, who serve a population of approximately 400,000 people across Wirral, Ellesmere Port, Neston, North Wales and the wider North West footprint. We have approximately 855 beds trust-wide and our financial turnover is in excess of £337m. The Wirral is easily accessible with excellent transport links including motorway, train, bus or ferry and within easy reach to the major cities of Liverpool, Chester and Manchester as well as neighbouring North Wales.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description for further information about the role.
Secondment will be considered due to the fixed-term funding for this project.
Person specification
Personal Attributes
Essential criteria
- Enthusiasm for the role
- Ability to motivate self and others
- Good leadership skills
- Able to work alone and as a team member
- Able to use initiative
- Able to deal with and resolve conflict and disagreement
- Able to deal with sensitive issues
- Able to deal with constant interruptions, multiple pressures and at times aggression
- Conscientious and reliable
- Methodical with good attention to detail
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Good all round clinical knowledge and practical skills in other areas.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills with other professionals, patients and carers
- Excellent verbal communication skills
- Excellent written communication skills
- Good interpersonal skills, able to work with all grades of staff
- Ability to interpret and relay complex and sensitive information
- Good organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise own workload
- Ability to work to deadlines and meet set targets
- Integrate research evidence in everyday practice
- Computer literacy
- Up to date knowledge of current NHS policies, processes and structures
- Commitment to and demonstration of Continuing Professional Development
- Able to provide constructive feedback and process suggestions
Desirable criteria
- Financial awareness regarding the management of drug budgets
Qualifications, Specific Experience & Training
Essential criteria
- Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent.
- Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Diploma or MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experiential learning.
- Extensive experience as a qualified pharmacist working within a range of clinical areas.
- Experience in delivering education and training of other staff.
- Experience of developing evidence based clinical guidelines or preparing written work for review at drug and therapeutics committee
- Undertaken a lead role in audit
- Evidence of post graduate learning or continual CPD
Desirable criteria
- Independent Prescribing qualification and registration as an Independent Prescriber.
- Other post graduate qualifications ie MSc.
- Published pharmaceutical research in a peer reviewed journal
- Line management experience
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
- Current UK driving license.
- Ability to work weekends, evenings, bank holidays and on call to meet the needs of departmental service delivery
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
- Debra Jones
- Job title
- Pharmacy Business Support Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0151 604 7416
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