Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8c
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 297-8135093
- Employer
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gateshead
- Town
- Gateshead
- Salary
- £79,504 - £91,609 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/07/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Chief Pharmacist
NHS AfC: Band 8c
In the event of excessive applications being received this vacancy may close earlier than the stated closing date, you are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible
IMPORTANT NOTE ON COMPLETION OF REFERENCE SECTION OF APPLICATION FORM
All references from current and previous employers will be sought and MUST cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Where possible this should be from two separate employers. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.
PLEASE NOTE it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their DBS certificate if a check is required for the post. This will be done through deduction from your monthly pay over a maximum of three months. It is also a requirement that all successful applicants register or are registered with the DBS update service where a DBS is required.
All new entrants to the NHS will be appointed on the minimum of the pay scale in line with Terms & Conditions.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead for a Band 8c Deputy Chief Pharmacist.
We are seeking an experienced, dynamic, strategic, and motivated senior pharmacist who is passionate about pharmacy services. You will be responsible for driving forward the professional leadership and management of the Trust’s pharmacy services.
You will have knowledge and experience of national developments in medicines management and the critical role of the pharmacy team in delivering safe, high quality and clinically effective pharmacy services.
Main duties of the job
The role will provide strategic leadership and operational management across all aspects of the pharmacy operations and medicines management at the Trust.
As a key member of the Pharmacy Senior Team, the post holder works closely with senior pharmacy colleagues in promoting a collaborative culture, embedding effective leadership, inputting to strategic planning, and supporting the Trust’s governance framework and transformation agenda.
The role requires excellent organisation and leadership skills, a patient-centred approach, strong communication and influencing skills, resilience, and an ability to secure engagement from staff across the Trust and a broad range of service users. The Deputy Chief Pharmacist role supports the regulatory compliance (GPhC/CQC/ MHRA/NHSE) of the pharmacy service.
The post holder will ensure high quality and compassionate care to patients, with a strong emphasis on digital enablers, robust governance, clinical innovation and research.
Working for our organisation
Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.
Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.
We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.
Our values should be the ‘golden thread’ which runs through everything we do – they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym ICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.
We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women’s Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our ‘Balance’ programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To support the delivery and continuous improvement of innovative, high quality, cost effective pharmacy services within the Trust in accordance with national and local priorities for healthcare.
- To help develop and drive a strategy that delivers a patient-focused clinical pharmacy service underpinned by an effective and efficient infrastructure of supportive services.
- To ensure that medicines are provided in a suitable form for inpatients and patients discharged from hospital and in a timely and safe manner, with the appropriate professional advice to ensure effective use.
- To provide daily operational direction within the department to ensure that there is equitable distribution of human resources to meet the demands of patients and services.
- To be responsible for ensuring that departmental key performance indicators are effectively monitored and services managed to ensure that any deviations from agreed standards are resolved.
- To demonstrate effective leadership and management to support service improvement and transformation.
- To be a motivated and driven leader, with a clear vision for developing pharmacy services and motivating teams to work together for the benefit of service users.
- To identify the training and development needs of pharmacy staff, both managerial and professional, and implement programmes that enable the acquisition of knowledge and skills relevant to the needs of the individual and to the organisation.
- To help develop an environment where all staff are valued; that is open and participative; that looks critically at existing practices and processes and improves them; and that ensures all teams work effectively.
- To lead the clinical and operational delivery of pharmacy services across the organisation and be responsible for decision making at service and Trust level.
- To work on the pharmacy team late duty, weekend and on call rotas
- To develop and implement a clinical pharmacy model that focuses on the delivery of a high quality service throughout the patient journey with positive outcomes and improved patient experience.
Person specification
Skills and Personal Attributes
Essential criteria
- Evidence of good leadership skills including conflict management
- Commitment to continuous professional development
- Excellent interpersonal skills and team member
Experience and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Considerable experience working in hospital pharmacy
- Experience of service development and project management
- Leadership skills and experience
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of NHS Finances
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered as Pharmacist with GPhC
- Post graduate clinical pharmacy qualification
Desirable criteria
- NHS Leadership qualification or equivalent experience
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Mark Thomas
- Job title
- Chief Pharmacist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01914452315
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