218914 R1 (SM) Advanced Clinical Pharmacist

NHS National Services Scotland; Livingston; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Scotland seeks an advanced clinical pharmacist for a 12-month fixed-term role at St. John’s Hospital, focusing on mental health services. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, excellent clinical skills, and a commitment to enhancing pharmaceutical care delivery within a dynamic team. Opportunities exist to drive transformation and integration in NHS Lothian's pharmacy services, supporting the health and wellbeing of vulnerable patient populations.

Qualifications

• Pharmacist with significant clinical practice experience in multidisciplinary settings.
• Experience in mental health pharmacy is an advantage.
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council as an independent prescriber.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership to the mental health pharmacy team.
• Deliver pharmaceutical care, medication history reviews, and educational support for patients.
• Involve in service delivery across various mental health specialities.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Education

Master of Pharmacy Degree

Clinical Diploma or Masters in Clinical Pharmacy

Job description

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

**Please note we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at an early stage**

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/ record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.

Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.

NHS Lothian Pharmacy & Medicines Service

St. John’s Hospital

Band 8a, 37 hours per week

Fixed Term for 12 months

Looking for new challenges and opportunities to develop your skills?

This would be an excellent secondment opportunity for a pharmacist looking to progress into an 8a role

Do you want to be at the forefront of transforming the delivery of pharmaceutical care? Do you want to work in an environment that values staff and supports their learning, growth and wellbeing? Do you want to work with a dynamic team who have the ambition to be “the best Pharmacy service in Scotland”?

About the Role

An exciting fixed-term opportunity has arisen for an advanced clinical pharmacist with excellent leadership and clinical skills to provide professional leadership to the mental health pharmacy team, within West Lothian HSCP. The post will be based at St John’s Hospital (SJH) working across a range of mental health specialities, including adult and older people’s mental health. This post will offer the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of service delivery and development to a diverse group of patients, including transfer of care across the interface and involvement in community based services e.g. clozapine clinic, community mental health teams.

Key areas for patient focused care include provision of pharmaceutical care to vulnerable patients, medication history reviews, provision of a medicines information service, maintenance of a high-dose antipsychotic monitoring system, monitoring adherence to the Mental Health Act, patient/carer education.

Why Join Us?

The NHS Lothian Primary Care Pharmacy and Medicines Service is undergoing an ambitious programme of transformation and integration. Pharmaceutical care is provided by a team of around 100 pharmacy staff, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and administrators, working across General Practices and Pharmacotherapy Hubs covering the whole of Lothian.

Partnership working is at the core of our values, and we work closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team, including our Community Pharmacy colleagues, to deliver the highest quality care for everyone in Lothian

About you

We’re looking for someone with:

A pharmacist with a substantial level of experience in clinical practice in a multidisciplinary setting, ideally with previous experience working in a mental health role, you will be an innovator who has an enthusiastic approach to implementing local and national strategy including Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care.

With a firm grasp of service development, leadership experience and staff management, you will explore opportunities to enhance pharmaceutical care delivery to adult mental health services. With provision of a proactive service to identified Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs), Eating Disorder Service, Perinatal and Mother and Baby Unit.

Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills are required. This post requires Enhanced PVG Scheme Membership.

Candidates must have a Master of Pharmacy Degree or equivalent and must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Candidates should be annotated on the GPhC register as an independent prescriber. A postgraduate Clinical Diploma or Masters in Clinical Pharmacy qualification or equivalent is essential. Candidates who have not completed a Clinical Diploma or Masters in Clinical Pharmacy must demonstrate:

• Engagement with the RPS Core Advanced Curriculum
• Active participation in a community of practice/peer network
• Submit a screenshot of portfolio (programme of learning page)
• Complete the RPS learning needs analysis tool to assess progress with the Core Advanced Curriculum and gaps that will need addressed as part of PDP plans

About NHS Lothian

At NHS Lothian, we are committed to fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion in our workforce. Serving a population of 900,000, we are the second-largest health system in Scotland and home to one of its four teaching boards. Join a dynamic organisation that values innovation, research, and excellence in healthcare delivery.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

For further information on what is included in the role and the skills/experience we’re looking for, please refer to the job description and person specification linked below. However, we understand that there's only so much a job pack can convey. If you’d like to learn more about this exciting role, the team you’ll be joining, or the opportunities available, we warmly encourage you to get in touch with the hiring manager. This is a great chance to have an informal discussion, ask questions, and explore how this role aligns with your career goals.

For further information please contact:

Carol Holmes, Lead Pharmacist – Primary Care

Tel: [phone] | Email: [e-mail]