Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - Community Mental Health Services

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Slough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free onsite parking

Staff accommodation nearby

Job summary

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist within Community Mental Health Services in Berkshire. You will lead medicines optimisation, advise on complex regimens, and support prescribing decisions in multidisciplinary teams across community settings.

The role offers independent prescribing, professional development, and flexible working options with a focus on improving patient care and safe medicines management across Berkshire locations.

Qualifications

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacist.
• Postgraduate clinical qualification and hospital experience to be considered for band 8a.
• Flexible approach to work to meet the developing needs of the pharmacy service.

Responsibilities

• Advise clients and carers on optimizing medication therapy in the community.
• Plan and deliver medicines management training for clinical staff in CMH service.
• Be a prescriber or develop to independent non-medical prescriber to work autonomously and alongside the consultant teams.
• Lead in audit-related service development and implementation (including NICE standards).
• Demonstrate people management and leadership to influence teams, patients/carers and other health-care stakeholders.
• Possible inpatient ward cover to ensure seamless care across inpatient/outpatient settings.

Skills

Medicines optimisation

Prescribing

Clinical leadership

Independent prescribing

Education

Postgraduate clinical qualification

Hospital experience

Job description

Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - Community Mental Health Services

Company: Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Salary: £59,798 - £67,020 per annum, pro rata (Incl. of HCAS)

A Vacancy at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Join Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as a band 8a Advanced Specialist Pharmacist and play a key role in transforming mental health care across Berkshire.

Working within Community Mental Health Services by providing expert medicines optimisation, prescribing, and clinical leadership to support people with complex mental health needs in the community. As an integral member of multidisciplinary teams, you will influence service development, deliver education and training, lead quality improvement initiatives, and help shape the primary and secondary care interface. We offer opportunities for independent prescribing and professional development across multiple Berkshire locations.

This post is a full time, permanent contract with base to be confirmed. We offer free onsite parking, top staff accommodation less than a 5-minute walk from your base.

• Help support and maintain clients in the community by advising them (and their carers) about how to optimise their medication therapy.
• Plan and deliver medicines management training for clinical staff in CMH service to help ensure high standards of practise are maintained within the service.
• Be a prescriber or supported to develop their role to become an independent non-medical prescriber to work autonomously and alongside the consultant teams.
• Lead in audit-related service development and implementation (including NICE standards)
• Have good people management skills and leadership capability to positively influence members of their team, patients/carers and other health-care stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
• There may also be inpatient ward cover as part of the clinical role and to ensure seamless care of patients across inpatient/outpatient settings in emergency situations

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

The “must haves” for this role:

1. Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacist
2. Postgraduate clinical qualification and hospital experience to be considered for band 8a
3. Have a flexible approach to work in order to meet the developing needs of the pharmacy service

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses given in your supporting statement genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

In addition to explaining how you meet the person specification, you must complete your employment history for at least the last five years. Any experience, skills or responsibilities referenced in your supporting statement should be evidenced within your employment history. Applications that do not include sufficient employment history to support the experience claimed may not be shortlisted.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Stonewall Proud Employer, Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome any questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact Ozma Tahir, Deputy Chief Pharmacist, by phone on 07580737965 or email: [e-mail]

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

This advert closes on Friday 27 Nov 2026

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme