Advanced Specialist Pharmacist Critical Care

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Plymouth seeks an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist for Critical Care. This role involves delivering high-quality clinical pharmacy services, managing pharmacy staff, and supporting service delivery within a multidisciplinary team. Applicants should hold relevant qualifications and possess a strong background in clinical pharmacy. Opportunities for progression are available for qualified candidates.

Qualifications

• Master's in Pharmacy or equivalent with a Clinical Pharmacy Certificate.
• Current non-medical prescriber registration required.
• Proven experience in clinical pharmacy within Critical Care.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical pharmacy services for Critical Care patients.
• Teach and supervise pharmacy staff and healthcare employees.
• Support strategic pharmacy service delivery.

Skills

Clinical pharmacy knowledge

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Teaching and training

Time management

Education

Master's Degree in Pharmacy

Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Certificate

Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Job description

Advanced Specialist Pharmacist Critical Care

Are you an enthusiastic, motivated, and dynamic Clinical Pharmacist with a passion for Critical Care?We have an exciting opportunity for one of two Advanced Specialist Pharmacists to provide expert clinical pharmacy input to our Critical Care Services.

This role is perfect if you are:

• Looking to develop your clinical skills within a well-respected, proactive multidisciplinary team
• Eager to manage and deliver a specialist clinical pharmacy service to Critical Care
• Interested in working towards credentialing for a consultant post while using your expertise as a non-medical prescriber across the Critical Care service line

If you're looking for a position where you will be supported, challenged, and valued - with opportunities to contribute to research, service development, and patient outcomes at the highest level - we would love to hear from you.

Candidates who meet the qualifications for this post but may not yet demonstrate the full proven knowledge or demonstrable experience required at Band 8a will still be considered for this role as a Band 7 to Band 8a progression opportunity. The successful candidate will receive the necessary support to achieve the required progression milestones and demonstrate the expected level of practice before progressing to an advanced specialist Band 8a role.

Main duties of the job

This post holder will be responsible for the provision of a high-quality patient focused clinical pharmacy service for patients within the Critical Care Pharmacy Team.

Undertake teaching and clinical supervision of pharmacy staff and other healthcare employees.

Provide specialist clinical pharmacy services and advice to the clinical specialities, demonstrating a high level of clinical effectiveness.

Develop a clinical interest within a chosen area of clinical practice to support clinical service to specific group of patients within the service line

Work closely with the Lead Pharmacist for Critical Care & Surgery and Associate Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services on the strategic development of clinical pharmacy services and establish clearly defined roles for pharmacist non-medical prescribers within critical care areas.

Develop and manage the delivery of pharmacy services to ensure efficient use of resources and systems including monitoring drug expenditure, delivery of financial savings within the critical care areas primarily.

Develop and build increased pharmacist presence into outpatients clinical areas as part of the rehab team.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

About us

University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS is the largest hospital on the Southwest Peninsula providing comprehensive secondary & tertiary care to a population of around 2,000,000 people who can access our specialist services including cardiothoracic surgery, kidney transplantation, neurosurgery, & the regional trauma Centre. Our specialist cancer treatments include bone marrow transplant, sarcoma surgery and hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgery (not exhaustive). We work closely with our community partners delivering health & social care.

Our purpose-built 28-bed combined general and neuro intensive care unit admits over 1,600 patients each year. As an integral member of our multidisciplinary team, our Critical Care Pharmacists regularly use their non-medical prescribing (NMP) skills to make a real difference in patient care.

Over half of our ICU admissions are non-surgical, covering a broad range of specialities - from acute medicine, neurology, hepatology, and endocrinology to cardiology, haematology, renal, and respiratory medicine. Our ICNARC standardised mortality ratio is consistently below 1, and our last CQC inspection rated us 'Good'.

We're not just about clinical excellence - we're innovators. As active members of the South West Critical Care Network Pharmacy Group, we lead research and quality improvement projects, including our recent work on post-ICU discharge follow-up, showcased at the EAHP Conference in Copenhagen (March 2025).

Job responsibilities

Responsible to the Associate Chief Pharmacist Clinical Services for strategic planning and delivery of clinical pharmacy services to patients within Critical Care.

Support the Chief Pharmacist / Deputy Chief Pharmacist / Associate Chief Pharmacist and Care Group Lead Pharmacist in developing, monitoring and reporting on drug expenditure and medicines budget and the delivery of financial savings as part of the pharmacy cost improvement programme

Development, implementation and update of clinical pharmacy policy in conjunction with senior pharmacists within the clinical pharmacy team and Critical Care.

Work as a member of the Clinical Pharmacy Team, Critical Care Service Lines and wider UHP pharmacy team.

Monitor, review and report on medicines related incidents within Critical Care

Provide highly specialist clinical pharmacy care to patients in the Critical Care areas and related units.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy.
• Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Certificate.
• Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma
• Non-medical prescriber (or must be willing to undertake this when requested)
• Current registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Member of the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA)
• Active member of Critical Care Group within UKCPA or equivalent pharmacist specialist interest group e.g. Pharmacist Member of Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine

Knowledge & Experience

• Excellent proven knowledge of clinical pharmacy and drug use with the area of Critical Care
• Demonstrable experience in a range of clinical specialties
• Excellent proven knowledge of general clinical pharmacy and drug use
• Proven skills in effective leadership, successful communication, negotiating, persuasion and influencing
• Proven knowledge of strategic care agendas
• Proven understanding of NHS priorities and how to apply these locally
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to address highly complex issues
• Report writing skills.
• Proven evidence of CPD
• Demonstrable experience of teaching, training and people development
• Demonstrable multidisciplinary working / ward round experience
• Proven knowledge of treatment pathways and commissioning of therapies for drug used with the area of Critical Care
• Previous demonstrable experience of providing support to the management of a hospital directorate or division
• Demonstrable senior pharmacy management experience within a recognised area of pharmacy practice
• Demonstrable experience of designing and developing pharmacy services
• Demonstrable experience in presenting research
• Demonstrable experience of providing diploma mentorship and/or pre-registration tutorship
• Demonstrable experience in budget management and staff management

Aptitude and Abilities

• Good communication skills, written and verbal, with ability to demonstrate fluency, clarity and effectiveness at all levels.
• Time Management Skills
• Demonstrate potential management ability
• Proven knowledge and understanding of financial issues

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.