Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - HIV

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist – HIV (Band 8a) to lead the HIV pharmacy service across outpatient and inpatient settings, working as a core member of the multidisciplinary HIV team to optimise antiretroviral therapy in line with national guidance.

The post also supports broader clinical activities, contributes to medicines governance, and provides education and training for pharmacy staff; the role is based at Blackpool with NHS

Qualifications

• Registered with the GPhC and eligible for NHS pharmacy registration.
• Master's degree in pharmacy and 12 months pre‑registration training.
• Non‑medical Prescribing qualification or working towards.
• Postgraduate qualification in Clinical Pharmacy and MSc is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead a specialist clinical pharmacy service for patients with HIV.
• Provide expert advice on antiretroviral therapy, including complex regimens and interactions.
• Deliver clinic‑based pharmacy services, including adherence support and counselling.
• Contribute to outpatient and inpatient HIV services within the MDT.
• Support medicines governance, education and training for pharmacy staff.

Skills

Clinical Pharmacy

HIV Pharmacy

Leadership

Budgeting

Education

MPharm / Master of Pharmacy

GPhC Registration

Non-medical Prescribing

Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy

Job description

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Site Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Town Blackpool Salary £57,528 - £64,750 £2400 per annum Emergency Duty Commitment Salary period Yearly Closing 19/10/2026 23:59

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people.

We have three main hospitals providing acute services to around 330,000 local residents. The organisation also provides specialist tertiary care for cardiac and haematology services, delivers community health services to over 445,000 residents including those in North Lancashire and hosts the National Artificial Eye Service across England. Plus, we provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries.

We welcome and encourage application from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as: part time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist – HIV (Band 8a) to lead and deliver a highly specialist HIV pharmacy service within Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The post holder will provide expert pharmaceutical care for patients with HIV across outpatient and inpatient settings, working as a core member of the multidisciplinary HIV team. The role supports safe, effective and evidence‑based use of antiretroviral therapy in line with national guidance, including BHIVA standards, and contributes to service development, medicines optimisation, governance and prescribing activity (subject to qualification).

As part of maintaining broader clinical pharmacy services, the post holder will also spend approximately one day per week supporting general pharmacy clinical activities, including ward‑based clinical services and dispensary work.

This is a key role in ensuring the Trust meets service specification requirements and manages medicines‑related risk within HIV services.

Main duties of the job

• Lead and deliver a specialist clinical pharmacy service for patients with HIV.
• Provide expert advice on antiretroviral therapy, including complex regimens, drug interactions and resistance.
• Deliver clinic‑based pharmacy services, including adherence support and patient counselling.
• Contribute to outpatient and inpatient services within the specialist area.
• Work as a key member of the multidisciplinary HIV team, contributing to MDT discussions and treatment planning.
• Provide specialist HIV medicines advice to pharmacy colleagues, ward teams and external healthcare professionals.
• Support general pharmacy clinical activities one day per week, including ward working and dispensary services.
• Support education and training for pharmacy staff and the wider MDT.

Working for our organisation

The Pharmacy Department at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals is a large department (over 150 staff) and a friendly environment with established senior support. We are dedicated to education and professional development and encourage/support ongoing education. We have a very favourable on‑call commitment, that all pharmacists in the department contribute to.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is ideally situated just a forty‑five‑minute drive from Manchester. The Trust provides services to the 440,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre and North Lancashire, as well as specialist tertiary care for Cardiac, Haematology and Cystic fibrosis patients.

As one of the United Kingdom's largest coastal resort, Blackpool has plenty to offer its residents -it's not just a good place to work; it's a great place to live. In addition to its bustling centre and historic seafront, the town is world famous for its many attractions, including the famous Blackpool Tower. Blackpool also offers several scenic cycling routes round our local parks and across the surrounding countryside, as well as boasting panoramic views of the coast on its picturesque Promenade. Further afield, Blackpool also benefits from less than three-hour connections via rail to Edinburgh in the north and London in the South.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Ensure the safe, effective and cost‑effective use of medicines within the HIV service.
• Provide specialist clinical input for patients with complex HIV and co‑morbidities.
• Support inpatient HIV services, including access to specialist pharmacy advice.
• Contribute to medicines safety, incident review, audit and service improvement activity.
• Develop and review local guidelines, policies and procedures in line with Trust and national standards.
• Support medicines optimisation and service planning, including contribution to financial and activity information.
• Act as a professional role model, maintaining advanced specialist knowledge within HIV pharmacy practice.

See job description for further details.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• Vocational master’s degree in pharmacy.
• 12 months pre‑registration training and experience.
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Non‑medical Prescribing Qualification or working towards
• Postgraduate qualification in Clinical Pharmacy
• MSc in Clinical Pharmacy
• Membership of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Experience and Knowledge

• Minimum of 4 years post‑registration experience of which 2 years must be within a Clinical Pharmacy role within a hospital setting at band 7
• Previous experience in providing information to support the annual budget setting process and trends within expenditure
• Previous experience in inputting to training programmes in a clinical setting
• Experience of working within a role involving multidisciplinary communication
• Demonstrable experience of staff supervision/ management including the ability to delegate appropriately
• Experience in the development of policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Experience in clinical audit

Skills and Abilities

• Good interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills with ability to influence all members of the healthcare team
• Good organisational and time management skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and effectively as part of a team both within Pharmacy and a multidisciplinary environment
• Ability in problem solving
• Pro‑active and innovative
• Ability to organise and motivate oneself and others efficiently
• Evaluates quality of own work
• Ability to think strategically
• Applies sound professional judgement to legal and ethical issues
• Good clinical pharmacy knowledge – maintains a broad level of pharmacy practice.
• Experience in Medicines Safety
• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of safe pharmacy practice.
• Understanding of key NHS issues in relation to Pharmacy
• Experience in investigating and identifying solutions for medication incidents.
• Previous experience of working within this clinical area.

Any invitation to interview will be sent to the email account stated on your application form.

If the role you have applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this as part of your pre‑employment checks. Please note, you will be required to repay the cost on appointment. This will be collected via a salary deduction. You can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months from your salary or as a one‑off payment on commencement in post. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £25.50, Standard DBS check £25.50 and Enhanced DBS check £53.50.

You are encouraged where possible, to register for the DBS update service. This is an annual registration fee of £16. By registering for the update service you will not have the additional cost of repeated disclosures.

Should you withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check.

DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions.

By submitting an application for this vacancy you are confirming your agreement to the above in the event you are successfully appointed.

The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here .

Please ensure that you read the Person Specification attached below as your application will be judged against this.

Please note that every effort will be made to keep the vacancy live until published closing date, though there may be instances where such interest is generated, that for administrative reasons the post may close earlier.

Please note that in line with national NHS guidelines this Trust operates a strict non‑smoking policy. Members of staff are not permitted to smoke on Trust premises or grounds at any time nor take breaks during working hours for the purposes of smoking.

The Trust does not offer interview expenses to shortlisted candidates unless indicated in the advert.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.