Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - Women and Children

NHS; Bedford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Bedford is seeking an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist to join its pharmacy team. This role emphasizes a patient-focused service within the Women's and Children's Clinical Service Line. The candidate should have extensive clinical experience, particularly in pediatrics and maternity, along with strong leadership skills. The role offers opportunities for professional development and a commitment to quality patient care.

Benefits

High-quality training and development

Supportive work environment

Commitment to equality and diversity

Qualifications

• Extensive post-registration experience as a clinical pharmacist.
• Experience in managing and delivering projects.
• Ability to deliver education and training to various health professionals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver a high-quality clinical pharmacy service.
• Provide expert clinical advice to multidisciplinary teams.
• Supervise and mentor junior pharmacists and trainees.

Skills

Organised and able to plan

Advanced clinical reasoning and judgement

Critical review/analysis of clinical literature

Appropriate IT skills

Education

Pharmacy Degree (Masters Level)

Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy

Non-Medical Prescriber qualification

Job description

Advanced Specialist Pharmacist - Women and Children

The closing date is 17 November 2025.

We’re looking for an advanced specialist pharmacist to join our dynamic and supportive pharmacy team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This role will lead and shape a high‑quality, patient‑focused pharmacy service within the Women’s and Children’s Clinical Service Line, covering paediatrics, neonatology, maternity, and gynaecology.

As a senior member of the pharmacy leadership team, your responsibilities will include:

• Deliver expert clinical input, including independent prescribing within your scope of practice.
• Supervise, mentor, and support junior pharmacists, trainees, and pharmacy technicians.
• Lead audits, service improvement initiatives, and practice‑based research to enhance patient care.
• Develop and implement policies and guidelines to optimise medicines use and drive best practice.
• Support education and training across pharmacy, medical, and nursing teams.

Main duties of the job

Lead, plan, and deliver a high‑quality, patient‑centred clinical pharmacy service across Women’s and Children’s services, including paediatrics, neonatology, maternity, and gynaecology.

Provide expert clinical advice and support to multidisciplinary teams to ensure safe, effective, and cost‑efficient use of medicines.

Act as an independent prescriber within your defined scope of practice, supporting medicines optimisation and improved patient outcomes.

Supervise, mentor, and support junior pharmacists, pre‑registration trainees, and pharmacy technicians, fostering professional growth and clinical excellence.

Contribute to clinical governance, audits, and research initiatives aimed at enhancing patient safety and service quality.

Develop, implement, and monitor medicines management policies, guidelines, and Key Performance Indicators specific to the specialty.

Deliver and support education and training for pharmacy, medical, and nursing staff to promote best practice and continuous learning.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high‑performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high‑quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

We recruit based on qualifications and experience and also on the behaviours that underpin our Trust’s core values. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and to creating a culture that values differences.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering the first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Experience

• Extensive post‑registration hospital experience as a clinical pharmacist in Women and Children at band 7 or 8a level
• Experience of collaborative working in multidisciplinary settings as an influential member
• Experience of policy and service development
• Experience of managing and delivering a project
• Experience in clinically supervising and training staff
• Evidence of specialist practitioner practice
• Risk Management and patient safety processes
• Research and Audit experience to improve patient care
• Experience of delivering education and training to undergraduates and postgraduates of various health professionals
• Presentation to trust wide meetings

Qualifications

• Pharmacy Degree (Masters Level)
• Registration with the GPhC
• Post graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• Member of NPPG
• Member of the RPS
• Stage II Faculty Member of the RPS (MIFRPS)
• Non‑Medical Prescriber
• Quality Improvement Training
• Management Training

Personal Skills

• Organised and able to plan, prioritise and manage work programmes
• Appropriate IT skills are required to utilise clinical information systems, pharmacy computer systems, databases and other software to improve patient care
• Demonstrable advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement. Ability to apply logical and analytical skills to manage clinical risk during the use of medicines
• Critical review/analysis and interpretation of clinical literature and medicines legislation
• Ability to formulate, lead and implement directorate service strategies
• Ability to integrate research into practice

Knowledge

• Advanced clinical knowledge of drugs and therapeutic trends within the specialist area
• Expert knowledge and understanding of relevant standards and guidelines
• Knowledge and awareness of implications of current developments in pharmacy practice and NHS strategies
• Understanding the need of confidentiality awareness at all times
• Advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgement. Ability to apply logical and analytical skills to manage clinical risk during the use of medicine
• Awareness of the current commissioning arrangements in the NHS
• Recognised as a specialist within the defined speciality

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.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust