Band 8B Principal Pharmacist (Mental Health)
National Health Service
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust is seeking a highly experienced Principal Pharmacist to lead a clinical pharmacy team, champion Medicines Optimisation, and ensure safe, evidence-based practice that improves patient experience across Norfolk and Suffolk sites.
The post is based in Norfolk and involves travel across different sites. This is a full-time role with opportunities to lead, mentor and develop staff, and to contribute to service improvement within the NHS.
Qualifications
- Master's Degree in Pharmacy and registration with GPhC.
- Postgraduate qualifications in mental health therapeutics and general pharmacy.
- Experience in leadership and service development in mental health settings.
- Ability to lead, mentor and train staff.
Responsibilities
- Management and supervision of pharmacists and Medicines Management Technicians.
- Provide leadership for Medicines Management and promote safe handling of medicines.
- Lead Medicines Optimisation to improve patient safety and experience.
- Collaborate with Trust leadership and commissioners on medicines management.
- Develop and implement clinical pharmacy standards and QA initiatives.
- Lead development and delivery of clinical pharmacy services across the Trust.
- Provide professional advice and training to health professionals, patients and carers.
Skills
Education
Job description
Are you a highly motivated and experienced pharmacist with passion for Medicines Optimisation? Looking for an opportunity to lead a clinical pharmacy team to ensure safety, evidence-based practice and improve patient experience? Do you have the skills and experience to manage, motivate, and inspire pharmacists and medicines management technicians? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you! We are looking for a Principal Pharmacist to help us improve safe and effective use of medicines to improve patient outcome. This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our patients. NSFT Pharmacy will support the development of pharmacists looking to go into a leadership role within mental health. The post-holder will be based in Norfolk. This is a full-time post and will involve some travelling across different sites within Norfolk and Suffolk.
- Management and supervision of pharmacists and Medicines Management Technicians and develop a competent, motivated, and versatile clinical pharmacy workforce.
- Providing leadership role for good Medicines Management to ensure and to promote safe and secure handling of medicines in their clinical area of responsibility.
- Leading Medicines Optimisation agenda to ensure and to promote patient safety, treatment effectiveness, better patient experience with treatment, embedding medicines optimisation principles in routine clinical practice in their clinical area of responsibility.
- Working with leadership in the Trust and commissioners to support wider Trust requirements in relation to medicines management and medicines optimisation.
- Developing and implementing clinical pharmacy standards and quality improvement initiatives.
- Leading the development, delivery, evaluation, and improvement of clinical pharmacy services across the Trust.
- Providing professional expertise, advice, and training to health professionals, patients and carers.
- NHS pension
- Comprehensive in house & external training programmes
- Career progression
- Starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
- Staff physio service
- NHS discounts and many more
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.
We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.
The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.
- Master's Degree in Pharmacy
- Current registered member of General Pharmaceutical Council
- Postgraduate qualification in mental health therapeutics
- Member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy
- Management qualification
- Postgraduate qualification in general pharmacy
- Member of the Royal College of Pharmacy
- Independent Prescriber Knowledge Essential
- Thorough knowledge of mental health therapeutics
- Knowledge of national and local priorities
- Up to date with local and national evidence-based guidelines
- Able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Communicates with medical, nursing and pharmacy staff in clear precise and appropriate manner.
- Clinical and critical appraisal skills
- The ability to identify and manage risks
- The ability to identify and prioritise clinical workload
- Evidence of writing or supporting procedures, guidelines or protocols.
- Research skills Experience Essential
- Significant working experience of mental health environment
- Experience of service and staff management
- To have led or undertaken clinical auditand staff management
- Demonstrate the ability to appropriately recommend, substantiate and communicate medicine related information to mental health patients, carers and clinical staff
- Service evaluation and development
- Previous evaluated experience of mentorship and training skills
- Monitoring and advising on drug expenditure
- Teaching experience
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust
Address: Hellesdon Hospital, Drayton High Road, Norwich, NR6 5BE, United Kingdom
- Date posted: 05 November 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 8b
- Salary: 66,582 to 77,368 a year gross per annum (pro rata)
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Reference number: 246-COR8293738
- Job locations: Hellesdon Hospital, Drayton High Road, Norwich, NR6 5BE, United Kingdom
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