Bank Lead Clinical Pharmacist

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust; Southend-on-Sea; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A major healthcare provider in Southend-on-Sea is seeking a qualified Lead Clinical Pharmacist to oversee pharmaceutical care within the trust. The role requires maintaining medicine management standards and actively communicating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure effective patient care. Successful candidates will have a Master's degree and relevant hospital pharmacy experience. This position offers the opportunity to work in a dynamic team focused on delivering high-quality services while supporting professional growth.

Qualifications

• Registered Pharmacist with Gphc required.
• Experience in clinical pharmacy practice is essential.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-quality pharmacy service.
• Ensure medicines management standards are met.
• Educate patients about safe medicine use.

Skills

Registered Pharmacist with Gphc

Communication skills

Clinical pharmacy experience

Education

Masters Degree plus pre-registration training

Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmacy Practice

Job description

Overview

Go back Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Bank Lead Clinical Pharmacist - Band 8A

The closing date is 20 February 2026

About us

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is now one of the largest Trusts in the country, serving a population of 1.2 million people. Our newly formed Trust, comprising acute hospital sites at Broomfield in Chelmsford, Basildon, and Southend, is determined to provide the best health services for its local population. We are a well-led, high-performing, and innovative organisation working in the best interests of the people we serve.

With a workforce of approximately 15,000 staff, we can now do more and go further in delivering health services to our local communities.

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be part of a team of pharmacy staff providing expert pharmaceutical care to patients within Mid and South Essex.

Responsibilities are undertaken in accordance with departmental SOPs and in line with current professional, clinical, and legal guidelines and best practice. The postholder will adhere to the principles of the NHS Constitution.

Under the direction of the Havens Hospices Medical Director the post-holder will:

• Ensure that therapy for patients is safe and cost-effective.
• Liaise with multidisciplinary colleagues to facilitate a co-ordinated approach to palliative and end of life drug monitoring and control throughout the organisation.
• Be a key member of the hospice Medicines Management Committee; contribute to the agenda and action any required activity accordingly.
• Lead on and manage initiatives to promote cost-effective prescribing of medicines, ensuring rational expenditure and formulary adherence accordingly.
• Lead on the management of drug shortages, ensuring information regarding licensed and/or unlicensed alternatives is communicated effectively and efficiently.
• Liaise with and support clinical pharmacy staff to raise awareness of medicines management in palliative and end of life care.
• Be the point of contact for all hospice staff to aid in medicines-related problem solving and ensure supplies of end-of-life medicines.

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• To lead and develop a high quality, comprehensive pharmacy service to patients within Mid and South Essex.
• To ensure Medicines Management Standards are met within the Medicine Directorate.
• To regularly undertake audit projects and research and development with respect to national and local guidelines of practice.
• To be actively involved in the clinical governance aspects of the pharmaceutical service.

• Communication

To inform and educate patients, carers, and members of the public about the safe use of medicines.

To attend consultant led wards rounds and provide patient focused advice and information in order to ensure safe and effective use of medication.

To liaise with relevant external agencies e.g. General Practitioner, Social Services, as required for continuing care of patients after discharge.

• Analytical and Planning

To be proactively involved with the management of the medicines budget and expenditure within the Medicines directorate. This will involve liaising with the appropriate Managers and Clinical Director.

Undertake research and audit projects.

• Clinical Duties

Act as the Lead Pharmacist for a named clinical speciality(s), providing specialist information and advice for medical, nursing and junior pharmacy staff.

Assist the MDT in the management of patients in outpatient clinics, where appropriate.

Attend hospital committee and focus groups relevant to area of speciality.

Develop extended role of the clinical pharmacist e.g. independent prescribing.

Visit allocated wards and review inpatient prescription charts, checking for clinical correctness according to current practice.

Order non stock medicines for individual patients, ensuring continuity of supply.

Clinically screen and final check all dispensary prescriptions according to current practice.

Resolve any prescription queries with the prescriber and amend prescription accordingly.

Participate in dispensary duties e.g. prescription processing and dispensing, ensuring appropriate records e.g. controlled drug register are maintained, when required.

Exercise professional judgment to resolve queries, referring to a more senior pharmacist when necessary.

Monitor patient medication, ensuring safe and effective use of drugs.

Ensure continuity of supply of medicines to patients.

Always follow standard operating procedures and report to the line manager any occasions where SOPs cannot be followed.

To carry out any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of this job description.

Be proactive in risk management, ensuring that all clinical incidents are reported and appropriate action taken in conjunction with the Principal Pharmacist and/or the specialist risk management pharmacist.

Undertake any other duties that may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the project.

To work flexible hours as the service requires.

• Policy and Service Development

To develop treatment guidelines with clinicians in order to promote evidence-based, cost-effective prescribing, taking into account all relevant local and national policies and procedures.

Provide timely and accurate advice on prescribing issues and evidence-based prescribing in accordance with local and national guidance and policy.

Participate in reviews of work methods and contribute to the development of new processes, procedures, and systems to minimise risk and ensure consistent provision of services.

Plan own workload within allocated area of work.

Undertake research and audit projects in area of speciality and contribute to ongoing audit and ad hoc research projects elsewhere as required.

Support local implementation of medicines related policies, procedures, and guidance.

• Financial and Physical Resources

Participate in the delivery of Trust/department objectives and business plans.

Promote the safe, appropriate, and economic use of drugs.

Keep accurate patient medication and drug issue records using the Pharmacy WellSky computer system.

Generate reports/graphs/presentations using appropriate computer software when required.

Monitor drug expenditure within speciality, produce budget statements and drug usage reports, interpret, and provide analysis and recommendations.

Manage the cost-effective use of medicines including high cost drugs e.g. biologics.

Take payment for prescription charges, issue receipts and refunds according to departmental procedures.

Ensure the safe and secure storage of Pharmacy stock of drugs and other materials.

Monitor the safe and secure storage of drugs on wards.

Ensure all equipment has been regularly maintained.

Ensure all equipment is used in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.

Ensure any equipment found to be faulty/unsafe should be removed from use and reported to the appropriate authority.

• Staff Management

To participate in the training and education of trainee pharmacists, pharmacists, other grades of pharmacy staff and other healthcare professionals including senior medical staff

To be responsible for the management or supervision of junior pharmacists or technical staff

To act as a Designated Supervisor or post-graduate diploma tutor

To be involved with the recruitment of pharmacy staff as required

• Information Resources

Answer medicines information queries from medical, nursing staff and patients, using appropriate resources.

Provide specialist counselling and advice on the use of medicines to patients, medical and nursing staff.

• Effort, Skills and Working

Physical Skills

Keyboard skills, use of IT equipment.

Physical Effort

Light physical effort.

Mental Effort

Concentration required for the clinical screening of prescriptions to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines.

Concentration required during the dispensing and checking process in the dispensary to avoid medication errors.

Frequent and regular interruptions to deal with enquiries from patients, healthcare professionals, and pharmacy colleagues are often of a complex clinical nature.

Management of difficult and ambiguous problems.

Emotional Effort

Exposure to distressing and emotional circumstances frequently encountered during consultant-led ward rounds, and whilst counselling patients about medication regimes and adverse effects.

Indirect exposure to distressing and/or emotional information frequently encountered when reading medical notes to obtain a patients history.

Distressing information with regards to medication errors occasionally encountered (either directly or indirectly).

Dealing with difficult and sometimes distressing situations talking to patients and/or carers about medicines related issues including reasons for use, methods of use, side effects and length of treatment.

The post holder, in managing staff, may encounter difficult situations such as managing performance sickness and absence.

Occasional exposure to verbal aggression from patients

Working Conditions

The role is hosted by the designated site, although the normal place of work can be at any of the 3 acute hospital sites, with other work locations including off-site working considered in line with Trust policies. It is generally to be expected to undertake normal duties at the principal place of work or other locations as agreed. However, in the course of your duties you may also be required to work at any of the sites within the Trust as well as other NHS sites as part of the delivery of the pharmacy service.

Office conditions with occasional travel across MSE

Core work pattern is unpredictable although some elements occur daily.

This job profile is not a definitive or exhaustive list of responsibilities but identifies the key responsibilities and tasks of the post holder.

The post holder will be expected to perform any other duties or responsibilities as assigned by management, within scope of the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Pharmacist with Gphc
• Masters Degree (4 Years) plus 1 year pre-registration training
• Postgraduate Diploma in General Pharmacy Practice/Clinical Pharmacy

Communication Skills

• Demonstrated ability to communicate information effectively using clear written and spoken English
• Appreciation of confidentiality issues

Knowledge

• Previous hospital experience inclusive of clinical pharmacy practice
• Demonstrated experience of multi-disciplinary Working
• Previous clinical pharmacy experience in specialist area
• Previous budgetary management experience and drug expenditure monitoring
• Previous experience of electronic prescribing systems

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.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust