Chief Pharmacist

East Of England Ambulance Service Nhs Trust; Watford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

East of England Ambulance Service is seeking a visionary Chief Pharmacist to lead medicines optimisation across urgent, emergency and integrated services within a dynamic pre-hospital NHS environment.

You will provide strategic direction to the Trust Board and clinical services, drive governance and patient safety, and shape innovation in medicines use, antimicrobial stewardship and digital transformation initiatives.

Qualifications

• Pharmacist registered with the GPhC.
• Member of the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm).
• Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent in leadership or pharmacy management.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Trust's Chief Pharmacist.
• Provide expert pharmaceutical advice to the Board and Executive Team.
• Lead medicines optimisation, governance and controlled drugs management.
• Ensure compliance with CQC, GPhC, NHS England and controlled drugs regulations.
• Develop innovative approaches to medicines use within pre-hospital and urgent care services.
• Work with the MSO to lead antimicrobial stewardship and medicines safety programmes.
• Oversee medication incident reporting, investigations and learning.
• Establish effective medicines governance systems across all clinical services.
• Work collaboratively with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), acute trusts, community providers and commissioners.
• Lead and develop the pharmacy and medicines management workforce.
• Support research, innovation and digital transformation initiatives relating to medicines management.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Medicines optimisation

Governance

Pharmacy leadership

Education

Pharmacist registration (GPhC)

RCPharm membership

Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent

Job description

Job summary

We are seeking an exceptional and visionary Chief Pharmacist to lead the strategic development of medicines optimisation across a progressive NHS Ambulance Trust. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced senior pharmacy leader to influence patient care across urgent, emergency and integrated healthcare services, ensuring the safe, effective and innovative use of medicines within a dynamic pre-hospital environment. As Chief Pharmacist, you will provide professional leadership, strategic direction and expert advice to the Trust Board, Executive Directors and clinical teams on all aspects of medicines optimisation, governance and pharmaceutical services.

Main duties of the job

The Chief Pharmacist is responsible for developing and delivering the Trust's medicines strategy and ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation, professional standards and NHS requirements. You will:

• Act as the Trust's Chief Pharmacist.


• Provide expert pharmaceutical advice to the Board and Executive Team.


• Lead medicines optimisation, medicines governance and controlled drugs management.


• Ensure compliance with Care Quality Commission (CQC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), NHS England and controlled drugs regulations.


• Develop innovative approaches to medicines use within pre-hospital and urgent care services.


• Work with the MSO to lead antimicrobial stewardship and medicines safety programmes.


• Oversee medication incident reporting, investigations and learning.


• Establish effective medicines governance systems across all clinical services.


• Work collaboratively with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), acute trusts, community providers and commissioners.


• Lead and develop the pharmacy and medicines management workforce.


• Support research, innovation and digital transformation initiatives relating to medicines management.

For further information and to discuss any aspects of the role, please contact Andy Cooke, Current postholder. Email: [e-mail] Mobile: [phone] or Paul Gates, Deputy Chief Paramedic (Line manager) at [e-mail]

About us

You’ll have the opportunity to work in one of the most diverse regions in the country, with the vibrant capital city just a stone's throw away and the invigorating North Sea coast to the east.

The East of England offers a unique blend of innovation and opportunity, surrounded by picturesque countryside, historic towns, and quick access to both the bustling capital and serene coastlines.

At EEAST we bring together all our skills to provide 24 hour, 365 days a year urgent care to those in need of emergency and non-emergency medical treatment and transport in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

We are always looking to innovate our approaches and work together to offer the best possible patient care across our counties.

We aim to represent and value the diversity of our local communities through our workforce and service provision. We therefore positively encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as Black, Asian, or other ethnic groups, individuals with a Disability, or LGBTQ+ individuals who meet the specific criteria.

We at EEAST want to support our employees achieve a balance between work and other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, family commitments, further learning, and other interests. We therefore welcome flexible working requests.

Details

Date posted: 29 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year
per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 247-SS-ChiefPharm-0926
Job locations: Letchworth Ambulance Station, Letchworth Gate, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 2AZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
For a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the role, including all its specific requirements and responsibilities, please consult the attached Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides an in-depth overview that will give you a clear and detailed picture of what the position entails.

Please note, should you be successful in your application, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks, prior to receiving an unconditional offer, if full employment checks cannot be achieved (this will include existing and unserved disciplinary sanctions), then your offer may be withdrawn.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.


• Member of the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm).


• Specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate Diploma Level or equivalent training/experience

Desirable

• Hold a leadership or management qualification relevant to the NHS at Diploma or Master's Level.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience in a leadership and management role.


• Significant post-registration pharmacy practice in a hospital or primary care/community setting.


• Experience of developing Patient Group Directions (PGDs).


• Significant experience of managing drug expenditure

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Full UK driving licence (up to 3 points may be considered dependent upon point code) including C1.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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 (Opens in a new tab). 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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name:

East of England Ambulance Service

Address:

Letchworth Ambulance Station, Letchworth Gate, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 2AZ, United Kingdom

Employer's website:

https://www.eastamb.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Deputy Chief Paramedic
Paul Gates
[e-mail]
07971955689

Supporting documents

Privacy notice:

East of England Ambulance Service's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)