Lead Clinical Pharmacist

www.healthjobsuk.com - jobboard; Sheerness; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health care provider is seeking a Clinical Pharmacist to join their team in Sheerness. This position offers the chance to work closely with children and young people in a community setting, focusing on patient-centered care. The ideal candidate will have a Master’s Degree in Pharmacy, experience in mental health, and an independent prescribing qualification. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and are passionate about improving mental health, we invite you to apply and be part of our dedicated team.

Benefits

Ongoing training and clinical supervision

Support for postgraduate qualifications

NHS leadership programmes

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years post-graduate experience required.
• Independent prescribing qualification or working towards it.
• Experience in Mental Health services essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead medication-related care within the CYPMHS.
• Provide education and training on medication use.
• Engage directly with children, young people, and their families.

Skills

Good written and verbal communication skills

High level of analytical skills

Confident and assertive when dealing with professionals

Education

Master’s Degree in Pharmacy

Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council

Postgraduate qualification in Clinical Pharmacy

Tools

IT skills - word-processing, PowerPoint, Excel

Job description

Employer Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Kent and Medway Children and Young People's Mental Health Service, Swale Town Sheerness Salary £55,690 - £62,682 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 31/01/2026 23:59

Band 8a

We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We offer a range of ongoing benefits to our valued workforce. From an active health and wellbeing programme to regular recognition events, we work hard to provide varied benefits that make a difference to your work‑life balance.
Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you.

Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated, and committed Clinical Pharmacist to join the Kent and Medway Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service (CYPMHS).

This is an exciting opportunity for a pharmacist looking for an innovative clinical role at the forefront of patient‑centred care within the community, offering excellent opportunities for professional development and a good work‑life balance.

In this role, you will work closely with a multidisciplinary team, supporting children and young people within community settings and, occasionally, in inpatient units across the Trust. This position offers significant scope for professional growth and advanced clinical practice.

The successful candidate should hold (or be working towards) an independent prescribing qualification, have a postgraduate qualification in pharmacy, and possess experience in mental health. Ongoing training and clinical supervision will be provided by the Consultant Pharmacist and Consultant Psychiatrists. You will also be supported by a Pharmacy Technician and the wider Trust Pharmacy Team, including community lead pharmacists.

Our pharmacists benefit from numerous professional development opportunities, including support for postgraduate mental health pharmacy qualifications and NHS leadership programmes.

The base for this post is the Kent and Medway CYPMHS in Swale, with periodic travel to other sites across Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust.

Main duties of the job

The purpose of this role is to lead the medication‑related aspects of care within CYPMHS. This includes providing expert medicines information, delivering education and training, and offering both group and one‑to‑one support for children and young people. You will also contribute to the development of clinical guidelines and protocols, and work closely with Consultant Psychiatrists and Non‑Medical Prescribers to promote safe, effective, and cost‑efficient prescribing.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing a high‑quality clinical pharmacy service within CYPMHS, optimising patient outcomes, enhancing patient experience, and supporting care pathways across Kent and Medway in partnership with wider healthcare providers.
• Contributing to improved health outcomes by taking a holistic approach to care and ensuring the safe, effective use of medicines within CYPMHS.
• Engaging directly with children, young people, and their families, ensuring that their views inform decisions about their care.

If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team, committed to delivering excellent care and support for children, young people, and their families.

Working for our organisation

We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.

Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It’s why we’re passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that’s doing well together.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

• Promoting improvements in the quality, safety, and cost‑effectiveness of medicines use, and supporting holistic management of clinical conditions across CYPMHS.
• Line‑managing Pharmacy Technicians within CYPMHS.
• Participating in the clinical pharmacist on‑call rota.

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

We are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under‑represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Person specification

Qualification

• Master’s Degree in Pharmacy
• Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council, with at least 5 year’s post graduate experience
• Postgraduate qualification in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent specialist knowledge, acquired through a broad spectrum of clinical pharmacy training and experience
• Non‑Medical Prescribing qualification or working towards this qualification
• Member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy

Experience

• 2 years’ experience of working in Mental Health services
• Knowledge of Mental Health therapeutics
• An awareness of NHS Plan, National Service Framework (NSF), and clinical governance priorities
• Evidence of Education, training, performance management and development of staff
• Proven experience in managing change or developing and delivering pharmacy services
• Experience of leading undertaking clinical audits
• Experience of budget setting and management of drugs budgets
• Experience working in CYPMHS

Knowledge & Skills

• Good written and verbal communication skills
• High level of analytical skills and problem solving ability, to ensure that the post holder is able to provide advice on complex issues relating to medicine management and Trust policies.
• Knowledge and experience of Primary and Secondary Care working
• Confident and assertive when dealing with other professionals
• IT skills - word-processing, PowerPoint, Excel, statistical package and internet use, so that the post holder can communicate effectively with other Health care professionals and for training purposes.
• Up to date knowledge of prescribing issues in Mental Health

In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six‑month probationary period.

To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.

Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check. Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter

The trust takes a systematic zero‑tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encompasses prevention, support and decisive action against perpetrators. We are committed to keeping you and our patients safe.

Use of AI when writing job applications

While AI tools can be helpful in generating ideas and drafting initial versions, they should never be the sole source for writing your job application.

AI cannot truly understand the specific job you're applying for or what makes you a good fit. Therefore, it's crucial to personalise any AI‑generated content to accurately reflect your skills, experiences, and aspirations.

Relying solely on AI to write your application may result in generic, impersonal, and potentially inaccurate content. Always review and refine any AI-generated text to ensure it effectively communicates your experience, skills, accomplishments, and aspirations, and demonstrates your suitability for the position.

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.

Name Von-de-Viel Nettey Job title Deputy Chief Pharmacist Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07880130752 Additional information

Jagdip Bahia, Chief Pharmacist on 07796197394