Lead Pharmacist - Biologics

NHS; City Of London; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in London is looking for an experienced Lead Pharmacist to oversee biosimilar medicine introduction. This role involves collaborating with various healthcare professionals to enhance patient care through optimal prescription practices. Candidates must be GPhC registered and possess extensive experience in hospital pharmacy. This position offers a competitive salary and additional benefits like NHS pension and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Competitive salary

NHS Pension Scheme

24/7 independent counselling support

Career-long learning opportunities

Access to NHS and Blue Light discount schemes

Free Pilates classes

Full support and training

Qualifications

• Specialist clinical knowledge and skills in ophthalmic pharmacy.
• Extensive experience in hospital pharmacy.
• Management or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead improvements in prescribing practices.
• Develop clinical pharmacy services and optimise medicines.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to work under pressure

Team player

EMIS / Ascribe pharmacy system

Ability to provide complex information

Education

GPhC registered pharmacist

Tools

EMIS

Ascribe

Job description

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Lead Pharmacist - Biologics

Closing date: 12 October 2025

• Lead improvements to maximise safe and cost-effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care.
• Help patients to get the best from their medicines by switching medications to agreed and approved protocols.
• Lead on the delivery and development of high-quality clinical pharmacy services and medicines optimisation initiatives related to the use of biosimilar medicines in line with local and national objectives.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the multidisciplinary team including consultant ophthalmologists, prescribing clinicians, specialist nurses, business managers, finance and contracting teams and the pharmaceutical industry to develop and implement a plan to identify opportunities for biosimilar introduction.
• Identify patients suitable for treatment with a biosimilar medicine as well as those for whom it would be clinically inappropriate to use the biosimilar and to obtain patient consent indicating approval for the switch to the biosimilar product where suitable.
• Develop a system to monitor patients who have been initiated or switched to the biosimilar medicine to ensure efficacy and safety of treatment.
• Ensure savings can be used effectively to offset costs, incentivise change and improve patient care.
• The post holder will be required to deliver the above across all Moorfields sites. This includes relevant services at City Road and at Satellite Sites across the Moorfields North and South Networks.

Main duties of the job

• To work with clinicians to identify the opportunity for biosimilar introduction.
• To ensure the biosimilar can be used within the local care pathway. To identify those patients suitable for receiving the biosimilar as well as those for whom it would be clinically inappropriate to use the biosimilar.
• To ensure other members of the team involved in the process understand the use of biological and biosimilar medicines and are familiar with the processes involved with initiation of treatment or switching patients to the biosimilar medicine.
• To establish processes with clinicians and patients to ensure shared decision making is possible and supported by written materials, information session, education and patient alert cards/supplementary information leaflets.
• To establish a system for monitoring and follow up of patients who have been initiated or switched to the biosimilar medicine.
• To contribute to the trust's Cost Improvement Plan (CIPs) by ensuring savings can be used effectively to offset costs, incentivise change and improve patient care.
• To participate in education and training activities as appropriate for pharmacy and other clinical staff groups.
• To provide active support for, and input into, pharmacy and medicines clinical governance and risk management initiatives and processes.
• To promote and collaborate on clinical audit related to the use of biosimilar medicines to ensure safety and efficacy of treatment.

About us

What’s in it for You?

At Moorfields, we invest in you--your growth, your wellbeing, your future. You'll join a flexible, supportive organisation offering:

• Competitive salary (including high-cost area supplement)
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
• 24/7 independent counselling support
• Career-long learning and development opportunities
• Excellent transport connections
• Access to NHS and Blue Light discount schemes
• Free Pilates classes
• Full support and training to develop your skills

And so much more! To see the full range of benefits we offer please view our Moorfields benefits leaflet.

Job responsibilities

For full details on the main duties and responsibilities of this role, please refer to the job description and personal specifications document for this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• GPhC registered pharmacist

Experience

• Experience in a specialist pharmacist role
• Extensive experience in hospital pharmacy
• Experience in managing or supervising staff
• Evidence of research/ Audit
• Medicines expenditure or usage database and analysis and reporting

Knowledge

• Specialist clinical knowledge and skills
• Understanding of medicine use and issues across the interface
• Understanding of national and local priorities
• Ophthalmic Pharmacy
• QIPP initiatives / CIP projects

Skills

• Able to provide highly complex information on medicines use and financial issues to senior clinicians
• Excellent communication skills - verbal and written
• Ability to use available evidence to make sound judgments in relation to patient or medicine-specific issues
• Work under own initiative
• EMIS / Ascribe pharmacy system
• Team player
• Reliable and punctual
• Ability to work well under pressure by prioritising and managing time effectively

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.

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£64,156 to £71,148 a year (pro rata including HCAS)