Lead Pharmacist Critical Care

NHS; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare trust in the UK is seeking an experienced Critical Care Pharmacist to provide comprehensive clinical input in critical care settings. Responsibilities include leading pharmacy services, mentoring staff, and improving patient care within the multidisciplinary team. The ideal candidate will possess significant critical care experience and relevant qualifications, including a master's in pharmacy and GPhC registration. This role is on a fixed-term basis for 12 months covering maternity leave.

Qualifications

• Extensive recent clinical pharmacist experience in critical care.
• Experience with patient consultations across various specialties.
• Specialized knowledge of drugs in critical care.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced clinical pharmacy input in critical care.
• Coordinate pharmacy service to the ACCTS.
• Lead critical care pharmacy team operations.

Skills

Team management

Patient empathy

Report writing

Training and mentoring

Education

Masters level degree in pharmacy

Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy

Registered independent prescriber

Tools

Pharmacy computer systems

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) is seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Critical Care Pharmacist to join our dynamic and well‑established critical care pharmacy team on a fixed‑term basis (12 months) to provide maternity leave cover.

You will provide advanced clinical pharmacy input to adult critical care areas, lead the pharmacy service to the East of England Adult Critical Care Transfer Service (ACCTS), and contribute to the delivery of undergraduate medical education within the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine.

This senior post requires significant critical care experience and offers a high level of autonomy, including day‑to‑day operational leadership for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy assistants.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced clinical pharmacy input to adult critical care patients, optimising care through safe and effective medicines use.
• Lead and coordinate the pharmacy service to ACCTS.
• Provide operational leadership to the critical care pharmacy team alongside the Lead Pharmacist for Neurosciences Critical Care.
• Support education, training, and supervision of pharmacists, trainees, and other healthcare professionals.
• Contribute to the delivery of teaching within the University of Cambridge undergraduate medical education programme.
• Work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary critical care team and with pharmacy colleagues to drive service development, quality improvement, and research initiatives.
• Actively participate in regional critical care pharmacy networks and provide support to pharmacists across the East of England.

Qualifications

1. Masters level degree in pharmacy.
2. Registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
3. Diploma in General Pharmacy Practice or Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy (or equivalent).
4. Registered as an independent prescriber with the GPhC.
5. ‘Train the trainer’ course (or equivalent) and completion of required EPMA training.

Experience

1. Extensive recent post‑registration hospital experience as a clinical pharmacist at band 8a in critical care in a teaching hospital.
2. Recent significant experience of patient consultation and coverage of a range of clinical specialities.
3. Highly specialised knowledge of drugs and therapeutic trends in critical care.
4. Experience of implementing national guidance (e.g. NICE) and documenting pharmaceutical care issues.
5. Experience of writing professional reports and conducting clinical audits.
6. Experience of drug expenditure analysis, high‑cost and high‑risk medicines management, and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.
7. Experience of developing and leading on projects including change management and service development.
8. Previous management experience with responsibility for pharmacy staff.

Knowledge

• Advanced detailed clinical knowledge of drugs and therapeutic trends within critical care.
• Knowledge of NICE, NHS England, NHS Improvement patient safety guidance and local implementation.
• Knowledge of UK healthcare systems and NHS changes.
• Computer literate with knowledge of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and pharmacy computer systems.
• Knowledge of electronic prescribing IT systems and clinical audit methodology.
• Knowledge of systems for non‑medical prescribing and NHS commissioning processes.

Skills

• Lead, manage and work well in a team.
• Listen to and act on senior management direction.
• Oversee provision of high‑quality pharmaceutical care and resolve arising issues.
• Empathise with patients and carers.
• Produce high‑quality written reports.
• Remain calm and work effectively under pressure to deadlines.
• Teach, train, coach and mentor a range of staff groups and produce training materials.

Additional Requirements

• Understand and behave at all times in accordance with the Trust values of safe, kind, and excellent.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a Disclosure and Barring Service check is required.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer Details

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Addenbrookes Hospital – Division B, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ

Website: https://www.cuh.nhs.uk