Lead Pharmacist for Paediatrics with Antimicrobial Stewardship

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust; Warrington; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust in Warrington is seeking a Lead Pharmacist for Paediatrics with Antimicrobial Stewardship. This Band 8a role offers leadership across paediatric pharmacy services and contributes to AMS strategy, working with medical teams to optimise medicines and ensure safe care for children.

The post is permanent and full-time (37.5 hours per week), with on-call, weekend, and late-shift rotas.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Pharmacy or equivalent.
• Registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Specialist knowledge via postgraduate diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experience.
• Registered independent prescriber with the GPhC.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical pharmacy leadership for paediatric services across the Trust.
• Collaborate with paediatric teams to optimise medicines management and patient outcomes.
• Lead development and review of clinical guidelines and pathways for paediatric medicines and AMS.
• Contribute to medicines safety, audits and quality improvement in paediatric and AMS services.
• Provide education and training on paediatric medicines and antimicrobials.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Medicines optimisation

Education & training

Governance

Education

Master’s degree in pharmacy

GPhC registration

Clinical Pharmacy postgraduate diploma

Independent prescriber

Tools

None

Job description

Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (To include participation in the on call, weekend-working and late-shift rotas.) Job ref 370-ACS8APHA-2225

Employer North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Warrington and Halton Hospitals Town Warrington Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 23/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 30/09/2026

Lead Pharmacist for Paediatrics with Antimicrobial Stewardship

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, innovative and highly motivated pharmacist to join our Pharmacy Team asLead Pharmacist for Paediatrics with Antimicrobial Stewardship.

This newly created Band 8a post offers a unique opportunity to work across two important specialist areas of practice. The successful candidate will provide leadership for the Trust's paediatric pharmacy service, delivering expert clinical input, medicines optimisation, governance, education and service development for children and young people. They will work closely with paediatric medical, nursing and multidisciplinary teams to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred pharmaceutical care.

In addition, the post holder will play a key role in supporting the Trust's antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme. Working alongside the Trust's established Lead Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist, the successful candidate will support the delivery of the Trust's AMS agenda across the organisation, with a particular interest in paediatric antimicrobial stewardship.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the role include:

• Provide specialist clinical pharmacy leadership for paediatric services across the Trust, ensuring the safe, effective and evidence-based use of medicines for children and young people.
• Work collaboratively with paediatric consultants, medical staff, nurses and allied health professionals to optimise medicines management and improve patient outcomes.
• Lead the development, implementation and review of clinical guidelines, policies and pathways relating to paediatric medicines and AMS use.
• Contribute to medicines safety, audit and quality improvement initiatives within paediatric and AMS services.
• Provide education and training on paediatric medicines and antimicrobials to pharmacy, medical and nursing colleagues.
• Support service development projects that enhance the quality, safety and effectiveness of paediatric pharmacy services.
• Work alongside the Trust's Lead Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist to support delivery of the Trust's antimicrobial stewardship strategy.
• Support antimicrobial stewardship ward rounds and review antimicrobial prescribing to promote the safe, effective and appropriate use of antimicrobials across the Trust.
• Provide specialist advice on antimicrobial therapy, antimicrobial stewardship and medicines optimisation to healthcare professionals.
• Work collaboratively with microbiology, infection prevention and control teams, clinicians and pharmacists to improve antimicrobial use and reduce antimicrobial resistance.

Working for our organisation

Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM) They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation

Our mission is to be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other

Our vision is to be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn

Our approach to healthcare is founded on our four core values:

Kind – we are caring, supporting and respectful to everyone

Open – we are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working

Fair – we listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all

One team – we work well together and with our communities

We employ almost 6,500 people from more than 80 nationalities and are fully committed to being an equal, diverse and inclusive employer. Our culture and values ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and that no job applicant or employee is disadvantaged at any stage of their journey.

We are also proud to be an Armed Forces Friendly organisation and welcome applications from members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists and families.

Working at NCM means becoming part of a dedicated team of clinical and support staff who are passionate about keeping people well and supporting wellbeing. If you share our values and are motivated by making a difference for our patients, we'd be delighted to receive your application.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be an integral member of the Pharmacy Department, providing specialist pharmacy leadership across paediatric services and antimicrobial stewardship. They will work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues to support medicines optimisation, clinical governance, service development and the delivery of high-quality patient care.

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in pharmacy or equivalent
• Registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Specialist knowledge acquired through a post graduate diploma course in Clinical Pharmacy or similar or alternatively acquired through relevant and equivalent experience
• Registered independent prescriber with the GPhC.

Physical Effort

• Able to lift / carry pharmaceutical goods.

Experience

• Broad specialist clinical pharmacy knowledge.
• Developing and undertaking clinical and non-clinical audits.
• Familiarity with the concepts of evidence-based medicines.
• Involved in identifying and assessing risk to improve patient safety.
• Ability to demonstrate evidence of working in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Specialist knowledge and experience on relevant areas of community health services.
• Understanding of issues related to independent prescribing.
• Experience of providing clinical pharmacy services.
• Expertise of addressing and resolving legal issues related to medicines.
• Experience of implementing NICE, NSF recommendations related to medicines.
• Addressing, implementing and monitoring compliance with NHS Improvement Patient Safety Alerts related to medicines.
• Developing and delivering medicines management training to other healthcare professionals
• Managing or advising on drug budgets and drugs costs and how to monitor these.
• Experience of provision of medicines information and associated systems.
• Experience of working with older people with complex health needs as a clinical pharmacist.
• Management/supervision of pharmacy staff.

Skills, Knowledge and Competencies

• Excellent organisational skills.
• Ability to develop effective working relationships at all levels.
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills and ability to persuade others.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a range of healthcare staff including prescribers, social care staff and patients.
• Ability to work independently and within a team.
• Good time management skills, with ability to prioritise and manage own workload.
• Knowledge of other professional registering bodies e.g., NMC, GMC.
• Able to apply sound professional judgement to legal and ethical issues.
• Able to work and deliver within identified timelines.
• Self-motivated and able to initiate change.
• Methodological approach and attention to detail in terms of medicines.
• Ability to generate prescribing data using epact.net and to interpret data produced.

Specific role requirements

• Reliable, enthusiastic and self-motivated.
• Flexible approach.
• Able to concentrate on dispensing / checking/ clinical screening for extended periods.
• Able to cope with interruptions when busy.
• Able to work to deadlines i.e., transport, patients requiring medication.

Physical skills

• Computer literate including use of word-processing, excel spread-sheets, power-point.
• Ability to write report and other documents.
• Knowledge of primary care clinical Systems (EMIS/SystmOne)
• Knowledge of secondary care clinical systems.

Mental Effort

• Ability to assimilate, analyse and interpret complex data.
• Critical appraisal skills.
• Ability to challenge.
• Ability to work under pressure and be able to make important decisions.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Skills, Knowledge and Competencies

Specific role requirements

• Professional appearance and manner.

Emotional Effort

• Exposure to upsetting situations, high level of resilience to deal with distressing and/or challenging situations
• Distressed patients with complex diseases. May work with distressed patients, relatives due to drug regime, drug misadventures.

Further Information

NCM hold a Sponsor Licence; this means that we may be able to sponsor you providing the Home Office requirements are met. To be eligible for sponsorship, there is a minimum set of criteria that must be met and not all roles are eligible. You can find more information on the Government website

Please review your eligibility and the eligibility of the role before submitting your application.

All advertised roles may close early if there are high numbers of suitable candidates.

Pre‑employment checks for applicants with previous NHS service will include confirmation of any Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS), Voluntary Redundancy or Compulsory Redundancy payments received.

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.