Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Pharmacist

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Southampton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Pharmacist to join a specialist team. You will influence critical medicines decisions, optimise complex therapies, and support care for babies, children and young people when they need us most.

The role offers opportunity to work within a dedicated multidisciplinary team in a leading NHS trust, with scope for teaching, research and service improvement.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent.
• Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent experience.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Excellent clinical and communication skills.
• Independent Prescribing qualification (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Be the medicines expert within the Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
• Participate in consultant-led ward rounds and complex clinical decision-making.
• Influence care at the bedside, optimise complex medicines and improve outcomes for babies and children.
• Teach and mentor Pharmacists, Doctors and Nurses and contribute to research and quality improvement.

Skills

GPhC registration

Clinical excellence

Communication skills

Education

Master's Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent

Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent

Job description

Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Pharmacist

Contract Type: Permanent

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an ambitious, compassionate and highly motivated pharmacist to join our Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Pharmacist team.

When a baby is born extremely prematurely, a child requires intensive care and a family is facing an exceptionally difficult time, the decisions we make matter. The medicines we use are a critical part of those decisions.

As a Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Pharmacist, you will be at the heart of that care. You'll use your specialist knowledge to influence critical treatment decisions, optimise complex medicines, and help deliver the very best outcomes for babies, children and young people when they need us most. From supporting the tiniest premature babies weighing less than 500 grams to caring for critically ill children and adolescents requiring the most advanced treatments, this is a role where your expertise truly matters.

This is a rare opportunity to work in one of the most rewarding and intellectually stimulating areas of clinical pharmacy, where your expertise can make a profound difference every single day.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

This is much more than a clinical pharmacy role. It is an opportunity to become a valued member of a dedicated multidisciplinary team, influencing care at the bedside, driving innovation and helping some of our most vulnerable patients achieve the very best outcomes.

Why You'll Love This Role

• Be the medicines expert within both the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units.
• Participate in consultant-led ward rounds and complex clinical decision-making.
• Work alongside world-class Neonatologists, Intensivists, Nurses, Pharmacists and Specialist Practitioners.

A Typical Day Could Include...

• Optimising medicines for a premature infant born at just 24 weeks and advising on life-saving treatments for critically ill children.
• Evaluating and prescribing parenteral nutrition.
• Contributing to research, audit and quality improvement projects.
• Teaching and mentoring Pharmacists, Doctors and Nurses.
• Working closely with families and the wider multidisciplinary team.
• Leading medicines safety initiatives across Children's Services.

No two days are the same, and every day presents an opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

We're Looking For Someone Who Has

• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Post-registration hospital pharmacy experience.
• Excellent clinical and communication skills.
• A passion for delivering exceptional patient care.

Will Bring

• Enthusiasm, innovation and a desire to improve services.
• A collaborative approach to multidisciplinary working.
• Commitment to personal and professional development.
• The confidence to influence practice and drive change.

Experience in Paediatrics, Neonatology, Intensive Care or another specialist area is desirable, but we are equally interested in candidates with the right aptitude and ambition to develop within this exciting area.

What's In It For You?

• A highly specialised and rewarding clinical role.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Involvement in audit, research and innovation.
• A supportive and experienced children’s pharmacy team.
• Access to one of the UK's most exciting specialist clinical environments.
• The chance to positively impact the lives of babies, children and their families every single day.

Join us if you are looking for a career that is challenging, inspiring and genuinely makes a difference, we would love to hear from you.

Informal visits and enquiries are warmly welcomed.

For an overview of the position, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification document. This includes a detailed breakdown of the key responsibilities, role expectations, and the qualifications we are looking for.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience

Essential criteria

• Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent.
• Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent experience
• Can demonstrate Advanced Stage 1 competencies in the RPS Advanced Pharmacy Framework in relation to medical or surgical patients
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of audit and evaluative work
• Teaching and tutoring experience
• Experience of supervising others
• Experience of implementing change and change management
• Development and implementation of guidelines and procedures.
• Experience of change management

Desirable criteria

• Management qualification or equivalent experience
• MSc in clinical pharmacy or equivalent experience.
• Independent Prescribing qualification
• Can demonstrate Advanced Stage 2 or Mastery competencies in the RPS Advanced Pharmacy Framework in relation to medical or surgical patients
• Leadership qualification or experience
• Training in medicines information
• Project Management training or qualification
• Experience of managing others

Trust Values and Behaviours

Essential criteria

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together