Principal Pharmacist, Frailty

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust; Epsom; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 71,000; Part time

Job summary

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Principal Pharmacist, Frailty, on a fixed-term 6-month basis. Based at Epsom General Hospital with travel to community sites, you will lead medicines optimisation within the frailty MDT and deliver advanced pharmaceutical care for frailty and polypharmacy.

The role involves senior clinical practice, supervision of pharmacy staff, conducting patient reviews, contributing to antimicrobial stewardship, and driving quality improvements.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Registered as a pharmacist with The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Non-medical prescriber status.
• Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical pharmacy service to the frailty unit or SDHC Community Hospital ward.
• Deliver integrated, patient-centred pharmacy services at ward level.
• Supervise pharmacy team and promote evidence-based, cost-effective medicine use.
• Promote safe prescribing in line with formulary to optimise outcomes.
• Liaise with MDT colleagues to implement national/local medicine guidelines.
• Undertake patient medication reviews to optimise therapy and adherence.
• Participate in audits, quality improvement and governance activities.

Skills

Effective communication

Time management

Decision making

Critical appraisal

CMM pharmacy system

Change management

Education

Master's degree in pharmacy

Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy

Registered pharmacist (GPhC)

Non-medical prescriber

Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Job description

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

Principal Pharmacist, Frailty

The closing date is 08 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our team on a fixed term 6 month basis as one of the Principal Pharmacists supporting Frailty Services. The successful candidate will join the multi-disciplinary team working on either the Mary Seacole frailty unit at Epsom Hospital, or at one of the Community Hospitals sites. The Mary Seacole Unit is a community-facing frailty unit based within Epsom Hospital. The unit supports patients who have frailty, complex needs and/or rehabilitation needs and offers enhanced Multidisciplinary team support in order to support the patients' transition of care back to their place of residence as soon as possible. The Community Hospitals provide care for people needing rehabilitation. They aim is to help patients return to living independently, or with care or other support. As the specialist pharmacist in the team you will lead on medicines optimisation and medicines management in the ward setting. You will provide advanced pharmaceutical expertise in frailty and polypharmacy. You will also conduct in-depth, personalised and goal orientated medication reviews with patients to improve their understanding of medicines, address adherence issues and reduce inappropriate polypharmacy. Ensuring seamless transfer of pharmaceutical care across interfaces will also be a key part of the role. If you are a motivated, autonomous individual who enjoys direct working with patients and being part of an MDT then this is the role for you.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a specialist clinical pharmacy service to the frailty unit or a SDHC Community Hospital ward.
• Providing a well-integrated, comprehensive, patient-oriented specialist clinical pharmacy service at ward level throughout the frailty unit or SDHC Community Hospital site.
• To provide advice and day to day clinical supervision for the pharmacy team working in the frailty unit or a community hospital ward, promoting evidence-based, cost-effective use of medicines
• To promote safe, responsible, cost effective prescribing and usage of medicines, in line with the formulary, to optimise clinical outcomes and minimise adverse reactions and errors.
• To liaise with appropriate MDT colleagues to ensure the implementation of National/Local guidelines related to medicines to optimise patient care and promote best practice.
• Combining pharmaceutical expertise and technical skills to proactively support patient centred medicine
• Undertaking high-quality patient medication reviews to maximise the therapeutic effects of medicines, minimise the risk of harm and improve patient adherence to medication regimens.
• Participating in Clinical audit, service and quality improvement where appropriate to aid shared learning and improvement.
• Promoting the safer use of medicines through identification, reporting and investigation of medicines related incidents and sharing the learning from incidents with the wider team

About us

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust provides a range of medical services to approximately 490,000 people living across southwest London and northeast Surrey. In addition, we provide more specialist services, in particular renal and neonatal intensive care, to a wider area, covering parts of Sussex and Hampshire.

We serve an area that is rich in diversity, with a mix of urban and rural areas, and differing levels of quality of life. We cover some of the most prosperous postcodes in the country, as well as some poorer areas. Together with our colleagues at NHS Surrey and NHS Sutton and Merton, we work to make sure that we deliver the best possible care to the communities we serve.

The Trust employs approximately 5,000 staff across its hospitals and is supported by over 500 volunteers.

Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document which contains more information about ESTH and SDHC.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document which contains more information about the role and requirements. Please ensure your application refers to the job description and person specification.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in pharmacy or equivalent
• Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent demonstrable experience
• Registered as a pharmacist with The General Pharmaceutical Council
• Non-medical prescriber
• Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Experience

• Able to demonstrate experience providing a pharmacy clinical service to patients in a range of medical sub-specialities
• Pharmaceutical Knowledge of Polypharmacy/ Care of older People/ Frailty
• Experience of multidisciplinary team working
• Experience in providing and evaluating pharmacy education & training
• Experience of managing or supervising other staff
• Experience of audit and quality improvement projects
• Experience in the provision of pharmacy expertise to the clinical governance agenda
• Experience of implementing and/or reviewing PGDs

Skills

• Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of healthcare professionals and patients
• Able to manage difficult or ambiguous situations
• Able to manage time effectively and meet tight deadlines and to prioritise and manage workload
• Able to use own initiative to inform decisions and ensure accuracy
• Critical appraisal skills
• Familiarity with CMM pharmacy computer system
• Ability to manage change

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.

Address

Epsom General Hospital (with requirement to travel to community hospital site)

£63,665 to £70,887 a yearpa incl HCAS Outer pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

6 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

343-8226586-AG-A

Job locations

Epsom General Hospital (with requirement to travel to community hospital site)