Rotational Senior Clinical Pharmacist (Step-Up Programme)

Walsall Healthcare Nhs Trust; Walsall; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is offering a pharmacist rotational programme with opportunities across several specialties and MDT collaboration. The post supports professional development, including protection learning time and mentorship to progress towards independent prescribing.

The role involves ward-based clinical services, training of pharmacy staff, and involvement in medicines information while ensuring safe prescribing practices within the Trust framework.

Qualifications

• MPharm or equivalent and GPhC registration.
• Completed Pre-Registration year with GPhC membership.
• Current GPhC registration and postgrad clinical pharmacy study or qualification.
• Desirable: Independent Prescribing qualification.

Responsibilities

• Provide ward-based clinical services and safe prescribing.
• Support medicines management and information across the Trust.
• Train and supervise junior pharmacists and technicians.
• Undertake risk assessments and maintain safe systems of work.
• Work on rota including late nights, weekends and on-call.

Skills

Risk management

Clinical guidelines interpretation

Medicines information

Prescribing safety

Time management

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

MPharm or equivalent

Pre-Registration with GPhC

GPhC membership

Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy qualification

Independent Prescribing qualification

Tools

Pharmacy Computer System

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for self-motivated and enthusiastic individuals to join our pharmacist rotational programmes. With the current and future landscape for pharmacy professionals we have aligned our clinical pharmacy strategy to develop a pharmacy team that can excel in balancing patient care and service demand with their own professional development. You will have rotational opportunities across several specialties along with daily opportunities to work as part of an MDT and develop your interpersonal, professional and clinical skills. We are very supportive of pharmacy professionals putting forward their own ideas for service improvements and are committed to developing a strong Quality Improvement ethos, with a formal Quality, Service Improvement and Redesign accreditation also on offer. We aim to produce a workforce equipped with strong clinical knowledge, a positive attitude, and a great team ethic. During your rotations you will be supported with protected learning time and mentorship via the pharmacist professional development programme underpinned by RPS standards to develop your skills. This post is ideally suited to those seeking career advancement and you will be supported to progress onto the independent prescribing course.

Please note, we may close this vacancy early if we receive high numbers of applications.

Main duties of the job

• Participates in the provision of a comprehensive pharmaceutical service to Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and to those organisations with which the Trust has a contract for supply of pharmaceutical services.
• Undertakes clinical pharmacy duties to delegated wards, advising junior and senior medical staff and nurses on effective and safe prescribing and administration of medicines.
• Provides training and support to the undergraduate, pre-registration pharmacists and less experienced pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and, where requested, other ward staff.
• Undertakes risk assessments and implements risk reducing measures, where appropriate reviewing and updating safe systems of work on a regular basis.
• Post holders will be required to undertake weekend, bank holidays and on-call work on a rota basis.

About us

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300. It provides inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010, and ongoing upgrades ensure the Trust now has state-of-the-art facilities, including a Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit. A new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, opened in March 2023, has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity, providing almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.

Job responsibilities

Participates in the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust rotational training programme for training grade pharmacists. As part of the rotational training programme, the post holder will provide ward based clinical services, supporting safe prescribing and administration of medicines in the allocated wards/departments of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, ensuring clinical practice is evidence based, shared, and, wherever possible, patient focused. Will also provide patient counselling and assist in the provision of Medicines Information as part of their role.

Professionally checks prescriptions in the dispensary, including those for cytotoxic drugs, clinical trials and controlled drugs, and assists in dispensing and final checking as required.

Complies with the Clinical Pharmacy Service Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures, ensuring that the Chief Pharmacist is made aware of any circumstances that would, or may, militate against safe standards of clinical practice. Reports, and encourages others to report, all Adverse Drug reactions in line with departmental guidelines.

Promotes awareness of and assists in the implementation of the Trust's Medicines Management Group decisions, including the current contents of the formulary and Trust Pharmacy Policies, and assists medical and prescribing nursing staff to adjust prescribing practices in line with the evidence base and formulary requirements.

Will comply with the requirement of Clinical Pharmacy productivity tools and audits assigned and maintain full records of clinical activity and interventions using pharmacy electronic systems.

Post-holder will be required to undertake late night, weekend, bank holidays and on-call work on a rota basis.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Essential: MPharm or equivalent academic qualification.
• Essential: Completed Pre-Registration year leading to Membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Essential: Current membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Essential: Postgraduate qualification in Clinical Pharmacy (or equivalent) or currently studying for it.
• Desirable: Independent Prescribing qualification.

Experience

• Essential: Appropriate experience of clinical pharmacy or equivalent hospital experience.
• Essential: Experience in carrying out audits and projects.
• Essential: Experience of successfully supervising and contributing to the training of pharmacists and pharmacy technical staff.
• Essential: Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Desirable: Participation in training as an Independent prescriber. Participate in Independent and/or supplementary prescribing and prescribe within legal requirements and own competency in the area of practice.
• Desirable: Broad range of experience of working as a clinical pharmacist, including provision of 'Out of hours' Pharmaceutical Services, medicines information and drug utilisation review.

Skills

• Essential: Skilled at identifying and managing risk associated with the use of medicines to best meet patient needs within the multidisciplinary team.
• Essential: Able to interpret national guidelines within specialist area(s), and Trust policies, procedures and guidelines related to specialist area(s).
• Essential: Skilled at using reference sources, journals, the internet and on-line information sources to prepare evaluated medicines information for consultants and other health-care professionals.
• Essential: Skills for providing relevant specialist pharmacy services.
• Essential: Skills in clinical audits and projects.
• Essential: Written and communication skills appropriate to the level required for this role.
• Essential: Skills for setting priorities, meeting deadlines and managing time effectively.
• Essential: Skills for problem identification and solving.
• Essential: Skills for utilising resources cost-effectively and highlighting any savings.
• Essential: Competent to clinically check prescriptions.
• Essential: Competent to dispense medicines accurately without making errors.
• Essential: Competent to check medicines dispensed by others and to detect any errors that have been made.
• Essential: Skills to minimise any risk to patients, the public and other staff from Healthcare Associated Infection.
• Desirable: People management, team work and interpersonal skills appropriate to this role.
• Desirable: Skills for teaching and supervising junior pharmacists and technical staff.
• Desirable: Skills for using Microsoft Office to produce word-processed documents e.g. SOPs for specialist areas, patient care plans (MS Word), record research and audit data (MS Excel) and prepare and deliver training (MS PowerPoint).
• Desirable: Standard keyboard skills for using the Pharmacy Computer System, and other software, to prepare reports, analyses, label medicines.

Knowledge

• Essential: Up to date knowledge of specialist field and general knowledge of other medicines actions and usage.
• Essential: Up to date knowledge and understanding of Safe Systems of Working in hospital pharmacy services.
• Essential: Up to date knowledge of Medicines Legislation including the Medicines Act, and Misuse of Drugs Act as they apply to pharmacy service SOPs and the legal requirements for dispensing and supplying medicines.
• Desirable: Understanding of both the current and longer term issues facing pharmacy services within the NHS.
• Desirable: Knowledge and understanding of medicines management in clinical pharmacy services.
• Desirable: Up to date knowledge of Health and Safety at Work including COSHH, Manual Handling, Information Governance as well as Safeguarding Children and Adults.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here: Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Address: Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Walsall, WS2 9PS, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact: Deputy Chief Pharmacist Tony Chopra, [e-mail], 01922656267

Details

Date posted: 21 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: Depending on experience per annum pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 407-WCCSS-8341760

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