Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Primary Care

NHS; Ashington; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare provider in Ashington seeks a Senior Clinical Pharmacist for the Wansbeck Primary Care Network. This permanent, full-time role involves leading clinical pharmacy services and optimising medication management for patients. The ideal candidate will have registration with the GPhC, a vocational master’s in pharmacy, and significant post-registration experience. Competitive salary offered, commensurate with experience.

Benefits

Flexible working

Development opportunities

Qualifications

• Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Significant and relevant post-registration experience.
• Experience of supervising staff.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a clinical pharmacy service for patients in primary care.
• Provide leadership on medicines optimisation.
• Assist with expert advice on medicines management.

Skills

Patient management

Clinical governance

Medicines optimisation

Leadership

Education

Vocational masters degree in pharmacy

Postgraduate clinical qualification

Tools

IT skills

Job description

Job summary

Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Primary Care (Wansbeck Primary Care Network)

Closing Date: 18/8/2025 Interview date: 03/09/2025 (tbc)

We have a great opportunity for a pharmacist wishing to develop their career as part of our progressive team, with a national reputation for innovation and development. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has a diverse and supportive clinical pharmacy team with a proven track record of providing high quality, patient-centred care. With the highest proportion of pharmacist prescribers in the country, our clinicians use their skills to support patients wherever they are across primary and secondary care (hospital, home, or care home).

Our team offer you a unique clinical, patient-facing role that allows pharmacists to develop or maintain their skills within primary care.

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received

"Please note, for Secondment roles before an application is submitted, please ensure you have received the appropriate approval and completed documentation required beforehand, as this may delay the process if an offer was to be made."

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an enthusiastic pharmacist to support medicines optimisation across cross Wansbeck Primary Care Network (Seaton Park Medical Group, Gables Medical Group, Guidepost Medical Group and Bedlingtonshire Medical Group) to help meet their population needs. This clinical patient-facing role will involve delivering the national agenda for primary care, including structured medication reviews for older people living with frailty, enhancing medicines support for care homes and their residents, ensuring that care is personalised to 'what matters' to patients.

About us

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, in addition to our state-of-the-art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. In addition to acute hospital pharmacy services we provide pharmacists and technicians to four of our local primary care networks with a combined population of 190,000. We also deliver locally commissioned integrated pharmacy services to care homes, frailty, living well with pain and palliative care. We are one of the best performing NHS organisations in England, with a focus on staff experience as well as the experience of patients.

Details Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year pro rata per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

319-7267148JA

Job locations

Wansbeck Primary Care Network

Norham Road

Ashington

NE63 0NG

Job description Job responsibilities

• To develop and deliver a clinical pharmacy service for patients in primary care. Primary care encompasses general medical practice, as well as people requiring care in their own homes or in care homes.
• To provide leadership on matters pertaining to medicines optimisation within primary care, to advise on medicines use (risk, clinical governance, research and development, formulary, expenditure) and to develop/audit relevant protocols and guidelines.
• To assist in the provision of expert advice on pharmaceutical matters and that pertaining to medicines management (particularly within own area of responsibility). Medicines optimisation encompasses the selection, purchasing, delivery, prescribing, supply, administration and review of medicine to optimise the contribution they make to produce informed and desired outcomes of patient care.
• To manage the care of specific patients, as part of the team.
• To ensure that there is compliance with medicines legislation particularly within own assigned area of responsibility.
• To undertake risk management and clinical governance activities within own assigned areas of responsibility
• To manage, support and/or teach when appropriate, less experienced staff e.g., junior pharmacists, pre-registration pharmacists (inc. acting as a pre-registration manager/tutor if required), pharmacy students and other members of the healthcare team (e.g., junior doctors, nursing staff).
• To participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings as appropriate.
• To contribute to collation/reporting against clinical key performance indicators.
• To role model compassionate and inclusive leadership in order to shape the creation of a collective leadership culture within the team. This means demonstrating a consistent leadership style which (a) engages, enables and empowers others (b) uses coaching to promote ownership of learning and quality improvement and (c) facilitates team working and collaboration within teams / departments and across organisational boundaries.

Job description Job responsibilities

• To develop and deliver a clinical pharmacy service for patients in primary care. Primary care encompasses general medical practice, as well as people requiring care in their own homes or in care homes.
• To provide leadership on matters pertaining to medicines optimisation within primary care, to advise on medicines use (risk, clinical governance, research and development, formulary, expenditure) and to develop/audit relevant protocols and guidelines.
• To assist in the provision of expert advice on pharmaceutical matters and that pertaining to medicines management (particularly within own area of responsibility). Medicines optimisation encompasses the selection, purchasing, delivery, prescribing, supply, administration and review of medicine to optimise the contribution they make to produce informed and desired outcomes of patient care.
• To manage the care of specific patients, as part of the team.
• To ensure that there is compliance with medicines legislation particularly within own assigned area of responsibility.
• To undertake risk management and clinical governance activities within own assigned areas of responsibility
• To manage, support and/or teach when appropriate, less experienced staff e.g., junior pharmacists, pre-registration pharmacists (inc. acting as a pre-registration manager/tutor if required), pharmacy students and other members of the healthcare team (e.g., junior doctors, nursing staff).
• To participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings as appropriate.
• To contribute to collation/reporting against clinical key performance indicators.
• To role model compassionate and inclusive leadership in order to shape the creation of a collective leadership culture within the team. This means demonstrating a consistent leadership style which (a) engages, enables and empowers others (b) uses coaching to promote ownership of learning and quality improvement and (c) facilitates team working and collaboration within teams / departments and across organisational boundaries.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• 1st degree - Vocational masters degree in pharmacy
• Previous pre-registration training
• Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Postgraduate clinical qualification (over and above that of the 1st degree, preferably at Masters level) and/or significant relevant clinical experience to demonstrate a similar level of knowledge
• Independent prescribing qualification or commitment to achieving following appointment
• Evidence of continuing professional development to at least meet the mandatory requirements of the GPhC
• IT skills to at least ECDL standard or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society and/or other professional groups to facilitate continuing professional development

Experience Essential

• Significant and relevant post-registration experience
• Knowledge and experience of the operation of NHS Organisations
• Experience of supervising staff

Desirable

• Experience of working with primary care colleagues
• Experience of managing staff

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• 1st degree - Vocational masters degree in pharmacy
• Previous pre-registration training
• Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Postgraduate clinical qualification (over and above that of the 1st degree, preferably at Masters level) and/or significant relevant clinical experience to demonstrate a similar level of knowledge
• Independent prescribing qualification or commitment to achieving following appointment
• Evidence of continuing professional development to at least meet the mandatory requirements of the GPhC
• IT skills to at least ECDL standard or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Member of Royal Pharmaceutical Society and/or other professional groups to facilitate continuing professional development

Experience Essential

• Significant and relevant post-registration experience
• Knowledge and experience of the operation of NHS Organisations
• Experience of supervising staff

Desirable

• Experience of working with primary care colleagues
• Experience of managing staff

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wansbeck Primary Care Network

Norham Road

Ashington

NE63 0NG

Employer's website

https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wansbeck Primary Care Network

Norham Road

Ashington

NE63 0NG

Employer's website

https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)