Specialist Clinical Pharmacist

NHS; Wigan; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in Wigan seeks a Specialist Clinical Pharmacist to deliver Specialist Clinical Pharmacy Services. The role requires strong clinical knowledge and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team, focusing on patient care and pharmacy practice. Successful candidates will receive support for post-graduate qualifications in pharmacy. This position offers a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development.

Benefits

Support for post-graduate qualifications

Opportunities for professional growth

Qualifications

• Demonstrated relevant clinical pharmacy experience in a hospital environment.
• Able to work independently or as part of a team.
• Experience working with patients.

Responsibilities

• Provide Specialist Clinical Pharmacy Services to patients.
• Supervise and support Band 6 pharmacists and pre-registration pharmacists.
• Ensure compliance with medicines management guidance.

Skills

Clinical pharmacy knowledge

Excellent verbal and written communication

Ability to demonstrate professional judgement

Ability to teach

Education

Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy

Member of General Pharmaceutical Council

Tools

MS Word

Outlook

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Specialist Clinical Pharmacist

The closing date is 28 December 2025

As a member of this busy but friendly team you will experience many core aspects of pharmacy practice, as well as the clinical work, you will have commitments to the dispensary and aseptics, and be expected to contribute to our 7-day working and on call service.

Pharmacists are part of an engaged and progressive Pharmacy team working to support our hospital areas where we help staff cope with the ever-increasing population and their complex needs.

Working closely with the multidisciplinary team, key aspects of this clinical post will include attending multidisciplinary team meetings, patient education and counselling, clinical audit, medicines safety and medicines information.

Our pharmacists are provided with opportunities for personal growth and development, including support for post-graduate qualifications in pharmacy, independent prescribing, and the opportunity to practice as a non‑medical prescriber.

Main duties of the job

As a member of this busy friendly team you will experience many core aspects of pharmacy practice. We operate with 2 dispensaries on 4 main sites and your rotation will allow you to experience a full range of clinical activities.

Medicine including medical admissions unit, cardiology and gastroenterology;

Surgery including ICU and Surgical Admissions;

Orthopaedics including Wrightington Hospital where you will gain experience of anti‑TNF therapy and Rheumatology. This hospital has an international reputation and the pharmacy team has significant involvement with consultants & nurse specialists to support and deliver this care;

Oncology and Parenteral Nutrition;

Paediatrics;

Women's Health;

Clinical trials.

The department is fully modernised & has ARX robot, EMIS software and has successfully implemented Allscripts Electronic Prescribing in the last 3 years.

About us

Choose Well - Choose WWL

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values 'the WWL Way'.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

Job responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

• As part of a Clinical Pharmacy Team, to be responsible for the provision of Specialist Clinical Pharmacy Services to patients.
• To have a commitment to dispensaries and to deliver the highest possible professional standards therein.
• In absence of a more senior Pharmacist to take professional responsibility for the dispensary including supervision of band 6 pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Assistants and pre‑registration pharmacists.
• To complete a rotational training plan experiencing all major clinical areas within the Trust.
• To ensure compliance with Medicines Law, CQC requirements and internal audit.
• To ensure compliance with medicines management guidance issued by the Trust, GMMMG or national bodies.
• To complete Clinical Pharmacy Diploma.

Planning and Organisational Duties

• To prioritise patients according to their clinical and pharmaceutical need.
• To obtain and validate patient medication histories.
• To use clinical tests and patient notes to advise clinicians about required changes to patient medication and alternatives that may be suggested if the normal route of administration is unavailable.
• To analyse medicine charts taking into account the clinical presentation of the patient, any relevant history and plans made by clinicians.
• To make appropriate endorsements in line with relevant Pharmacy standards.
• To ensure VTE compliance has been undertaken.
• To ensure antimicrobials are prescribed in line with current trust guidance.
• In conjunction with the Medicines Management Technicians to ensure patient specific medicines are ordered.
• To ensure the effective re‑use of patients own drugs.
• If deemed unfit for re‑use to destroy medicines ensuring relevant procedures are followed.
• To receive, interpret, clinically check, dispense, accuracy check and hand out prescriptions in line with departmental standard operating procedures.
• Using professional judgement and in a professional manner, to communicate to patients and healthcare staff any appropriate information about medicines which make their use safer or more effective.
• To assist delivery of cost efficiencies, by advising how medicines should be used in line with agreed formularies or guidance.
• To ensure pharmacy stock is controlled effectively. To assist in the ordering, issuing and receiving of medication when necessary.
• To provide active risk management as an integral part of pharmacy service, intervening as necessary to prevent harm from occurring to patients.
• To participate in clinical trials ensuring relevant details are maintained in trials documentation.
• To ensure ward Controlled Drugs audits are completed to the prescribed schedule.
• To assist with developments, project work, audit and surveys as directed by line manager.
• To provide services to Oncology when suitably trained.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• To assist other health professionals on ward to deliver the highest standards of care.
• Assist advanced Pharmacists to deliver Specialist Clinical Pharmacy Services.
• To liaise with other members of the pharmacy team to ensure clinically effective services are provided.
• To refer to more senior pharmacists in team when appropriate.
• To provide ward cover for other clinical teams or for more senior colleagues within the team.

Responsibility for Finance

• To handle cash, prescription charges & issue relevant receipts
• To sign orders for pharmaceutical products including controlled drugs in the absence of a more senior pharmacist.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• To organise own work patterns within framework provided by line manager.
• To supervise and support Band 6 pharmacists.
• To supervise pre‑registration pharmacists, student pharmacy technicians, Medicines Management Technicians and pharmacy assistants.
• To ensure staff have an understanding of and implement relevant procedures.
• To suggest improvements to procedures through line management.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

• Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
• To ensure patients and staff are advised of risks with medicines and to minimise those risks through effective medicines management support and counselling.
• To ensure known risks are brought to attention of line managers.
• To ensure Datix is used to record and review medicines related incidents. In conjunction with Managers to ensure appropriate systems are put in place to prevent recurrence where possible.

Responsibility for Teaching

• To provide teaching sessions to other healthcare professionals in line with knowledge and experience. To teach band 6 and pre‑registration pharmacists bearing in mind the expectations of the GPC and tutors.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Clinical pharmacy knowledge
• Understanding of clinical governance
• Understanding of NHS plans with reference to Pharmacy
• Good knowledge of disease states and treatments

Skills

• Ability to demonstrate professional judgement.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to communicate with a wide range of staff from a range of disciplines from both inside and outside the NHS
• Able to make decisions, including the decision to seek further advice/support
• Ability to delegate appropriately
• Able to work independently or as a member of a team and able to build effective working relationships with team ans colleagues
• High levels of accuracy
• Able to prioritise and organise own work with the ability to work on own initative and use time effectively
• Methodical
• Ability to teach

Experience

• To be able to demonstrate relevant clinical pharmacy experience in hospital environment
• Experience of working in hospital pharmacy at, or above AfC band 6 level or equivalent and ability to demonstrate a wider understanding of pharmacy practice and the workings of the NHS
• Experience of working with patients
• Computer literate, particularly; MS Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint

Qualifications

• Vocational Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent qualification.
• Member of General Pharmaceutical Council

Additional

• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation

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.

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust