Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist

NHS; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Pharmacy department is recruiting a Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist to work clinically within inpatient and community settings, providing expert pharmaceutical advice to promote safe, cost-effective and evidence-based prescribing.

You will undertake medicines reviews, support medicines optimisation, and participate in on-call out-of-hours service, with a strong focus on multidisciplinary teamwork and CPD.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Pharmacy (MPharm) and GPhC registration.
• Post-registration qualification in Mental Health Pharmacy preferable.
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to CPD and training.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical pharmacy services to designated teams in mental health.
• Undertake medicines reviews and advise on medicines optimisation.
• Support medicines management and develop SOPs.
• Participate in on-call duties and weekend/Bank holiday work.
• Work across inpatient and community settings.

Skills

Clinical pharmacy

Mental health

Communication skills

Teamwork

On-call availability

Education

MPharm

GPhC registration

Mental Health Pharmacy diploma

Tools

EPMA

Prescribing systems

Job description

Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist

The closing date is 28 September 2026

If you are looking for a new challenge in a supportive, enthusiastic and caring environment in a lovely part of Sheffield; Sheffield Health Partnership University Trust Pharmacy department are looking to recruit well motivated, forward-thinking professionals to join our friendly team.

We are seeking a Specialist Pharmacist to work clinically within designated teams in inpatient and community mental health settings, acting as an expert source of pharmaceutical advice promoting safe, cost effective and evidence-based prescribing and medicines use. In addition to the focus above, as part of the SHPU pharmacy team you will also work to provide specialist mental health pharmaceutical support to across the trust to help achieve best outcomes with medicines. There will be a requirement to undertake on call support out of hours.

You will need to have excellent communication skills and enjoy working as part of a multi-disciplinary team. You will need to be friendly, approachable, adaptable, flexible, willing to learn new skills and be committed to continuous professional development.

Main duties of the job

As part of the pharmacy service, to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the Trust

• To support the use of medicines across the Trust to achieve best outcomes for service users in accordance with best practice.
• To apply clinical skills and expertise in the management of medicines in mental health in accordance with best practice.
• To prevent and reduce medicines related harm.
• To provide a high level of clinical pharmacy services to allocated teams.
• To undertake medications reviews and provide advice on medicines optimisation.
• Competently use electronic based notes and prescribing systems.
• Participate in systems to ensure continuous personal professional development, including any agreed post-registration qualifications. Work towards membership of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (or equivalent).
• Participate in departmental systems of clinical supervision and peer support.
• Responsible for the day to day running of clinical trials service, including pharmacy trial specific procedures.
• To work flexibly and travel to various locations across the city.
• To participate in On-call pharmacist service in accordance with local procedure.
• Participate in weekend, bank holiday and late working rotas in accordance with local procedure.

About us

Become part of a vibrant team who are extremely passionate about staff engagement, culture, and improvement, where everyone has a voice and where service users and staff collaborate to have a direct impact on the things that matter most.

We want to provide the very best care to the people we support, and we're looking for amazing people who share this passion to join us.

Our friendly department provides an environment that supports learning, team working and encourages individuals to develop in their role.

The Pharmacy Department is a forward thinking and progressive department seeking to expand our current team as we develop a patient focused and modern hospital pharmacy service to the Trust while constantly looking at ways to further improve our service.

We understand the importance of great team working and have strong links with other disciplines within and around the trust. The patient is at the Centre of all that we do, and we aim to provide a pharmacy service that has Medicine Optimisation as key.

We are looking to recruit full time (37.5) hours per week. We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly or part time.

SHPU has EPMA (electronic prescribing and medicines administrations) throughout the trust In-patient sites.

Job responsibilities

The following represent a broad outline of tasks the post holder will be expected to perform in achieving their key result areas. These are not intended as a fixed list of duties. The post holder will, under the direction of the Chief Pharmacist or senior pharmacist, perform whatever duties are reasonably necessary to achieve the job purpose and the overall safe provision of pharmacy services throughout the Trust.

• Working predominantly within designated multidisciplinary teams, provide a clinical pharmacy service to teams in order to ensure pharmacological treatment provides best outcomes for service users and is in line with nationally agreed standards for best practice.
• Support designated multidisciplinary teams to develop safe and effective medicines related practice. Aid teams to develop and adhere to medicines related Standard Operating Procedures
• Develop and maintain relationships within designated multidisciplinary team(s) in order to ensure service users care plans, reflect the best use of pharmacological treatments.
• Support the delivery of clinical pharmacy services to other areas of the Trust.
• Promote the safe use of medication throughout the Trust and wider health community.
• Provide advice to service users and where relevant, carers on the best use of their medicines. Work with individual service users, carers or groups or to help achieve best outcomes from pharmacological treatments.
• Advise medical, nursing and other staff on medicine related problems and medicines optimisation.
• Perform specialist mental health medication reviews, reviewing and advising on the management of service users receiving complex pharmacological treatments or not responding to existing treatments. Where appropriate collaborate with other health care providers to ensure that physical health considerations are encompassed.
• Participate in SHSC drug information systems and provide expert advice on medication related queries to healthcare professionals, patients and carers.
• Deputise for the senior pharmacists when necessary.
• Responsibility for clinical and other checks within the dispensary, and to act as Responsible Pharmacist. Advise of the legal aspects of prescribing and the clarity and accuracy of prescriptions
• Responsibility to act as a pharmacist for the purposes of the 2012 Human Medicines Regulations and other statutory instruments
• Participate in data collection/audits and clinical trials.
• Participate in the systems and processes which will ensure compliance with the requirements laid down by CQC or other regulatory bodies.
• Participate in department systems to implement any MHRA or other medicines alerts
• Support medicines management training and development within SHSC
• Undertake mandatory and other training as required by the trust.
• When appropriate, supervise teach and assess junior pharmacy staff, technicians, and students.

Service Development

• Support developments in services under the direction of the senior pharmacy team.
• Support development and implementation of new processes and procedures.
• Under supervision, implement policies and propose changes to practices and procedures
• Support senior pharmacists to implement training developments, adapt training materials and organise and deliver training.

Person Specification

Tranining and Qualifications

• Masters degree in Pharmacy (MPharm) or equivalent pharmacy degree
• Hold current registration as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Hold a relevant post-registration qualification such as Diploma in Mental Health Pharmacy, or Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or working towards it
• Ability to work towards Membership of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy, or equivalent
• Good Clinical Practice certificate

Knowledge and Skills

• Have a high level of clinical pharmacy skills and knowledge and be able to apply this to work in mental health
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based healthcare
• Be able to develop own role and manage new initiatives
• Be computer literate and have the ability to learn to use a variety of electronic notes and prescribing systems
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Have an interest in mental health pharmacy across the spectrum of healthcare settings
• Knowledge of relevant clinical guidelines and their application to best practice
• Knowledge of recent developments in mental health practice or equivalent specialities, including learning disability and substance misuse
• Demonstrated ability to work with other professional team members in secondary care

Experience

• Significant post-registration experience in evidence-based clinical pharmacy practice
• Evidence of working as part of a clinical team
• Experience of clinical pharmacy practice in mental health
• Previous secondary care (hospital) pharmacy practice
• Evidence of the application of clinical guidelines to practice

other

• Be conscientious and methodical in their approach to work
• Be flexible, adaptable and responsive regarding changes in practice
• Be able to travel to all areas of the Trust in a timely and effective manner
• Flexible working to undertake late duties, weekend /Bank holiday work and on-call commitment

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.

Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

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