Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Lead Acute Medicine Pharmacist

The closing date is 21 August 2025

Job summary

Join Frimley Health as a Lead Acute Medicine Pharmacist!

Join our dynamic team at the Acute Medicine wards of Frimley Park Hospital for an exciting opportunity as a Lead Pharmacist in Acute Medicine. We're seeking an enthusiastic, experienced pharmacist to take charge and support our Acute Medical wards.

In this role, you'll provide clinical pharmacy leadership to our medical and nursing teams, ensuring safe and cost-effective pharmaceutical care for our patients. You'll play a key role in facilitating smooth patient discharge and transfers, including prescribing discharge prescriptions. Your responsibilities will also include active participation in multidisciplinary ward rounds and the ongoing development of our clinical pharmacy service.

We're looking for someone who has completed their clinical diploma or equivalent, possesses Independent Prescribing qualifications, and is dedicated to continuous professional development. Hospital pharmacy experience, particularly in clinical pharmacy and teaching, is essential. Strong communication, interpersonal, and motivational skills are a must, as is the ability to work effectively within a team. As a senior clinical pharmacist, you'll serve as a role model for junior staff, demonstrating confidence and expertise in your field.

Contact information:

Frimley Park Hospital:

  • Carole Underwood (Principal Pharmacist Chronic Medicine)
  • carole.underwood1@nhs.net

Main duties of the job

Under the direction of the Principal Pharmacist Acute Medicine and other senior pharmacists, the post holder will:

  • To provide clinical pharmacy leadership to medical, nursing and other staff on Acute Medicine and Emergency Department (ED) to ensure safe and cost-effective pharmaceutical care for patients. To facilitate the smooth and efficient discharge and transfer of patients regarding their medication.
  • To actively participate in Acute Medicine ward rounds, and post take rounds with Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT).
  • Supervise Medicines Management Technicians (MMTs) within the medical directorate, working to corporate pharmacy objectives in promoting and maintaining high standards of medicine use within the Trust.
  • To maintain or develop an area of special clinical interest, and to provide leadership to the department in this specialist area.
  • To undertake audit and review clinical practices to affect positive change in medicines management.

About us

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust provides NHS hospital servicesforaround 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and south Buckinghamshire.

As well as delivering excellent general hospital services to local people, we provide specialist heart attack, vascular, stroke, spinal, cystic fibrosis and plastic surgery services across a much wider area.

We have three main hospitals - Frimley Park in Frimley near Camberley, Heatherwood in Ascot and Wexham Park near Slough.

Our threecore values, and the behaviours that support them, guide everything we do and set out what we expect of our staff in the way they treat patients, visitors, service users and each other,Committed to Excellence,WorkingTogether and Facing the Future.

We are also proud to host the Defence Medical Group South East at Frimley Park with military surgical, medical and nursing personnelworkingalongside the hospital's NHS staff providing care to patients in all specialties

Details

Date posted

08 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,888 to £64,880 a year per annum incl HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

151-NM128

Job locations

Frimley Park Hospital

Frimley

GU15 7UJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To promote and ensure safe and clinically effective drug prescribing and administration to acute medical wards.
  • To work specifically on ED and the Admission Wards, providing senior clinical support to all escalation beds.
  • To work and support with Acute Emergency Ambulatory Care Unit(AECU) providing clinical pharmacy services to all patients.
  • To be willing to undertake training to act as an independent non-medical prescriber within this specialist area as appropriate.
  • To fulfil this role within the individuals area of competence, including medicines reconciliation on admission and prescribing of currently prescribed medicines on discharge. This will include prescribing for MCAs (Multi-compartment aids) on FP10s for supply by Community Pharmacists.
  • To attend and pro-actively take part in ward rounds and clinical meetings as appropriate.
  • To maintain a high profile on the medical wards and provide education and training to multi-disciplinary groups.
  • To supervise MMTs, working collaboratively in the review of drug histories, patients own drugs and to advise on current therapy.
  • To promote seamless pharmaceutical care on discharge and transfer to other wards within the Trust, establishing good links with Primary Care. In particular, to explore and develop opportunities to promote the Transfer of Care agenda across the local health community.
  • To maintain and develop formal links with Medical Consultants, medical and nursing teams and Associate Director for Medicine. To advise, evaluate and report on drug use and expenditure on acute medical wards.
  • To review and develop clinical drug and treatment guidelines and drug policies for use within medicine
  • To liaise between A&E, Admission wards, Ambulatory Care Unit, and other medical wards, and other ward pharmacists to ensure effective two-way communication of patient specific information.
  • To record and analyse all pharmacist interventions made in the medical admissions wards on a regular basis.
  • To provide relevant drug information as requested to medical, nursing and other healthcare professional staff in Medicine.
  • To be an active member of Clinical Governance Groups relevant to medical admissions and discharges.

For a full list of responsibilities please see attached job description and person specification

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To promote and ensure safe and clinically effective drug prescribing and administration to acute medical wards.
  • To work specifically on ED and the Admission Wards, providing senior clinical support to all escalation beds.
  • To work and support with Acute Emergency Ambulatory Care Unit(AECU) providing clinical pharmacy services to all patients.
  • To be willing to undertake training to act as an independent non-medical prescriber within this specialist area as appropriate.
  • To fulfil this role within the individuals area of competence, including medicines reconciliation on admission and prescribing of currently prescribed medicines on discharge. This will include prescribing for MCAs (Multi-compartment aids) on FP10s for supply by Community Pharmacists.
  • To attend and pro-actively take part in ward rounds and clinical meetings as appropriate.
  • To maintain a high profile on the medical wards and provide education and training to multi-disciplinary groups.
  • To supervise MMTs, working collaboratively in the review of drug histories, patients own drugs and to advise on current therapy.
  • To promote seamless pharmaceutical care on discharge and transfer to other wards within the Trust, establishing good links with Primary Care. In particular, to explore and develop opportunities to promote the Transfer of Care agenda across the local health community.
  • To maintain and develop formal links with Medical Consultants, medical and nursing teams and Associate Director for Medicine. To advise, evaluate and report on drug use and expenditure on acute medical wards.
  • To review and develop clinical drug and treatment guidelines and drug policies for use within medicine
  • To liaise between A&E, Admission wards, Ambulatory Care Unit, and other medical wards, and other ward pharmacists to ensure effective two-way communication of patient specific information.
  • To record and analyse all pharmacist interventions made in the medical admissions wards on a regular basis.
  • To provide relevant drug information as requested to medical, nursing and other healthcare professional staff in Medicine.
  • To be an active member of Clinical Governance Groups relevant to medical admissions and discharges.

For a full list of responsibilities please see attached job description and person specification

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Pharmacy degree (Masters level 4 years)
  • Registered with GPhC
  • Postgraduate clinical diploma or equivalent
  • Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
  • Independent prescriber Pharmacist

Desirable

  • MSc or higher degree
  • RPS membership
  • Advanced Practitoner

SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES FOR ROLE e.g communication, problem solving, leadership

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Applied clinical knowledge

Desirable

  • Excellent IT Skills

PROFESSIONAL/ SPECIALIST/ FUNCTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Essential

  • Significant post-qualification experience working as a pharmacist in a clinical environment.
  • Experience in prescribing.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Pharmacy degree (Masters level 4 years)
  • Registered with GPhC
  • Postgraduate clinical diploma or equivalent
  • Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
  • Independent prescriber Pharmacist

Desirable

  • MSc or higher degree
  • RPS membership
  • Advanced Practitoner

SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES FOR ROLE e.g communication, problem solving, leadership

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Applied clinical knowledge

Desirable

  • Excellent IT Skills

PROFESSIONAL/ SPECIALIST/ FUNCTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Essential

  • Significant post-qualification experience working as a pharmacist in a clinical environment.
  • Experience in prescribing.

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.

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.

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

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Frimley Park Hospital

Frimley

GU15 7UJ


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Frimley Park Hospital

Frimley

GU15 7UJ


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Principal Pharmacist for Acute Medicine

Sonia Sunny Babu

sonia.sunnybabu@nhs.net

03006153189

Details

Date posted

08 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,888 to £64,880 a year per annum incl HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

151-NM128

Job locations

Frimley Park Hospital

Frimley

GU15 7UJ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)