Job summary
Are you an ambitious, motivated and forward-thinking senior pharmacist ready to lead one of the largest and most diverse clinical pharmacy services in the Southwest?
This is an exceptional opportunity to join University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) as our Associate Chief Pharmacist for Clinical Services -- a role with genuine scale, strategic influence and the ability to shape the future of clinical pharmacy across a major tertiary centre.
We welcome applications from experienced senior pharmacy leaders as well as exceptional emerging leaders with the capability, ambition and strategic insight to succeed in a role of this scale.
You will provide senior leadership to a progressive, clinically focused, digitally enabled pharmacy service, guiding:
o 70+ clinical pharmacy professionals (Lead Pharmacists, Advanced Specialists, Rotational Pharmacists, Medicines Optimisation Technicians)
o 20-25 trainees
o A £4.7m clinical workforce budget, influencing £150m+ medicines expenditure
This is a pivotal leadership role at the heart of a large, complex teaching hospital, offering the scope to influence clinical practice, workforce development and medicines optimisation at scale.
Main duties of the job
The Associate Chief Pharmacist - Clinical Services is a senior member of the Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team responsible for defining and delivering the Trust's clinical pharmacy vision. The post holder leads the development and implementation of the UHP Clinical Pharmacy Strategy, ensuring services are progressive, patient-centred and aligned with Trust and Integrated Care System (ICS) priorities.
The role provides professional leadership for the clinical pharmacy and medicines optimisation workforce, ensuring staff work at the top of their licence and that clinical services are safe, effective and responsive to the needs of a large tertiary teaching hospital. Working closely with senior clinical, operational and managerial colleagues, the post holder ensures that the use of medicines supports high-quality care, patient flow, safety, and value.
The Associate Chief Pharmacist represents clinical pharmacy at senior internal and external forums and leads the advancement of extended and advanced practice, including independent prescribing, advanced practice and consultant pharmacist pathways, supporting the Trust's ambition for high-quality, research-active, sustainable pharmaceutical care.
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
About us
UHP is the largest acute and tertiary hospital on the Southwest Peninsula, serving over 2 million people. Our specialist services include cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, renal transplantation, major trauma, haematology, oncology, hepatobiliary surgery and paediatrics. We work closely with partners across Devon ICS to streamline pathways and drive high-quality medicines optimisation.
We benefit from strong academic partnerships. The University of Plymouth, now teaching the University of Bath MPharm programme locally, offers opportunities for pharmacists to contribute to teaching, clinical skills education and academic collaboration.
Our department continues to modernise, with a new dispensing robot and automated controlled drug cabinets within the pharmacy. We are preparing for a Trust-wide rollout of automated dispensing cabinets and constructing a state-of-the-art aseptic unit opening in 2027. Alongside this, we will implement the Epic Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in Summer 2026, strengthening our digital and clinical capability.
As a People First organisation, we are committed to compassionate, values-led leadership, ensuring that we put people first, take ownership and continuously listen, learn and improve.
Our Chief Pharmacist, Deputy Chief Pharmacist and Senior Leadership Team are deeply committed to supporting you as an individual, helping you thrive in a role that is both challenging and highly rewarding.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Leadership and Workforce Management
Provide strategic and operational leadership to a clinical pharmacy workforce of approximately 72 staff, including Lead Pharmacists, Advanced Specialists, Specialists, Rotational Pharmacists and Medicines Optimisation Pharmacy Technicians.Provide professional oversight for 2025 trainee pharmacists and preregistration pharmacy technician trainees.Directly line manage Lead Clinical Pharmacists across all specialtybased clinical pharmacy teams.Develop the clinical pharmacy workforce, supporting advanced practice, independent prescribing and consultant pharmacist development.Foster an inclusive, supportive and highperformance culture across clinical pharmacy services.
2. Operational Delivery of Clinical Pharmacy Services
Provide operational oversight for clinical pharmacy services supporting a 1,100bed tertiary teaching hospital, ensuring responsive, safe and efficient delivery across all specialties and highacuity pathways.Ensure effective deployment of staff to support patient flow, medicines reconciliation, discharge optimisation and reduction of medicinesrelated harm.Ensure services adapt appropriately to operational pressures, system escalation and organisational priorities.
3. Financial and Resource Management
Act as budget holder for the clinical pharmacy workforce portfolio (circa £4.7 million), with responsibility for pay and nonpay expenditure.Influence and optimise multimillionpound medicines expenditure through advanced clinical decisionmaking and targeted optimisation interventions.Lead or contribute to business planning, including development of business cases for service redesign, workforce changes, digital developments and pathway improvement.
4. Quality, Safety and Clinical Governance
Provide senior clinical assurance for the safety, quality and compliance of clinical pharmacy services, ensuring alignment with legislation, national standards and Trust governance frameworks.Lead identification, escalation and mitigation of clinical risks within the clinical pharmacy portfolio.Ensure systematic learning from incidents, audits and external recommendations.Support Trustwide medicines optimisation priorities and contribute to safe, effective use of medicines across all services.
5. Research, Evaluation and Quality Improvement
Promote and support research, audit and Quality Improvement activities across clinical pharmacy teams.Embed a culture of evidencebased practice, evaluation, and innovation within clinical services.Enable clinical teams to engage with academic partners and national initiatives to strengthen research activity.
6. Medicines Optimisation and Sustainability
Provide expert pharmaceutical leadership to support safe, effective and valuebased use of medicines across the organisation.Lead initiatives to reduce medicines waste, improve value, support highimpact prescribing changes and deliver medicines optimisation priorities.Promote environmentally responsible use of medicines and support actions aligned with the Trusts net zero and sustainability ambitions.
7. Collaboration and System Leadership
Work collaboratively with senior clinical, managerial, operational and financial colleagues to ensure clinical pharmacy services support organisational and ICS priorities.Represent clinical pharmacy services at internal, system, regional or national forums.Contribute to Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team priorities, including departmental strategy, workforce planning and cultural development.
Please see the full Job Description and Person Specification for detailed responsibilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Leadership and Workforce Management
Provide strategic and operational leadership to a clinical pharmacy workforce of approximately 72 staff, including Lead Pharmacists, Advanced Specialists, Specialists, Rotational Pharmacists and Medicines Optimisation Pharmacy Technicians.Provide professional oversight for 2025 trainee pharmacists and preregistration pharmacy technician trainees.Directly line manage Lead Clinical Pharmacists across all specialtybased clinical pharmacy teams.Develop the clinical pharmacy workforce, supporting advanced practice, independent prescribing and consultant pharmacist development.Foster an inclusive, supportive and highperformance culture across clinical pharmacy services.
2. Operational Delivery of Clinical Pharmacy Services
Provide operational oversight for clinical pharmacy services supporting a 1,100bed tertiary teaching hospital, ensuring responsive, safe and efficient delivery across all specialties and highacuity pathways.Ensure effective deployment of staff to support patient flow, medicines reconciliation, discharge optimisation and reduction of medicinesrelated harm.Ensure services adapt appropriately to operational pressures, system escalation and organisational priorities.
3. Financial and Resource Management
Act as budget holder for the clinical pharmacy workforce portfolio (circa £4.7 million), with responsibility for pay and nonpay expenditure.Influence and optimise multimillionpound medicines expenditure through advanced clinical decisionmaking and targeted optimisation interventions.Lead or contribute to business planning, including development of business cases for service redesign, workforce changes, digital developments and pathway improvement.
4. Quality, Safety and Clinical Governance
Provide senior clinical assurance for the safety, quality and compliance of clinical pharmacy services, ensuring alignment with legislation, national standards and Trust governance frameworks.Lead identification, escalation and mitigation of clinical risks within the clinical pharmacy portfolio.Ensure systematic learning from incidents, audits and external recommendations.Support Trustwide medicines optimisation priorities and contribute to safe, effective use of medicines across all services.
5. Research, Evaluation and Quality Improvement
Promote and support research, audit and Quality Improvement activities across clinical pharmacy teams.Embed a culture of evidencebased practice, evaluation, and innovation within clinical services.Enable clinical teams to engage with academic partners and national initiatives to strengthen research activity.
6. Medicines Optimisation and Sustainability
Provide expert pharmaceutical leadership to support safe, effective and valuebased use of medicines across the organisation.Lead initiatives to reduce medicines waste, improve value, support highimpact prescribing changes and deliver medicines optimisation priorities.Promote environmentally responsible use of medicines and support actions aligned with the Trusts net zero and sustainability ambitions.
7. Collaboration and System Leadership
Work collaboratively with senior clinical, managerial, operational and financial colleagues to ensure clinical pharmacy services support organisational and ICS priorities.Represent clinical pharmacy services at internal, system, regional or national forums.Contribute to Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team priorities, including departmental strategy, workforce planning and cultural development.
Please see the full Job Description and Person Specification for detailed responsibilities.
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant demonstrable senior leadership experience within complex clinical pharmacy settings, leading multidisciplinary teams and servicesProven track record of delivering clinical service transformation, pathway redesign and quality improvement.
- Demonstrable clinical governance experience including audit, guideline development, incident learning and evidence-based practice.
- Advanced clinical proven knowledge and high-level clinical reasoning.
- Demonstrable experience leading medicines optimisation activities (i.e., ensuring safe, effective and value-based use of medicines across clinical services
- Demonstrable experience of workforce leadership, including workforce redesign and supporting development of advanced and consultant practice roles, with oversight of training and capability development
- Proven Financial and business awareness with demonstrable experience contributing to service efficiencies, quality impact assessments and identifying opportunities to improve value for money.
- Demonstrable experience of leading, mentoring and developing high performing teams by creating a safe, compassion and inclusive workplace
- Demonstrable experience of change management and service delivery
- Proven ability to analyse complex clinical, operational and financial data to inform decisions.
Desirable
- Demonstrable experience working across organisational boundaries (e.g. partner organisations, integrated care systems).
- Demonstrable experience supporting senior operational leadership teams at all levels.
- Contribution to research, innovation or academic activity.
- Demonstrable experience designing and developing new clinical pharmacy services or advanced practice models.
- Demonstrable experience of postgraduate teaching, supervision or mentoring.
- Demonstrable experience of digital and informatics-enabled service improvement, such as optimisation of electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems or electronic patient record systems.
Qualifications
Essential
- Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy.
- Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma or equivalent
- Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Non-medical prescriber (or must be willing to undertake this when requested)
Desirable
- Current registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and member of faculty
- Member of the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) or other relevant pharmacy professional interest group
- Postgraduate leadership or management qualification
- Postgraduate qualification in area of speciality
Aptitude and Abilities
Essential
- Excellent communication skills with ability to convey complex information clearly.
- Strong organisational and time management skills.
- Ability to prioritise, meet deadlines and remain effective in a busy working environment.
Desirable
- Ability to deliver effective training, coaching and presentations to clinical and operational teams
- Proven knowledge of financial management principles.
- Formal coaching/mentoring training
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant demonstrable senior leadership experience within complex clinical pharmacy settings, leading multidisciplinary teams and servicesProven track record of delivering clinical service transformation, pathway redesign and quality improvement.
- Demonstrable clinical governance experience including audit, guideline development, incident learning and evidence-based practice.
- Advanced clinical proven knowledge and high-level clinical reasoning.
- Demonstrable experience leading medicines optimisation activities (i.e., ensuring safe, effective and value-based use of medicines across clinical services
- Demonstrable experience of workforce leadership, including workforce redesign and supporting development of advanced and consultant practice roles, with oversight of training and capability development
- Proven Financial and business awareness with demonstrable experience contributing to service efficiencies, quality impact assessments and identifying opportunities to improve value for money.
- Demonstrable experience of leading, mentoring and developing high performing teams by creating a safe, compassion and inclusive workplace
- Demonstrable experience of change management and service delivery
- Proven ability to analyse complex clinical, operational and financial data to inform decisions.
Desirable
- Demonstrable experience working across organisational boundaries (e.g. partner organisations, integrated care systems).
- Demonstrable experience supporting senior operational leadership teams at all levels.
- Contribution to research, innovation or academic activity.
- Demonstrable experience designing and developing new clinical pharmacy services or advanced practice models.
- Demonstrable experience of postgraduate teaching, supervision or mentoring.
- Demonstrable experience of digital and informatics-enabled service improvement, such as optimisation of electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems or electronic patient record systems.
Qualifications
Essential
- Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy.
- Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma or equivalent
- Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Non-medical prescriber (or must be willing to undertake this when requested)
Desirable
- Current registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and member of faculty
- Member of the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) or other relevant pharmacy professional interest group
- Postgraduate leadership or management qualification
- Postgraduate qualification in area of speciality
Aptitude and Abilities
Essential
- Excellent communication skills with ability to convey complex information clearly.
- Strong organisational and time management skills.
- Ability to prioritise, meet deadlines and remain effective in a busy working environment.
Desirable
- Ability to deliver effective training, coaching and presentations to clinical and operational teams
- Proven knowledge of financial management principles.
- Formal coaching/mentoring training
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.
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.
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).
