Job summary
Lead Pharmacist - Governance and Formulary
Division: Cancer & Core Clinical Services
Care Group: Diagnostics and Therapies
Band: 8b
Salary: £64,455 - £74,896 per annum/pro rata
Interview Date: 16th December 2025
We are recruiting for a Lead Pharmacist who shares our ambition and vision to deliver theBest of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.
Main duties of the job
The lead pharmacist will provide highly specialist and advanced clinical and professional pharmaceutical services and guidance for the formulary and governance workstreams at Medway Maritime Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to promote the optimised, safe and cost-effective use of medicines.
You will be a core member of the Trust's pharmacy department, providing professional pharmaceutical governance, medicines safety, medicines information, medicines finance, education and training and medicines optimisation support to the team.
You will build relationships and work with internal stakeholders and external partners to support the delivery of high quality pharmaceutical care to patients.
Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.
About us
Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of theBest of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.
As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy - Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.
Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.
Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:
B - Bold
E - Every person counts
S - Sharing and open
T - Together
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role provides strategic leadership for formulary management, medicines governance, optimisation, and clinical pharmacy practice across the Trust.
Key responsibilities include maintaining the Trust formulary, overseeing non-formulary and Individual Funding Request processes, and ensuring safe, effective and cost-efficient medicine use. The post-holder represents the organisation at multiple regional groups, collaborates on national and regional medicines optimisation initiatives, and leads the Medicines Management Group. They provide senior clinical advice, negotiate on complex or contentious medicines issues, and deliver training on formulary processes.
Governance duties involve leading the Pharmacy Governance Group, supervising relevant pharmacy governance staff, ensuring compliance with national policies, and overseeing procedures such as IVIG, Patient Group Directions, unlicensed medicines, and controlled drugs. The role drives the audit programme, manages responses to drug shortages and recalls, supports the development of Trust-wide medicines policies, and ensures adherence to SOPs, mandatory training, and CQUIN requirements.
Within medicines optimisation, the post-holder supports and deputises for the Lead Pharmacist, provides complex financial and horizon-scanning advice, contributes to efficiency programmes, and forecasts drug budget impacts. They also lead and participate in research, quality improvement projects, and share findings through publication and presentation.
General duties include providing visible leadership, maintaining a positive and inclusive culture, producing business cases, promoting the pharmacy service, ensuring professional standards, and complying with all governance, legal and safety requirements. The post includes clinical responsibilities such as independent prescribing, providing specialist clinical pharmacy services, supervising trainees and staff, supporting operational services, participating in rotas, and maintaining active professional development.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role provides strategic leadership for formulary management, medicines governance, optimisation, and clinical pharmacy practice across the Trust.
Key responsibilities include maintaining the Trust formulary, overseeing non-formulary and Individual Funding Request processes, and ensuring safe, effective and cost-efficient medicine use. The post-holder represents the organisation at multiple regional groups, collaborates on national and regional medicines optimisation initiatives, and leads the Medicines Management Group. They provide senior clinical advice, negotiate on complex or contentious medicines issues, and deliver training on formulary processes.
Governance duties involve leading the Pharmacy Governance Group, supervising relevant pharmacy governance staff, ensuring compliance with national policies, and overseeing procedures such as IVIG, Patient Group Directions, unlicensed medicines, and controlled drugs. The role drives the audit programme, manages responses to drug shortages and recalls, supports the development of Trust-wide medicines policies, and ensures adherence to SOPs, mandatory training, and CQUIN requirements.
Within medicines optimisation, the post-holder supports and deputises for the Lead Pharmacist, provides complex financial and horizon-scanning advice, contributes to efficiency programmes, and forecasts drug budget impacts. They also lead and participate in research, quality improvement projects, and share findings through publication and presentation.
General duties include providing visible leadership, maintaining a positive and inclusive culture, producing business cases, promoting the pharmacy service, ensuring professional standards, and complying with all governance, legal and safety requirements. The post includes clinical responsibilities such as independent prescribing, providing specialist clinical pharmacy services, supervising trainees and staff, supporting operational services, participating in rotas, and maintaining active professional development.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in pharmacy or equivalent
- Higher degree/Diploma in clinical pharmacy
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Desirable
- Independent prescribing qualification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of and ability to apply all aspects of regulatory legislation and guidelines
- Specialist clinical knowledge and skills relevant to the area of practice, or demonstration of an ability to develop a highly specialist knowledge in a therapeutic area
- Expert clinical knowledge and skills relevant to area of practice, or demonstrated ability to do so
Experience
Essential
- Previous relevant specialist clinical experience
- Experience of working with senior healthcare professions outside of pharmacy at a senior level
- Experience of monitoring drug use and expenditure
Skills
Essential
- Advanced IT skills - including word, excel, email and PowerPoint
- Able to solve difficult and ambiguous problems by advanced reasoning and sound technical judgment
- Demonstrable empowering and collaborative leadership skills
Values Based Question
Essential
- Give an example of a time when you have gone the extra mile to help someone
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree in pharmacy or equivalent
- Higher degree/Diploma in clinical pharmacy
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Desirable
- Independent prescribing qualification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of and ability to apply all aspects of regulatory legislation and guidelines
- Specialist clinical knowledge and skills relevant to the area of practice, or demonstration of an ability to develop a highly specialist knowledge in a therapeutic area
- Expert clinical knowledge and skills relevant to area of practice, or demonstrated ability to do so
Experience
Essential
- Previous relevant specialist clinical experience
- Experience of working with senior healthcare professions outside of pharmacy at a senior level
- Experience of monitoring drug use and expenditure
Skills
Essential
- Advanced IT skills - including word, excel, email and PowerPoint
- Able to solve difficult and ambiguous problems by advanced reasoning and sound technical judgment
- Demonstrable empowering and collaborative leadership skills
Values Based Question
Essential
- Give an example of a time when you have gone the extra mile to help someone
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).
