Job summary
This Band 8a Advanced Pharmacist role supports the delivery of advanced clinical pharmacy and medicines optimisation services across Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. The postholder will lead on clozapine and depot clinics, contribute to clinical governance, and support safe, effective, and value-based use of medicines.
Main duties of the job
- Deliver advanced clinical pharmacy services to CMHTs.
- Act as lead pharmacist for clozapine and depot clinics.
- Support ward-based services, including consultant-led rounds and patient counselling.
- Participate in dispensary, medicines information, and emergency on-call rotas.
- Provide education and training to staff and service users.
- Contribute to clinical audits and quality improvement initiatives.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will lead on improving patient experience with medicines, ensure compliance with governance standards, and support cost-effective prescribing. They will work independently in specialist clinics, supervise pharmacy technicians, and liaise with multidisciplinary teams. The role includes non-medical prescribing (where appropriate), medicines information provision, and active participation in service development and clinical meetings.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will lead on improving patient experience with medicines, ensure compliance with governance standards, and support cost-effective prescribing. They will work independently in specialist clinics, supervise pharmacy technicians, and liaise with multidisciplinary teams. The role includes non-medical prescribing (where appropriate), medicines information provision, and active participation in service development and clinical meetings.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree (MSc or MPharm) in pharmacy or equivalent.
- Registered with the GPhC.
- Postgraduate accreditation/qualification in pharmacy, preferably in psychiatry
Desirable
- Registered independent prescriber or ability to train and register as an IP
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 6 years post-registration experience
- Minimum of 4 years' experience as a clinical pharmacist, ideally in a relevant healthcare setting.
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with mental health problems
- Postgraduate accreditation or qualification in pharmacy
- Registered independent prescriber or the ability to train and register as one.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Expert clinical knowledge of drug use, especially in mental health
- Ability to communicate highly complex medicine-related information to a range of audiences including prescribers, patients, and carers.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team, managing workload under pressure and using initiative to problem-solve.
Desirable
- Medicines information skills, including the ability to analyse incomplete or conflicting data to provide specialist advice.
- Understanding of national and local priorities, including clinical governance frameworks.
- Advanced IT and data handling skills, including use of pharmacy systems and Microsoft Office tools.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree (MSc or MPharm) in pharmacy or equivalent.
- Registered with the GPhC.
- Postgraduate accreditation/qualification in pharmacy, preferably in psychiatry
Desirable
- Registered independent prescriber or ability to train and register as an IP
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 6 years post-registration experience
- Minimum of 4 years' experience as a clinical pharmacist, ideally in a relevant healthcare setting.
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with mental health problems
- Postgraduate accreditation or qualification in pharmacy
- Registered independent prescriber or the ability to train and register as one.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Expert clinical knowledge of drug use, especially in mental health
- Ability to communicate highly complex medicine-related information to a range of audiences including prescribers, patients, and carers.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team, managing workload under pressure and using initiative to problem-solve.
Desirable
- Medicines information skills, including the ability to analyse incomplete or conflicting data to provide specialist advice.
- Understanding of national and local priorities, including clinical governance frameworks.
- Advanced IT and data handling skills, including use of pharmacy systems and Microsoft Office tools.
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).
