Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Pharmacist, Medicine Safety

The closing date is 24 April 2026

Job summary

We are seeking a motivated, experienced, and patient-safety-focused pharmacist to join our Medication Safety Team, to cover for maternity leave. This role offers an exciting opportunity to deliver both local and national medication safety priorities as part of a team of pharmacists and medication safety pharmacy technicians and nurses.

You will play a key role in supporting the Trust to improve medication safety, deliver high-quality patient care, and contribute to a positive safety culture across all areas of practice. This role also offers excellent opportunities for professional development, working alongside colleagues and patients to drive improvement initiatives.

Success in this post will require:

Empathy, curiosity, and strong communication skills

Collaboration and relationship-building across multidisciplinary teams

Understanding of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy and PSIRF

Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work flexibly

Digital literacy and experience with data management

This vacancy is advertised on a fixed term basis as it has been established to provide cover for maternity leave and will after a period of 12 months or when the substantive postholder returns.

Whilst this post is advertised on a fixed term basis there is the potential that this post may become permanent in the future.

Main duties of the job

Lead, deliver, and monitor the Trust's Medication Safety Programme. Act as a specialist expert and role model for medication safety across the organisation. Drive and embed a positive safety culture across all services. Coordinate medication safety workstreams and contribute to wider clinical governance. Review, analyse, and monitor medication incidents, providing feedback to support shared learning. Support the implementation of local and national safety guidance, patient safety alerts, and incident action plans. Facilitate learning from safety events and promote continual improvement. Provide education and training to multidisciplinary teams, and support audit, evaluation, and research activity. Contribute to Medicine Safety Group activities, safety communications, and incident reporting processes. Participate in cross-site operational responsibilities, including clinical cover and dispensary duties.

About us

Choose Well - Choose WWL

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values 'the WWL Way'.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

Details

Date posted

14 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,528 to £64,750 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

302-26-7821278M-A

Job locations

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

Wigan Lane

Wigan

WN1 2NN


Job description

Job responsibilities

Leadership & Strategic Responsibilities

  • Lead, deliver, and monitor the Trusts Medication Safety Agenda.
  • Act as a role model and specialist expert in Medication Safety across the organisation.
  • Drive and embed positive medication safety culture across all services.
  • Participate in regional Medication Safety Networks
  • Lead and coordinate medicines safety workstreams and contribute to clinical governance.

Safety, Risk & Governance

  • Develop, assess, and monitor implementation of local and national safety guidance.
  • Implement changes to reduce the risk of preventable medication harm.
  • Facilitate learning from patient safety insights by coordinating responses to safety events.
  • Lead medication incident riskreduction strategies and support Trust incident reporting systems.
  • Review, analyse, and monitor medication incidents, providing feedback for shared learning and staff education.
  • Support responses to national patient safety alerts and implement associated action plans.

Education, Training & Professional Development

  • Provide education and training to multidisciplinary teams within and beyond the Trust.
  • Contribute to practice research, clinical audit, and service evaluation.
  • Develop training resources and improvement programmes aligned to the NHS Patient Safety Strategy and the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.

Operational Responsibilities

  • Undertake crosssite responsibilities, including clinical ward cover and dispensary duties.
  • Actively participate as a member of the Medication Safety Group (MSG) and contribute to safety communication (e.g., medication safety bulletins).
  • Support incident data management, digital reporting tools, and governance documentation.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Leadership & Strategic Responsibilities

  • Lead, deliver, and monitor the Trusts Medication Safety Agenda.
  • Act as a role model and specialist expert in Medication Safety across the organisation.
  • Drive and embed positive medication safety culture across all services.
  • Participate in regional Medication Safety Networks
  • Lead and coordinate medicines safety workstreams and contribute to clinical governance.

Safety, Risk & Governance

  • Develop, assess, and monitor implementation of local and national safety guidance.
  • Implement changes to reduce the risk of preventable medication harm.
  • Facilitate learning from patient safety insights by coordinating responses to safety events.
  • Lead medication incident riskreduction strategies and support Trust incident reporting systems.
  • Review, analyse, and monitor medication incidents, providing feedback for shared learning and staff education.
  • Support responses to national patient safety alerts and implement associated action plans.

Education, Training & Professional Development

  • Provide education and training to multidisciplinary teams within and beyond the Trust.
  • Contribute to practice research, clinical audit, and service evaluation.
  • Develop training resources and improvement programmes aligned to the NHS Patient Safety Strategy and the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.

Operational Responsibilities

  • Undertake crosssite responsibilities, including clinical ward cover and dispensary duties.
  • Actively participate as a member of the Medication Safety Group (MSG) and contribute to safety communication (e.g., medication safety bulletins).
  • Support incident data management, digital reporting tools, and governance documentation.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • Broad academic/theoretical knowledge to support all of the required experience
  • Knowledge of NHS National policy & key changes in the NHS
  • Understanding of Trust Values and Strategy

Skills

Essential

  • Innovative clinical pharmacy practice using analytical / problem solving skills in complex situations
  • Able to assertively / enthusiatically lead, engage, motivate and inspire staff within and outside of pharmacy team
  • Financial Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills
  • Able to assess and manipulate a broad range of information quickly and accurately
  • Able to make effective judgements based on limited information
  • Computer Skills
  • Ability to manage time, prioritising tasks to meet deadlines.

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive clinical pharmacy experience and service delivery as part of MDT at minimum of band 7 / Specialist level
  • Recent experince of governance and assurance at departmental level
  • Recent experience of assisting a successful senior pharmacy team achieve objectives
  • Recent experience of successfully delivering change
  • Experience of audit and reporting
  • Lead projects / audit in co-operation with others
  • Experience of training and education
  • Experience of Drug Budget Control and Monitoring
  • Clinical mentoring or pre-registration tutor

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters Degree in Pharmacy plus successful completion of pre-registration training year ( or earlier equivalent. )
  • Diploma/MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
  • Membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
  • Evidence of CPD in line with GPhC requirements
  • Prescribing Qualification

Additional

Essential

  • Enthusiasm for the post & for pharmacy
  • Professional credibility with all levels of staff
  • Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.
Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • Broad academic/theoretical knowledge to support all of the required experience
  • Knowledge of NHS National policy & key changes in the NHS
  • Understanding of Trust Values and Strategy

Skills

Essential

  • Innovative clinical pharmacy practice using analytical / problem solving skills in complex situations
  • Able to assertively / enthusiatically lead, engage, motivate and inspire staff within and outside of pharmacy team
  • Financial Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills
  • Able to assess and manipulate a broad range of information quickly and accurately
  • Able to make effective judgements based on limited information
  • Computer Skills
  • Ability to manage time, prioritising tasks to meet deadlines.

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive clinical pharmacy experience and service delivery as part of MDT at minimum of band 7 / Specialist level
  • Recent experince of governance and assurance at departmental level
  • Recent experience of assisting a successful senior pharmacy team achieve objectives
  • Recent experience of successfully delivering change
  • Experience of audit and reporting
  • Lead projects / audit in co-operation with others
  • Experience of training and education
  • Experience of Drug Budget Control and Monitoring
  • Clinical mentoring or pre-registration tutor

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters Degree in Pharmacy plus successful completion of pre-registration training year ( or earlier equivalent. )
  • Diploma/MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
  • Membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council.
  • Evidence of CPD in line with GPhC requirements
  • Prescribing Qualification

Additional

Essential

  • Enthusiasm for the post & for pharmacy
  • Professional credibility with all levels of staff
  • Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

Wigan Lane

Wigan

WN1 2NN


Employer's website

http://www.wwl.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

Wigan Lane

Wigan

WN1 2NN


Employer's website

http://www.wwl.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Principal Pharmacist

Kim Ferguson

kimberley.ferguson@wwl.nhs.uk

01942822788

Details

Date posted

14 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,528 to £64,750 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

302-26-7821278M-A

Job locations

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

Wigan Lane

Wigan

WN1 2NN


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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