About this role
Job summary
Band 8B Senior Lead Pharmacist - Clinical Services & Formulary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and dynamic pharmacist to join our pharmacy team asSenior Lead Pharmacist - Clinical Services & Formulary.
This is a pivotal leadership role at the heart of clinical pharmacy services, where you will shape and deliver high-quality, patient-centred care across the Trust. You will lead on the development and optimisation of the Trust formulary, driving safe, evidence-based and cost-effective prescribing while influencing medicines optimisation and financial sustainability at both organisational and system level.
Working closely with the Associate Chief Pharmacist and multidisciplinary teams, you will play a key role in advancing clinical pharmacy services, improving patient flow, and embedding a culture of quality, safety and continuous improvement. You will also represent the Trust across local partnerships, contributing to system-wide medicines optimisation and strategy.
This role offers a unique opportunity to combine clinical leadership, strategic influence and innovation to deliver meaningful improvements in patient care and medicines use.
Main duties of the job
You will provide senior clinical leadership across pharmacy services, working collaboratively with clinical teams to optimise prescribing, improve patient outcomes and enhance medicines safety. A key focus of the role is leading the Trust formulary, including oversight of Drug and Therapeutics Committee processes, ensuring alignment with national guidance and driving consistency in prescribing practice.
You will influence medicines optimisation and expenditure across the organisation, using data and clinical expertise to support value-based prescribing and delivery of financial targets. Working with finance, governance and operational teams, you will lead initiatives that improve efficiency, reduce unwarranted variation and support high-quality care.
The role also includes responsibility for clinical governance and medicines safety, contributing to risk management, incident learning and quality improvement programmes. You will support the development of clinical guidelines, policies and systems that underpin safe and effective medicines use.
As a senior leader, you will contribute to workforce development, supporting and developing pharmacy staff while fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement. You will also play an active role in service transformation and represent pharmacy at Trust and system-level forums.
About us
Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.
The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.
Our "CARE" values:Compassionate,Aspirational,Resourceful,Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description for the full list of main responsibilities and the Person Specification for essential and desirable criteria.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications & Training Essential
Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as a Pharmacist MPharm degree (or equivalent) plus pre-registration training Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification at diploma or MSc level, or equivalent experience Independent Prescriber Evidence of postgraduate training or development in leadership, management, education or clinical practice
Desirable
Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy and or UKCPA or RCEM Advanced Clinical Practitioner Formal change management qualification (Lean, Six Sigma, PRINCE2)
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Significant post-registration hospital pharmacy experience, including senior-level experience Experience of leading or supporting clinical pharmacy services across multiple specialties Experience of formulary processes, medicines governance and contributing to D&TC processes Experience of influencing prescribing practice across multidisciplinary teams Experience of guideline, SOP or prescribing pathway development and implementation Experience of clinical governance, including incident management, audit and risk management Up to date knowledge of legislation relevant to pharmacy practice, and medicines management Experience of service development, quality improvement and implementation of change Experience of analysing medicines expenditure and identifying cost improvement opportunities Experience of line management, including appraisal and staff development Experience of managing teams and delivering performance through others Experience of working across organisational boundaries, including interface or integrated care working Experience of business case development and financial planning relating to medicines use
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 Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Address Royal Berkshire Hospital
London Road
Reading
RG1 5AN
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)