Lead Pharmacist Early Intervention

Main area: Mental Health

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8a

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part time, Flexible working, Compressed hours, 30 hours per week (Part time and flexible options considered)

Job ref: 354-CO-21653

Site: Arun House

Town: Worthing

Salary: £53,755 - £60,504 Pro rata for part time

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 26/06/2025 23:59

Come and join us. We are looking for people who share our values (compassion, accountability and optimism) to help us provide high quality care to the patients, carers, families and local communities we serve. We specialise in providing NHS mental health and learning disability services.

So what can we offer you in return? We are an organisation which puts people first. We will do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We will help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we will provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you will have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

As a Trust, we are committed to making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don’t forget to ask us during the interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are seeking to appoint an exceptional clinical pharmacist and independent prescriber to support our Early Intervention Services (EIS) across Sussex. The role has been pivotal in improving medicines use within the service. The role supports clinicians and operational leads across EI services in all aspects of medicines use, including improving medicines use, education and training, clinical queries and support, medicines spend and running patient facing clinics and prescribing roles. The role also leads on all aspects of EI related prescribing, including shared care and guidance at Trust and ICS levels. The role is Trustwide and there is flexibility for base across Sussex and opportunities for flexible and part home-working. The role will be required to support EI services across the Trust.

Main duties of the job: The role will lead on all aspects of medicines optimisation within EI across Trust services. The role will support clinical and operational colleagues on all aspects of medicines use within EI. The role will also lead on all aspects of medicines guidance and policies relating to EI within the Trust and in collaboration with ICS Medicines Optimisation groups.

Working for our organisation: Sussex Partnership is one of the largest mental health trusts in the UK. The physical health of our mental health patients is important to us and with the life expectancy of patients with serious mental health dying 15 to 20 years earlier, the trust is committed to reducing this risk and pharmacy plays a key role in this.

About us: As a mental health trust, Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our reward packages reflect the immensely important work they do.

You can expect:

• Access to full psychological support, the wellbeing team
• Flexible working opportunities
• Access to a host of discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars)
• A position within a trust rated as Outstanding for caring and Good overall by the CQC
• Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days + 8 bank holidays)
• Excellent NHS Pension Scheme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities: Please see attached documents for further information. Alternatively, if you have any queries regarding the role please contact us.

Person specification:

• Qualifications: Degree in Pharmacy at a British School of Pharmacy, or recognised equivalent
• Clinical Pharmacy post graduate qualification (e.g. certificate or diploma)
• Registered Member of General Pharmaceutical Council.

Knowledge, Training and Experience:

• To have demonstrable evidence of having met the full gateway KSF for 7 Specialist Pharmacist
• Experience of working with different healthcare professions and managers across the wider healthcare economy
• Can demonstrate an understanding of the key stakeholders the post is likely to be supporting and how they will be expected to support them.
• Demonstrable expertise in highly relevant field of pharmacy specialism
• Significant experience of working within a hospital pharmacy department post qualification, including experience in mental health service provision
• Experience of working with working age mental health services
• Excellent clinical pharmacy skills with particular emphasis on medicines used in mental health
• Experience in providing both written and verbal information on drug usage
• Experience in carrying out Medicines Information queries, providing both verbal and written specialist advice

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants, the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children’s social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognise abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.