Band 8a
Main area Pharmacy Grade Band 8a Contract 15 months (Fixed Term until end of March 2028) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 351-CS2972-SRP
Site Guild Lodge, Guild Park Town Preston Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/11/2026 23:59
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:
- Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
- Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
- Extensive community physical health and well-being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long‑term condition management.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.
We are looking for an experienced, motivated and forward-thinking pharmacist to join our friendly and highly regarded pharmacy team at Guild Lodge. This is an exciting opportunity for a clinical leader who is passionate about delivering high-quality mental health care and developing pharmacy services within specialist inpatient settings. The role offers the opportunity to influence medicines optimisation, service development, governance and workforce development across a secure mental health environment.
Guild Lodge is a specialist secure mental health service providing assessment, care, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery for 144 service users within a range of forensic and specialist services. Situated in a beautiful rural location with excellent motorway links, the
hospital provides opportunities to work alongside highly skilled multidisciplinary teams.
This role would suit a pharmacist with substantial post-registration experience, excellent clinical knowledge and a passion for mental health pharmacy. Experience of working in mental health is essential, and postgraduate qualifications or equivalent experience are highly desirable.
Main duties of the job
As the Senior Mental Health Pharmacist, you will provide professional and clinical leadership to the pharmacy team, ensuring the delivery of a safe, effective and patient-centred clinical pharmacy service. You will work closely with medical, nursing and allied health professionals
to optimise medicines use and improve outcomes for service users. You will also support the strategic development of pharmacy services, contribute to governance and quality improvement initiatives, and play a key role in the education and development of pharmacy staff.
Due to the location of various units, an ability and willingness to travel around Trust locations is required.
Working for our organisation
LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.
Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.
We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.
LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.
The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For more details on this vacancy please review the attached job description and person specification.
Person specification
Qualifications
- Registration with General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Postgraduate diploma or equivalent experience.
Knowledge
- Previous experience of working in mental health.
- Good clinical knowledge.
- Awareness of current issues.
Experience
- Previous experience working in mental health.
You are advised to consider applying for LSCFT vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within four weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.
Please note that further communication from LSCFT will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCFT to contact them.
Please ensure that you read the person specification as your application will be measured against this document.
If you use AI to assist with your application, you must declare this. Undeclared use may result in withdrawal. Please ensure your application reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI tools can assist, they may produce generic or inaccurate content. We encourage you to provide personal examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria.
For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Name Dorna Ghashghaei Job title Recruiting Manager Email address Dorna.Ghashghaei@lscft.nhs.uk Additional information
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact
Zoe Eddleston, Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Specialist Services on
01772 215863 or email at zoe.eddleston@lscft.nhs.uk
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Senior Mental Health Pharmacist – Inpatient in Preston employer: LSCft
At Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer dedicated to the well-being of our staff and the communities we serve. Our inclusive work culture fosters teamwork, continuous learning, and personal development, ensuring that every Registered Mental Health Nurse has the opportunity to thrive in a supportive environment. With flexible working options and a commitment to diversity, we empower our employees to balance their professional and personal lives while making a meaningful impact in mental health care.
