Principal Clinical Pharmacist Mental Health - Division Leads

We are seeking an experienced and motivated clinical pharmacist to join our pharmacy team as a Division Lead Pharmacist (Band 8a). Our Division Lead Pharmacists provide senior clinical leadership across the following divisions: Adult Acute and Urgent Care Services; Specialist Services (Children and Young People and Older People); Learning Disabilities and Forensic Services; and Adult Community Services. The current vacancy is within Adult Acute and Urgent Care Division.

The role is suited to a forward-thinking pharmacist keen to influence practice, develop services and progress as a senior clinical leader. Experience in mental health or learning disabilities is desirable but not essential, and applicants with strong transferable clinical and leadership skills are encouraged to apply.

Working closely with the pharmacy management team, senior clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, you will lead the safe, effective and person-centred use of medicines across the Division. You will provide specialist clinical expertise, influence prescribing practice and support delivery of the Trust's Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Strategy.

You will join a supportive and progressive pharmacy team with strong links to multidisciplinary colleagues, senior Trust leaders and academic partners, offering opportunities to develop leadership, research and advanced practice aligned with national credentialling frameworks.

Main duties of the job:

• Provide highly specialist clinical pharmacy expertise in mental health, learning disabilities and forensic services.
• Lead and develop pharmacy services across the assigned division, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based and cost-effective medicines use.
• Influence prescribing practice and contribute to Trust-wide medicines optimisation strategy and governance.
• Use Independent Prescribing skills (where qualified) within agreed scopes and Trust policy.
• Support medicines safety through incident review, learning, audit and quality improvement initiatives.
• Line manage and develop Band 6/7 pharmacists and other pharmacy staff, fostering a strong learning culture.
• Deliver and oversee education and training for pharmacists, technicians and wider healthcare professionals.
• Contribute to policy development, formulary management and Trust committees (e.g. Drugs & Therapeutics).
• Work collaboratively across services and systems to support safe and seamless transfer of care.

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission. Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout: Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

In return, we can offer you:

• Leadership and management training opportunities.
• 5% on top of basic salary high cost allowance supplement (subject to a minimum and a maximum payment pro rata).
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service) plus bank holidays (pro rata where applicable).
• One of the UK's best pension schemes.
• Free Pilates lessons.
• Comprehensive health and wellbeing services.
• Special leave for family and personal reasons.
• NHS Car Lease Scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.

Our staff survey results tell a story of highly engaged, motivated, passionate people working at HPFT. The survey has shown that staff overwhelmingly believe that their role makes a difference to service users, to the extent that HPFT had the best score nationally for this question.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications/Education/Training: BPharm / MPharm / BSc Pharmacy, Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Postgraduate clinical pharmacy certificate/diploma or equivalent experience.
• Experience: Experience of working in a secondary care setting, experience of working in a multidisciplinary team, evidence of involvement in clinical pharmacy provision and in operational management.
• Skills/Communication: Advanced IT skills and comprehensive use of Microsoft office including PowerPoint and Excel, ability to organise and prioritise own workload and that of others, engaging, compassionate and caring communication skills.
• Knowledge: Advanced theoretical and technical, clinical and pharmaceutical knowledge relating to the promotion of high quality, effective and cost-efficient use of medicines.
• Ability: Able to deal with conflicting demands on workload and frequent interruptions, ability to work under pressure.
• Analytical Skills: Able to make judgements involving complex facts or situations which require analysis, interpretation, and comparison of a range of options.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.