Senior Clinical Pharmacist Team Lead (PCN) in Swindon

An Exciting Leadership Opportunity in a Thriving PCN. Minimum 2 years of leadership experience required.

Are you an experienced Clinical Pharmacist ready to step into a high-impact leadership role? Join our forward-thinking Primary Care Network as Clinical Pharmacist Team Leader and help shape the future of pharmacy services across our practices. You will lead a skilled team of 8 Clinical Pharmacists and 2 Pharmacy Technicians, delivering high quality, patient-centred care and driving innovative medicines optimisation initiatives that improve population health outcomes. This role combines clinical expertise with strategic leadership.

You will oversee structured medication reviews, high-risk medicines monitoring, prescribing safety, quality improvement projects, and day to day rota management. You will also mentor and develop the pharmacy team while working closely with GPs, ICB colleagues, community and secondary care teams, and other allied professionals to influence PCN strategy. Ideal for someone who thrives on autonomy, collaboration, and service improvement at scale.

What we offer:

• Protected CPD and supervision time
• 30 days annual leave pro rata
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Funded DBS and GPhC subscription reimbursement

Main duties of the job:

• Clinical Care and Medicines Optimisation: Conduct structured medication reviews for patients with complex polypharmacy, frailty, long term conditions, and post discharge needs. Monitor and review high risk medicines to ensure safe prescribing. Implement MHRA alerts, NICE guidance, and local formulary updates. Improve repeat prescribing systems and medicines safety processes.
• Leadership and Team Development: Lead and coordinate the pharmacy team across practices. Provide clinical supervision and mentorship to 8 pharmacists, 2 technicians, and Independent Prescribers. Support training, induction, appraisal, and competency development. Promote professional standards and continuous learning. Foster a positive, inclusive, and supportive team culture.
• Operational and Strategic Delivery: Plan workforce capacity, rotas, and service continuity. Support achievement of PQS, QOF, and PCN contractual targets. Lead clinical audits and quality improvement projects. Analyse prescribing data and performance metrics to drive improvement. Strengthen shared care processes and medicines safety programmes. Represent pharmacy services in multidisciplinary and stakeholder meetings.
• Education and Training: Deliver medicines optimisation training to primary care teams. Provide patient education and accessible medicines information. Contribute to public health initiatives and community health campaigns.

About us: North Wilts Border PCN is a collaborative NHS partnership made up of six GP surgeries, working together to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care to over 56,000 people across our local communities. We are proud to be rooted in our community and are committed to staying connected with and supporting the people we serve. In addition to our dedication to clinical excellence, we are also a teaching and training network, supporting medical students and GP trainees from across the Southwest region. Our diverse multidisciplinary team includes Specialist Practitioners, Social Prescribers, Health & Wellbeing Coach, Care Coordinator, and Clinical Directors. We place great value on the contributions of our Pharmacy team and are committed to supporting the personal and professional development of all staff.

Job responsibilities: The Clinical Pharmacy Team Lead will provide advanced clinical care, professional leadership, and operational oversight for the pharmacy workforce across North Wilts Border PCN. The role blends patient facing responsibilities with medicines optimisation, quality improvement, strategic service development, and workforce leadership.

• Conducting structured medication reviews for patients with complex polypharmacy, long term conditions, frailty, learning disabilities, high risk medicines, or recent hospital discharge.
• Undertaking clinical medication reviews for patients in practices, care homes, and domiciliary settings, producing clear recommendations for GPs and nurses.
• Leading on medicines reconciliation post discharge from hospital, intermediate care, and when entering care homes, identifying and resolving discrepancies.
• Providing patient facing and telephone based medicines advice, supporting adherence, answering medicine related queries, and promoting shared decision making.
• Reviewing and monitoring medicines linked with unplanned hospital admissions, implementing changes to reduce risk to vulnerable patients.
• Ensuring appropriate monitoring and safety checks are in place for medicines requiring ongoing review.
• Managing continuity of supply for high risk groups, including those using compliance aids or living in care settings.
• Supporting public health initiatives and providing medication related expertise to campaigns and community programmes.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary case conferences, collaborating to optimise care plans and medication management.
• Using practice computer searches and risk stratification tools to identify high risk patient cohorts based on clinical presentation, prescribing patterns, or both.
• Prioritising patients for review using clinical judgement and evidence based principles.
• Reducing variation and proactively addressing unsafe or inefficient prescribing.

As the designated leader for the pharmacy workforce, the post holder will:

• Lead and manage the Pharmacy and Pharmacy Technician Team, promoting excellence, collaboration, and a culture of high professional standards.
• Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, and support for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including Independent Prescribers and those in training.
• Oversee induction, competency development, and continuation of training for all new and existing team members.
• Ensure staff engage with appraisal processes, supervision, and ongoing CPD.
• Act as a role model, demonstrating professionalism, adaptability, inclusivity, and compassionate leadership.
• Support performance management processes and address issues in line with organisational policy.
• Encourage innovation and extend boundaries of service delivery within the pharmacy team.
• Lead pharmacy related projects aligned with PCN, ICB, and national priorities.
• Support the delivery of PQS, QOF, and additional PCN wide service requirements.
• Manage rota planning, staffing levels, and leave coordination to maintain consistent clinical coverage, thus contributing to operational delivery of pharmacy services.
• Represent the pharmacy service at internal and external meetings, including with GPs, ICB pharmacists, Medicines Management teams, community pharmacy, and hospital colleagues.
• Foster strong interprofessional relationships to enhance consistency and continuity of patient care.
• Support the creation and implementation of prescribing policies, including repeat prescribing and safety processes.

The post holder ensures pharmacy services maintain high standards of safety, data quality, and regulatory compliance:

• Leading clinical audits, sharing findings, and providing practical recommendations for improvement.
• Using prescribing data to identify risks, trends, and opportunities for targeted interventions.
• Implementing changes based on MHRA alerts, product withdrawals, NICE guidance, and formulary updates.
• Monitoring compliance with RAG lists, shared care protocols, and other local medicines governance frameworks.
• Supporting the development, implementation, and monitoring of Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs).
• Ensuring ongoing compliance with CQC standards, legal and ethical requirements, professional codes of conduct, and organisational governance systems.
• Producing newsletters and bulletins that disseminate important prescribing messages and safety updates.
• Enhancing medicines safety by reviewing high risk groups, triggers for hospital admission, and prescribing trends.
• Supporting practices in maintaining accurate, up to date practice formularies on clinical systems.
• Ensuring monitoring, follow up, and documentation are in place for all relevant medicines requiring ongoing review.
• Working alongside ICB colleagues to ensure consistent application of shared prescribing pathways.
• Delivering education and training sessions to the wider primary care team, including GPs, nurses, and administrative staff.
• Providing patient facing information, medication counselling, and resources to support safe and effective use of medicines.
• Ensuring the pharmacy team has access to meaningful professional development opportunities, supervision, and peer review mechanisms.
• Promoting shared learning through case discussions, reflective practice, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, community pharmacists, hospital pharmacy teams, social care teams, and wider ICB colleagues.
• Recognising personal limitations and seeking or signposting to specialist support where required.
• Working as part of a multidisciplinary team to support coordinated, patient centred care.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary projects, shared care pathways, and integrated care initiatives.
• Adhering to all health and safety requirements, including reporting incidents using organizational systems.
• Complying with the Data Protection Act, confidentiality policies, safeguarding standards, and equality and diversity requirements.
• Maintaining professional registration, CPD, immunisations, DBS status, and all mandatory training.
• Travelling independently across PCN sites and attending meetings or training as required.

Person Specification:

• Completed CPPE course in Primary care pharmacy education pathway or equivalent experience.
• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) which includes revalidation.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a primary care setting.
• A DPP (Designated Prescribing Practitioner) registered professional.
• Mentoring or Coaching qualification or experience.
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• Minimum of 5 years post-registration experience.

Experience:

• Strong knowledge of primary care, prescribing, and medicines optimisation.
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities, with experience in audits and QI initiatives.
• Proficiency in clinical and management systems (e.g. Eclipse, GP IT systems).
• Understanding of CQC compliance standards and all legal, ethical, and professional regulations.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong sense of accountability and able to demonstrate this.
• An appreciation of the nature and structure of PCNs, GPs, and general practices.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
• Experience of mentorship and clinical supervision of peers.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills:

• Cultivates and sustains high-trust relationships across the immediate and wider PCN network, member practices, and system partners, fostering alignment with strategic priorities.
• Exemplifies professional, compassionate leadership.
• Champions a supportive and inclusive culture.
• Strengthens team cohesion and morale.
• Champions workforce development and actively promotes a culture of support and continuous improvement.
• Navigates complex and challenging conversations with diplomacy and resilience, maintaining professionalism while balancing organisational priorities and stakeholder expectations.
• Manages challenging and high-pressure interactions with composure.
• Demonstrates advanced stakeholder engagement skills, liaising effectively with multidisciplinary PCN teams, practice leadership, NHS organisations, and external agencies to align operational priorities with strategic objectives.

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.