Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacist in Reading

The Pharmacist will hold responsibility for the professional and operational aspects of the Pharmacy Research and Development (R&I) service delivered by the Trust. This includes ensuring the provision of a high-quality, compliant, and efficient service that supports the safe and effective conduct of clinical trials. The postholder will work collaboratively with colleagues across the Pharmacy and R&I teams to provide expert pharmaceutical advice and contribute to the ongoing development and enhancement of the clinical trials pharmacy service within the Trust. They will play a key role in supporting research activities and ensuring that pharmacy processes align with best practice and regulatory standards. In the absence of the Lead Pharmacist for Clinical Trials, the postholder will act as deputy, assuming leadership responsibilities to maintain service continuity and uphold governance requirements. The role also encompasses teaching, mentoring, and supervising junior pharmacists, students, and rotational staff within the department, fostering professional development and ensuring knowledge transfer. Additionally, the postholder will assist the Lead Pharmacist for Clinical Trials in ensuring full compliance with all applicable regulations governing the pharmacy aspects of clinical trials, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, and other relevant standards.

Main duties of the job:

• Maintain and develop standard operating procedures for clinical trials in collaboration with trial leads, ensuring compliance with GCP, GMP, and all relevant legislation and national guidelines.
• Provide pharmaceutical and technical input into the feasibility, setup, design, and delivery of clinical trials, including critical review of trial protocols for pharmacy impact (e.g., packaging, labelling, documentation).
• Ensure service provision is flexible and responsive to research teams, pharmacy, and patient needs, while delivering high-quality, patient-focused pharmaceutical services across inpatient, outpatient, and day clinic settings.
• Screen prescriptions on ARIA, Chemocare, and EPMA systems for clinical appropriateness, safety, and legality, and champion the use of pharmacy tracking systems.
• Oversee compliance with approvals (R&I, ethics, MHRA) prior to trial commencement and confirm pharmacy capability and capacity for trial involvement.
• Monitor drug accountability, maintain confidentiality of trial protocols, and ensure adherence to regulations for storage and dispensing of trial medications, SACT, unlicensed medicines, and controlled drugs.
• Manage financial aspects of trials, including calculating Excess Treatment Costs, costing pharmacy staff time, agreeing budgets with sponsors, and invoicing as per contracts.
• Support recruitment, training, and supervision of pharmacy R&I staff, and contribute to service development and medicines-related change initiatives.

About us:

Diversity makes us interesting... Inclusion is what will make us outstanding. Inequality exists and the journey to eliminate it is not easy. Every step we take will be a purposeful step forward to deliver a truly inclusive culture where all our people are enabled to deliver outstanding care, where background is no barrier, and where everyone can be their authentic self and we truly represent our patient community. We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where possible. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview. If you need additional help with your application please get in touch by calling the recruitment team on 0118 322 6997 or 0118 322 5342.