Go back Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Band 8b Deputy Chief Pharmacist - Safety and Quality
The closing date is 28 December 2025
A truly exciting time to join the organisation, develop your career and deliver high quality and meaningful patient outcomes within mental health and specialist services.
We are looking for a highly motivated, dedicated and experienced pharmacist to join our dynamic, inclusive and ambitious team, based at the Central Pharmacy site in Erdington.
We are a forward thinking, well-developed and highly respected pharmacy team, with even higher aspirations to deliver exemplar pharmaceutical care.
Main duties of the job
You will be a key member of the Pharmacy Leadership Team, supporting the Chief Pharmacist in providing senior leadership for Medicines Optimisation and ensuring the Trust-wide delivery of safe, effective and efficient medicines use. You will also deputise for the Chief Pharmacist on a range of issues and support the strategic planning of pharmacy services for the future, whilst maintaining your clinical skills.
As Trust Medication Safety Officer you will lead, develop and implement the pharmacy-led medication safety function and medicines-related quality programmes within the Trust.
The post holder will also be responsible for leading the innovative operational and clinical delivery of pharmacy services to the Children and Young Persons (CYP) Directorate. You will be able to identify areas of development and opportunity within our services, engaging patients and colleagues in the development of effective solutions, including establishing pharmacist independent prescribing roles.
About us
Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.
Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.
Job responsibilities
For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Essential and desirable
* MPharm or equivalent experience
* Registered with the GPhC
* Postgraduate clinical qualification to diploma level or above
* Registered independent prescriber (or willing to undertake Independent Prescriber training)
* Substantial post-registration experience within NHS pharmacy practice
* Practical experience of psychiatric pharmacy
* Good clinical knowledge of psychiatric medication
* Good understanding of contemporary Medications Safety Issues
* Good knowledge and understanding of clinical governance
* Confident and assertive when dealing with other professionals
* Good knowledge of Mental Health legislation with regard to consent to treatment
* Good knowledge of all medicines legislation relating to the supply and storage of medicines
* Demonstrates own CPD record / or documented CPD portfolio
* Good interpersonal skills
* Excellent verbal & written communication skills with demonstrable ability to present complex or sensitive information to large groups of clinicians or senior managers
* Demonstrates ability to organise and prioritise workload
* Demonstrates ability to motivate self and others
* Demonstrable ability to lead and motivate a team
* Demonstrable experience of delivering a pharmacy-led medication safety function and leading medicines-related audit programmes within a Trust
* Demonstrable experience of Financial/resource management
* Experience of delivering training to all grades of staff
* Ability to analyse highly complex information, both clinical, financial and managerial
* Experience of supporting Drug and Therapeutics/Medicines Optimisation Committees
* English language competency sufficient to communicate effectively with all staff and deliver education sessions in an appropriate form ILETS level 7 across all domains for overseas pharmacists who did not train in English
* Advanced computer, keyboard and mouse skills
* Excellent interpersonal skills
* Demonstrates empathy towards client groups
* Demonstrates attention to detail, accuracy and numeracy skills
* Independently mobile and able to travel to sites across the region
* Postgraduate qualification in psychiatric pharmacy
* Membership of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy
* Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
* Post Graduate qualification in Psychiatric Therapeutics Diploma in Psychiatric Pharmacy
* Experience of managing budgets and overseeing financial information
* Senior clinical pharmacy experience working within Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
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.
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Venture House, Central Pharmacy
Fentham Road (access via Slade Road), Highcroft Site
£64,455 to £74,896 a yearper annum, pro rata
Contract
Permanent
Reference number
436-7620440
Job locations
Venture House, Central Pharmacy
Fentham Road (access via Slade Road), Highcroft Site
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