Specialist Pharmacist
NHS Lothian Pharmacy & Medicines Service
St John’s Hospital
(Including evening, weekend, on-call and public holidays commitment)
Overview
Are you looking for a fast paced and dynamic role in acute medicine? Do you want to be part of a multidisciplinary team delivering acute care to patients? If you are a motivated and proactive pharmacist looking to expand your clinical expertise, this is an exciting opportunity to develop your career in Acute and General Medicine at St John’s Hospital (SJH).
About the Role
This role offers the opportunity to join a highly regarded pharmacy team providing expert pharmaceutical care to patients requiring medical management at SJH.
Acute and General Medicine at St John’s Hospital delivers care to over 100 patients per day, working across: acute assessment areas, the Enhanced Care Unit and general medicine inpatient wards. As part of this team, you will:
* Work alongside the wider multidisciplinary team.
* Contribute to patient flow and site capacity management, ensuring timely and effective pharmaceutical interventions.
* Provide expert medicines management, optimising prescribing decisions to enhance patient safety and outcomes.
This is a dynamic and challenging role, ideal for pharmacists who thrive in fast-paced environments and enjoy working at the heart of acute patient care.
Why Join Us?
When you join St John’s Hospital Acute and General Medicine team, you’ll be part of a forward-thinking service that values professional growth and high-quality patient care. You will benefit from:
* Specialist experience in acute and general medicine, in a modern teaching hospital.
* A collaborative and supportive team, where pharmacists are embedded in multidisciplinary care and have an evolving non-medical prescribing role.
* Opportunities for career progression, including developing advanced clinical and prescribing skills.
* A role with real impact, supporting critical decision-making and improving patient flow in a fast-paced hospital setting.
About you
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic pharmacist with a passion for delivering exceptional clinical care.
Essential Qualifications and Experience
* A Master of Pharmacy Degree (or equivalent).
* Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
* Completed training or equivalent competence mapped to the RPS Post-Registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum.
Desirable
* Being qualified as an independent prescriber would be desirable although training opportunities are available for post-graduate study.
Skills and Attributes
* Experience in proactively influencing prescribing, using clinical knowledge to optimise patient care.
* Excellent communication and problem-solving skills, enabling effective decision-making in an acute medical setting.
* A strong patient-focused approach, with the ability to work effectively both autonomously and within a multidisciplinary team.
* A proactive attitude, with a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
About NHS Lothian
NHS Lothian serves a population of 900,000 across Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. As Scotland’s second-largest health system, we are one of four teaching Boards, fostering strong partnerships with universities and research institutions. Our Pharmacy & Medicines Service is dedicated to delivering clinically led, person-centred care, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our patients.
St John’s Hospital is a modern teaching hospital, providing a wide range of specialist and emergency care services, making it an excellent place to develop your clinical skills.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
For further information on what is included in the role and the skills/experience we’re looking for, please refer to the job description and person specification linked below. However, we know that a job advert can only tell you so much. To discuss this opportunity further and explore how it could fit your career goals, we invite you to contact:
Heather Paterson, Advanced Pharmacist – Acute & General Medicine
Email: heather.paterson2@nhs.scot
Mark Power, Lead Pharmacist – Care of the Elderly
Email: mark.power2@nhs.scot
Join our Acute and General Medicine team and make a real difference—apply today!
As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.
We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.
Please note: we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at an early stage.
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.
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This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.
Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
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