Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Lead Pharmacist - Endocrine Medicine
The closing date is 07 April 2026
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a lead specialist endocrine pharmacist. We are looking to recruit an experienced pharmacist with a keen interest in diabetes and endocrine clinical pharmacy to become an integral part of our well established multidisciplinary team.
The successful applicant will take lead responsibility to support and implement quality‑driven inpatient and outpatient endocrine services alongside our lead consultants and diabetes specialist nurses. This will ensure treatments prescribed are used in a safe, effective, prudent, patient‑centred and efficient manner.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will promote safe and cost‑effective prescribing across the Trust in collaboration with the consultants and the specialist diabetic nurse team. You will lead in drug usage analysis, identification of budget pressures arising from new products, co‑ordination of projects and audits and the development and maintenance of guidelines, policies and protocols relating to endocrinology. You will have significant input into the choice of therapy prescribed for people with diabetes, thyroid disease and adrenal insufficiency based upon their comorbidities and response to treatment, and prescribing of appropriate treatment.
In addition to supporting our endocrinology service, the post holder will provide a clinical pharmacy service to our acute medical wards.
The Trust is currently undergoing the implementation of EPMA and the post-holder will have a significant input into improved prescribing and therapeutic drug monitoring using electronic systems.
The post holder will benefit from significant training and support of their knowledge in endocrinology from the endocrinology multi‑disciplinary team.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9,000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements
* Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
* Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
* National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
1. Attend clinical ward rounds, clinical and multidisciplinary meetings relevant to endocrinology as appropriate
2. To assist the pharmacy clinical services manager with information regarding intervention monitoring by regularly recording clinical interventions and activities
3. Representing the department and the Trust in regional and other clinical pharmacy forums and meetings, particularly with respect to endocrinology
4. Provide and interpret monthly drug‑use information in endocrine medicine and prioritise areas for action to contain unexplained spending. Liaise with finance, clinical directors and clinical service managers to address any financial concern
5. Develop evidence‑based treatment policies, protocols, guidelines and care pathways within endocrine medicine
6. Responsible for the development and implementation of drug administration protocols within endocrine medicine
7. Evaluate new drugs within specialty and advise formulary pharmacist and Drugs and Therapeutics committee on such matters
8. Provide highly specialist pharmaceutical information to medical, nursing staff and patients in endocrine medicine and to General Practitioners and other staff within the Trust where appropriate
9. Representing the department and the Trust in regional and other clinical pharmacy forums and meetings, particularly with respect to endocrine medicine
10. Meet with representatives of the pharmaceutical Industry regarding matters relating to endocrine medicine, changes in licence of medicines and new medicines within the therapeutic area. Ensure that appropriate members of the Trust staff are informed of important changes
11. Personally plan and undertake research, development and audit particularly within the specialty of endocrine medicine and provide support and assistance for other pharmacy staff undertaking such activities
12. Act as an independent non‑medical prescriber in endocrinology clinics or other clinical areas as requested by the pharmacy clinical services manager
13. Provide cover clinical pharmacy service to the Intensive Care and Coronary Care ward
14. Provide a clinical pharmacy service and specialist advice to designated medical wards and develop a specialist practice base in endocrinology. This will include:
o Taking drug histories on admission
o Screening of patients on admission for the purposes of medicines optimisation and formulation of care plans where drug‑related issues are identified
o Review medication to ensure safe and effective use
o Review and update of care plans depending on response, results of investigations and adverse effects
o Therapeutic drug monitoring for specific drugs
o Educate patients about their drug therapy
o Develop evidence‑based treatment protocols in endocrine medicine for use within the Medical Directorate or across the Trust where appropriate
o Facilitate implementation of local and national guidelines where appropriate
15. To work with the pharmacy clinical services manager and other senior members of staff to develop pharmacy services as appropriate
16. Line‑manage and/or supervise designated junior pharmacists, pre‑registration and undergraduate students.
17. Act as tutor for pharmacists on LJMU Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
18. Utilise skills for the preparation of injectable medicines
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Vocational Masters degree in Pharmacy or equivalent
* Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council
* Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
* Accredited Independent Prescriber (or working towards qualification)
* Membership of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
* Accredited Tutor for LJMU
Experience
* Experience as qualified pharmacist in acute Hospital Pharmacy
* Significant experience in the provision of clinical pharmacy to the specialty of Endocrine medicine
* Good all round knowledge of Clinical Pharmacy
* Line Management Experience
* Previous Pharmacy Teaching Experience
* Published pharmaceutical research in a peer‑reviewed journal
Skills
* Ability to affect and manage change
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Self‑motivated and able to motivate/ inspire others
* Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
* Ability to teach junior pharmacists the delivery of pharmaceutical care within speciality
* Demonstrable commitment to continuing professional development/ education
* Committed to patient care
* Approachable and flexible
* Supportive to other members of Pharmacy and multidisciplinary teams
* Financial awareness regarding the management of drug budgets
Other
* Moderate physical effort required
* Some standing, walking sitting
* Use of VDU equipment
* Able to work under pressure, remains calm and objective
* Ability to rationalise complex issues
* Frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable Concentration for reviewing prescriptions, calculations, statistics; may be interrupted by urgent requests for advice
* Exposure to upsetting situations, high level of resilience to deal with distressing and/or challenging situations
* Distressed patients with complex diseases. May work with distressed patients, relatives due to drug regime, drug misadventures
* Professional appearance and hygiene awareness
* Cross site travel and cover
* Exposure to infectious diseases
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.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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