Specialist Clinical Pharmacist - Rotational

Job Overview
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us. Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job
Due to promotion, we have a vacancy on our band 7 Clinical Pharmacist rotation. Band 7 Clinical Pharmacists are key in providing our services to patients, and this rotation gives you the opportunity to develop your skills against all the pillars of professional practice. Our team of 10 pharmacists spend 9 months on each specialty rotation providing ward-based care, developing specialist skills, training more junior members of the pharmacy team, and contributing to our services.

During your time on rotation, we are keen to develop you as a practitioner. For those who have already completed postgraduate diplomas and prescribing, we are eager to support your development in other ways. Members of our team have undertaken NIHR internships and fellowships, and we have been pleased to support NHSE funded MSc in Genomics. Specialist training within each rotation has also led to our team taking posters to conferences and sharing their work more widely with the pharmacy community.

Working for our organisation
University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations. Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs, and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS, we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
You will have the opportunity for development as you rotate through the available rotations, and this role provides the ideal opportunity for you to work with specialist and consultant pharmacists while you decide where you would like to develop your own specialism. Our rotations include:

• Medicine
  You will have the opportunity to work in one of the following specialties: respiratory, gastro/hepatology, elderly care or AMU. Your responsibilities will vary depending on which area you are assigned but will include supporting ward rounds and attending multidisciplinary team meetings.

• Neurosciences
  UHS is a tertiary referral centre for neurology and neurosurgery. During your rotation, you will initially cover a neurosurgical ward, but later you may rotate to cover other specialties such as stroke and spinal. You will also encounter other neurological conditions during your rotation, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, myasthenia gravis, and other motor/sensory neuropathies.

• Surgery
  You will be expected to provide ward cover to a specific surgical area (e.g., maxillo-facial, lower/upper gastrointestinal). You will be given the opportunity to attend the morning ward round, attend a microbiology multidisciplinary ward round, and there will be opportunities to develop skills in nutrition support and intestinal failure working with the wider MDT.

• Critical Care
  You will spend time working with the consultant pharmacist and very experienced Critical Care pharmacists and attending consultant-led multidisciplinary ward rounds. You will spend time on the Surgical High Dependency Unit and General, Cardiac, and Neuro intensive care units.

• Cardiovascular and Thoracics
  Working as part of the cardiovascular and thoracic care group pharmacy team, you will gain experience in a variety of areas including cardiology, cardiac surgery, thoracic and vascular surgery, and congenital heart disease.

• Microbiology
  The microbiology rotation at UHS offers the opportunity to work as part of a highly respected team with links into the infection MDT. The rotation includes participation in antibiotic stewardship activities including microbiology and infectious diseases ward rounds and surveillance of prescribing and resistance trends. Our Band 7 pharmacists typically have clinical input into the OPAT service and lead on our C.difficile work.

• Oncology
  You will have the opportunity to work within a dedicated oncology pharmacy with a team of pharmacists and technicians. Here you will be involved in all stages of the process from the initial screening of the prescription to checking the final item. Your role will also involve providing ward cover to one of our specialist oncology wards.

• Family Health
  We have a self-directed training pack to introduce children’s pharmacy if you have not covered a children’s ward before. As a large children’s hospital, we have all the clinical specialties you would expect including critical care and oncology. You will receive broad experience across different services, providing ward cover and attending a relevant ward round.

• Diabetes and Endocrine
  The post holder will have the opportunity to work in a variety of roles in local and regional project work around diabetes and endocrinology, alongside the opportunity to develop further clinical skills in diabetes and endocrinology inpatient and outpatient activity.

• Management
  In conjunction with a clinical rotation, you will support the Lead Pharmacist Operation and Supply Services to develop management and leadership skills and develop evidence for these competencies in the advanced practice curriculum.

In all our rotations, you will be expected to provide some support to the trainee pharmacists. There will also be the opportunity to get involved with formulary applications and other budgetary matters. You will also have the opportunity to provide teaching to various health professionals, undertake audit work, and develop guidelines.

Person specification
Trust Values
Essential criteria

• Patient First
• Always Improving
• Working Together

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience
Essential criteria

• Masters Degree in Pharmacy
• Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent experience
• GPhC registration
• Sound knowledge of a surgical or medical specialty acquired working within a suitable specialty
• Meets Foundation framework/GLF competencies
• Training in medicines information
• Audit and evaluative work
• Sound understanding of healthcare priorities and political agendas
• Experience of teaching and tutoring

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy or equivalent experience
• MRPharmS or equivalent
• Working towards RPS Advanced Core portfolio submission
• Training in medicines information
• Preparation of prescribing guidelines