Band 8a Specialist Pharmacist Prescriber – Bristol

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

The closing date is 17 April 2025

Job summary

We are looking for a motivated, dynamic, and innovative individual, with a strong background in mental health pharmacy, to deliver a clinical pharmacy service to community mental health teams in the Bristol locality of the Trust. The post holder will be a fully integrated member of the community mental health teams they are linked with, providing specialist pharmaceutical expertise to the multidisciplinary team, service users and carers. The role will include a dedicated prescribing clinic, and the post-holder will hold their own caseload of service users. The scope of practice and location for this will be agreed, dependent on service requirements and candidate experience.

The successful candidate will ideally be a non-medical prescriber, with experience in mental health pharmacy, eager to advance their clinical and leadership skills further.

The AWP Pharmacy Service has a strong focus on developing staff to their full potential, and applicants that do not meet the full criteria of this role will be supported to access the training required to do so.

To support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation in senior health and care roles, AWP is developing a positive action plan to ensure the widest and most diverse field of talent; so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people with a BAME background.

PS: Base will be confirmed on appointment.

The post includes on-call and some weekend and bank holiday working.

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist pharmaceutical expertise to multidisciplinary teams and answer medicines information enquiries appropriate to the level of the post which will involve literature searches and the production of oral and written responses.

Be responsible for clinically assessing service users, establishing a diagnosis and the clinical management required - prescribing or de-prescribing where necessary, as specified in a 'scope of practice plan', agreed with the line manager and medical supervisor.

Work as an independent non-medical prescriber within their scope of competence and in accordance with Trust policy, procedures and other evidence based guidance, taking full responsibility for the service user as well as the medicine prescribed.

Provide mental health specific advice and support to ICB Prescribing Advisers; primary healthcare professionals including GPs, pharmacists, dentists and consultants.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Date posted

03 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

342-CS026-0425

Job locations

Callington Road Hospital

Marmalade Lane

Bristol

BS4 5BJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

The role will be based at community team bases in Bristol. Travel to other AWP locations and primary care sites will be required for meetings and training.

Please see job description for full details of key result areas.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The role will be based at community team bases in Bristol. Travel to other AWP locations and primary care sites will be required for meetings and training.

Please see job description for full details of key result areas.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Degree in Pharmacy from an accredited British School of Pharmacy, or recognised equivalent
  • Current GPhC registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
  • Post-graduate qualification in clinical or mental health pharmacy (diploma or MSc) or willing to undertake this qualification
  • Pharmacist Prescriber qualification
  • Credentialed member of CMHP

Desirable

  • Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
  • Willingness to undertake the Advanced Clinical Practitioner qualification

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

  • Significant experience of working within a hospital pharmacy department post qualification with associated development of excellent clinical pharmacy skills
  • Significant experience of working in specialist mental health inpatient and community settings
  • Highly specialist and up-to-date knowledge of the pharmacological treatment options for different mental health conditions including their adverse effects
  • Understanding of how the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act support safe and legal treatment

Desirable

  • Experience in compiling report
  • Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of multi professional team working and an ability to promote the role of the non-medical prescribing pharmacist within it
  • Experience of HR and management skills
  • Experience and training in carrying out clinical audit
  • Experience of educating and training of others

Skills and abilities

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal skills for communicating with team members, service users and carers, and other healthcare professionals
  • Ability to access, review and process complex clinical information from appropriate sources
  • Ability to manage own time and workload and prioritise clinical work

Desirable

  • Competent with standard information technology and associated tools
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Degree in Pharmacy from an accredited British School of Pharmacy, or recognised equivalent
  • Current GPhC registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
  • Post-graduate qualification in clinical or mental health pharmacy (diploma or MSc) or willing to undertake this qualification
  • Pharmacist Prescriber qualification
  • Credentialed member of CMHP

Desirable

  • Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
  • Willingness to undertake the Advanced Clinical Practitioner qualification

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

  • Significant experience of working within a hospital pharmacy department post qualification with associated development of excellent clinical pharmacy skills
  • Significant experience of working in specialist mental health inpatient and community settings
  • Highly specialist and up-to-date knowledge of the pharmacological treatment options for different mental health conditions including their adverse effects
  • Understanding of how the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act support safe and legal treatment

Desirable

  • Experience in compiling report
  • Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of multi professional team working and an ability to promote the role of the non-medical prescribing pharmacist within it
  • Experience of HR and management skills
  • Experience and training in carrying out clinical audit
  • Experience of educating and training of others

Skills and abilities

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal skills for communicating with team members, service users and carers, and other healthcare professionals
  • Ability to access, review and process complex clinical information from appropriate sources
  • Ability to manage own time and workload and prioritise clinical work

Desirable

  • Competent with standard information technology and associated tools

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Callington Road Hospital

Marmalade Lane

Bristol

BS4 5BJ


Employer's website

http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Callington Road Hospital

Marmalade Lane

Bristol

BS4 5BJ


Employer's website

http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Lead Pharmacist

Stelios Athanasias

s.athanasias@nhs.net

07935342810

Date posted

03 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

342-CS026-0425

Job locations

Callington Road Hospital

Marmalade Lane

Bristol

BS4 5BJ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)