Lead Pharmacist - Pharmacy Patient Services

Job summary
We are seeking an experienced and motivated pharmacy leader to join our team as Lead Pharmacist for Patient Services at UCLH. This is a high-impact role at the heart of a complex, multi-site organisation, where you will shape and influence the delivery of safe, effective and responsive pharmacy services that directly support patient care and flow.

You will bring strong operational leadership, a passion for developing people, and the ability to work collaboratively across professional and organisational boundaries. This role offers the opportunity to lead a diverse workforce, drive service improvement, and play a key role in modernising pharmacy patient services in line with Trust priorities.

At UCLH, you'll be part of an academically driven, forward-thinking organisation known for excellence in patient care, education and research. If you are looking for a role where you can make a tangible difference, lead innovation, and develop your leadership at scale, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job
Provide visible leadership across pharmacy patient services, ensuring safe, efficient and patient-centred delivery in a complex, multi-site environment. Lead and develop a diverse pharmacy workforce, promoting a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and high performance. Oversee operational delivery, including workforce planning, service resilience and system-wide coordination, ensuring services meet demand and support patient flow.

Work collaboratively with senior clinical, operational and external partners to deliver integrated and effective services, including outsourced provision. Drive quality and governance by monitoring performance, responding to risk and implementing improvements that enhance patient safety and experience. Contribute to strategic planning, service transformation and innovation, using data and insight to shape and sustain high-quality services.

The post holder will be based across UCLH hospital sites

About us
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:o University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)o National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgeryo Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitalso University College Hospital Grafton Way Buildingo Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicineo University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centreo The Hospital for Tropical Diseaseso University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Details
Date posted: 21 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8b
Salary: £75,328 to £86,114 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 309-UCLH-8217
Job locations: University College London Hospitals, 235 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff\*
\* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential

• Master's degree in Pharmacy or equivalent qualification.
• Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Evidence of continuing professional development and maintenance of professional registration.
• Broad theoretical and practical knowledge of pharmacy practice, including operational services, medicines governance, clinical risk management and NHS policy context.
• Demonstrable significant post qualification work in an operational management capacity

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification relevant to pharmacy practice, leadership, management or quality improvement.
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society or other relevant professional bodies.
• Formal training in workforce management, service improvement or change management.

Experience
Essential

• Extensive post-registration hospital pharmacy experience, including operational pharmacy service delivery.
• Experience of workforce planning, rota management and deployment, including bank and agency staff.
• Experience in line management or supervision of clinical staff, with evidence of supporting development and performance.
• Experience of working across multiple sites or services.
• Experience of investigating incidents and supporting governance processes.

Desirable

• Experience of investigating incidents and supporting governance processes.
• Experience with pharmacy digital systems, including ERostering, EPR and KPI reporting platforms.

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Able to lead, manage and develop a multidisciplinary team
• Identifies novel ways of working to enhance services
• Ability to analyse and critically appraise operational data
• Ability to utilise email, word processing, presentation and spreadsheet software packages in order to enhance work efficiency and to generate solutions to complex problems. Evaluates service provision
• Ability to evaluate quality of pharmacy services
• Ability to develop and implement risk management procedures

Desirable

• Identifies a vision for the delivery of pharmaceutical services
• Ability to utilise database and other software packages in order to enhance work efficiency and to generate solutions to complex problems Actively seeks to improve the services provided
• Identifies staff development needs to enhance the pharmacy service
• Ability to develop and implement risk management procedures at a directorate level

Communication
Essential

• Demonstrates expert knowledge and skills
• Ability to manage difficult and ambiguous problems where little information is available
• Ability to formulate suitable solutions in areas of uncertainty
• Ability to influence senior pharmacy, nursing, medical, and other multidisciplinary staff
• Enhances the quality of patient care
• Demonstrates awareness of and commitment to the principles of clinical governance
• Demonstrates ability to work and lead a multi-disciplinary team

Desirable

• Ability to influence practice at a Divisional or Trust level
• Demonstrates a whole-system patient-focused approach

Personal and People Development
Essential

• Previous experience in delivering education and training at a postgraduate level
• Ensures own training needs, and those of others are identified & met
• Participation in multidisciplinary health services research
• Integrates research evidence into practice

Desirable

• Previous experience in co-ordinating education and training programmes at a post graduate level
• Actively seeks novel opportunities to meet training needs, and evaluates the training provided
• Planning and co-ordination of multi-disciplinary health care research
• Undertakes own research

Specific Requirements
Essential

• Able and willing to participate in Patient Services late duty, weekend, bank holiday and on-call rota as required.
• Flexible approach to working patterns in response to service demand.
• Commitment to NHS values, patient safety and quality improvement.
• Understanding of confidentiality, GDPR and professional codes of conduct.
• Ability to travel to and work across multiple pharmacy sites.

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: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address: University College London Hospitals, 235 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, United Kingdom
Employer's website: (Opens in a new tab)

For questions about the job, contact:
Head of Pharmacy Operations
Pani Sphikas
View email address on meeveem.com