Clinical Pharmacist for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

Transformationunitgm; Radlett; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is seeking a Clinical Pharmacist for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities in Radlett, England. The role offers opportunities for career progression and development in a supportive environment. Candidates should demonstrate strong communication skills and may be involved in delivering high-quality pharmacy services across mental health settings. The successful applicant will be part of a multidisciplinary team and will be expected to maintain active registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Benefits

Support for post‑graduate qualifications

Direct Band 7 placement for qualified candidates

Qualifications

• UK Registered Pharmacist with valid GPhC registration.
• Willingness to pursue postgraduate qualifications.
• Experience in patient‑facing pharmacist roles.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high‑quality clinical pharmacy services in mental health.
• Lead impactful projects for pharmacy and medicines optimisation.
• Provide specialist pharmaceutical advice to clinical teams.

Skills

Good communicator

Empathetic

Excellent computer skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

UK Registered Pharmacist

Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Employer Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Kingfisher Court Pharmacy Department, Kingsley Green, Harper Lane, Radlett, WD7 9FB Town Radlett Salary £40,617 - £56,908 per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAs) Salary period Yearly Closing 04/01/2026 23:59

Clinical Pharmacist for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

Band 6

Values Based Screener

At Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust we are looking for people to join us who share our values and those of the NHS. Before your application can be considered please take part on our online values questionnaire, which you can find below. When you have finished you will be sent a 'completion code' by email, which will be valid for 6 months and required to submit your application form.

Progressive Clinical Pharmacist - Band 6 to 7

This post offers an excellent opportunity for band 6 to 7 progression. Progression is subject to completion of necessary in‑house criteria. It also offers a great opportunity to develop your clinical and professional knowledge and skills in a mental healthcare setting.

You will need to demonstrate a person‑centred approach and have effective interpersonal and organisational skills. Previous NHS Hospital pharmacy experience, including mental health, would be desirable but is not essential.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of an Outstanding Trust, focused on developing innovative patient care in mental health
• Receive support for post‑graduate qualifications and, if relevant, the Newly Qualified Pharmacist Pathway
• Direct Band 7 placement possible for candidates demonstrating the required skills and experience

Here’s what our team says:

“It’s a privilege to help people make the changes they want to see in their lives. As a pharmacist, I advocate for my patients, ensuring they’re involved in decisions about their medicines.” – Current Clinical Pharmacist

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Pharmacist, you will:

• Deliver high‑quality clinical pharmacy services across various mental health settings, including acute and older adult care, child and adolescent units, learning disability services, and forensic wards.
• Lead and contribute to impactful projects that drive forward the Trust’s Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Strategy, supporting continuous improvement in patient care.
• Demonstrate flexibility, strong communication (both written and verbal), and exceptional clinical and organisational skills. You will work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team, showing compassion, respect, and understanding toward individuals with mental health challenges.
• You will also be expected to participate in the weekend and bank holiday duty, following a period of induction and training.
• Maintain active registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

If you are successful, you will work in a supportive, friendly and forward‑thinking environment. You will be encouraged and supported in your development including the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy, which you will be expected to complete in your role as a B6 pharmacist.

Working for our organisation

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Summary

• The Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation team within HPFT provides dispensary and clinical pharmacy services to mental health, learning disabilities and child and adolescent (CAMHS) services across Hertfordshire and beyond, where HPFT is contracted to provide a service.
• The post holder will contribute to the work of the Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation team to deliver the standards set by regulators and professional bodies such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) etc.
• The service will be provided to all medical, nursing, managerial, pharmaceutical and clinical professionals working in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities in designated units for which the post holder will be responsible.
• All staff should comply with the Trust’s Anti‑Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.

Key Responsibilities:

To provide specialist pharmaceutical advice concerning the care and treatment of service users in Mental Health (including Forensics) and Learning Disabilities Services and to promote safe, effective, and evidence‑based cost‑effective use of medicines within the Trust.

• To provide specific advice to clinical team members on the management of medicines related issues, such as drug interactions, medicines use in pregnancy, unlicensed/off‑label use of medicines etc.
• To work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide clinical pharmaceutical support to designated areas to maximise benefits and minimise risk to service users. This will include medicines reconciliation, prescription review, medication reviews, identification and management of drug interactions and adverse effects, advice on clinical monitoring, medicines information, advising on supply problems, compliance with legislation, compliance with Trust policies and guidelines and participation in multidisciplinary team meetings where appropriate.
• Participate in relevant quality improvement (QI) projects to support service improvements and learning and development.
• To support on updating, reviewing, and maintaining Trust Policies and Guidance in relation to medicines.
• To attend relevant team meetings; attend and contribute to pharmacy team meetings, this may involve clinical presentations and case studies.
• To supervise junior pharmacy staff and students in their delivery of the pharmacy service.
• Participate in the dispensary rota in line with departmental requirements and recognised best practice.
• Participate in the provision and development of patient education sessions on relevant wards and units.
• Assist senior pharmacy colleagues in the development and delivery of training for clinical staff (e.g., prescribers, nurses) within the Trust. This may include participation in the Trust’s induction programme.
• Participant in ward‑based training to undergraduate students and in training programmes for pharmacy and other healthcare staff.
• Be responsible for own continuing professional development in line with professional requirements, in order to continue to update clinical knowledge and skills.

Please see the attached JD for further details.

Person specification

Qualifications

• UK Registered Pharmacist
• Working towards (or be willing to) a postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification
• Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)>
• Additional areas of training through short courses e.g., computer training
• Non‑medical prescriber

Experience

• Previous participation in audit, development of audit tools, data collection and collation
• Relevant experience in patient‑facing pharmacist roles
• Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge/experience working in a hospital setting
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Up to date knowledge of medication available for prescription in mental health

Skills

• Good communicator, both verbally and in writing
• Empathetic and reassurance skills
• Able to make judgements involving complex facts or situations which require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of aptions
• Excellent computer skills to include Word, PowerPoint, Excel and the Internet
• Shows initiative and has well‑developed problem‑solving skills
• Able to critically appraise clinical trial data and research papers
• Ability to work without close supervision, making decisions and acting upon them within the limitations and understanding of the job responsibilities, or to refer appropriately

Accessibility

• Have a UK driving licence and access to a vehicle

Diversity

• Show respect and treat people with dignity
• Communicates in a form or manner which is consistent with the person’s level of understanding, culture, background and preffered ways of communicating

General

• Self‑motivated and able to work independently
• Self‑confident and able to influence professionals

Knowledge

• Understand the issues facing the NHS and hospital pharmacy
• Understanding of primary and secondary care working and interface between them
• Good knowledge of all medicine’s legislation relating to the supply and storage of medicines
• Understanding of adverse drug reactions and reporting

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were “blown away” by our people’s achievements and that everything they saw “sings and hums”. This year, our staff rated us the 4th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work‑life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values‑driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional so that together we provide great care and great outcomes for our service users and carers.

If you would like to join a team to be proud of and you share our values and passion for great care and outcomes for our service users and carers, we would love to hear from you.

Additional Information

HPFT is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and in order to reflect the diversity of its population, positively encourages applications from all areas of the community. We aim to be a representative organisation with regards to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, beliefs and sexual orientation and are fully committed to equality, diversity and human rights and encourage applications from all sections of the community including users of mental health services.

The Trust is committed to helping staff balance work and home life and welcomes applications from candidates wishing to work part‑time or under flexible working arrangements.

Infection Control

All our staff will need to comply with current Infection Prevention and Control measures which could include wearing a mask on all our Trust sites and in all roles

AI Usage Guidance

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can aid you in completing your application, these tools cannot fully grasp the context of requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge and experience. Please ensure you have tailored your application before submitting it.

For further information, please refer to the Trust’s guidance on AI usage document which can be found below.

Visa and Immigration

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We would encourage all applicants to review the criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application promptly.

Name Eric Tang Job title Principal Clinical Pharmacist Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01923 633733

Working hours are Tuesday to Friday, 9am - 5pm.

Alternative contact: Ms Darshni Haria (01923 633740)