Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Medicines Optimisation for Care Homes

Transformationunitgm; Eastbourne; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS community provider located in Eastbourne is seeking a Senior Clinical Pharmacist to join their Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes Team. The role involves delivering expert medication reviews and enhancing patient outcomes for care home residents. Candidates should hold a pharmacist registration and demonstrate a passion for working with frail elderly patients. The position features flexible working options and opportunities for career advancement within this major healthcare organization.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Continuing professional development opportunities

Access to staff benefits and training

Qualifications

• Registered pharmacist with professional registration and mandatory CPD.
• Must demonstrate strong clinical and technical knowledge.
• Passionate about working with frail elderly patients.

Responsibilities

• Deliver person‑centred Structured Medication Reviews for care home residents.
• Review prescribing and make expert recommendations to healthcare providers.
• Build relationships with GPs, PCN teams, and care home managers.

Skills

Advanced pharmaceutical care knowledge

Excellent organisational skills

Strong communication skills

Critical appraisal skills

Education

Registered pharmacist with GPhC

Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy

MSc in Clinical Pharmacy

Tools

EMIS

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Main area Medicines optimisation frailty Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Job share
• Flexible working
• Home or remote working

37.5 hours per week (Working 37.5 hours per week, Monday–Friday, 08:30–16:30 (no weekends, bank holidays, or on-call). Part‑time hours may be considered) Job ref 150-GM2292-COR

Employer Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Eastbourne Town Eastbourne Salary £55,690 - £62,682 Per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 29/12/2025 23:59

Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Medicines Optimisation for Care Homes

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Senior Clinical Pharmacist to join our Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) Team in East Sussex. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a well‑established team dedicated to improving medicines use and patient outcomes for people living in care homes.

Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust (SCFT) is the largest provider of community NHS health services across Sussex. Our Medicines Management Team, led by our Chief Pharmacist, is passionate about delivering excellence and investing in our people. We offer a supportive environment where you can develop your skills, gain qualifications and progress your career.

Our established MOCH Sussex‑wide team (subdivided into East, West and Brighton & Hove regions) consist of specialist pharmacy staff who support care homes and their residents to achieve best outcomes from medications. They do this by reviewing medicines with people living in care home and those that support them and providing guidance on medicines use and medicines management in care homes.

Our MOCH Team are core members of the Enhanced Health in Care Home Multi‑Disciplinary Teams, working at Primary Care Network (PCN) level with care homes, care home matrons, GP practice teams, community pharmacies, social services, acute hospitals, CQC, and many others involved with care home residents and their medicines.

Main duties of the job

• Deliver person‑centred Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for care home residents through holistic consultations with patients and their support networks (carers, nurses, family members).
• Review prescribing and make expert recommendations to GPs and advanced clinical practitioners, focusing on quality, safety, and improved outcomes.
• Build strong relationships with GPs, PCN teams, community pharmacies, care home managers, social services, and other stakeholders.
• Use clinical systems such as EMIS to document reviews and utilise digital technology for remote meetings and supervision.
• Contribute to quality improvement and research projects to enhance service delivery.
• Potentially line manage a senior pharmacy technician.
• Collaborate on projects and share your expertise across a range of medicines optimisation services, including Rheumatology, Children and Young People, Proactive Care, Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes, and Virtual Wards, offering variety and scope for career progression.

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part‑time, flexi‑time, annualised hours, and flexi‑retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost‑effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values— Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full description of the role and essential criteria.

Main Duties

• Deliver person‑centred Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for care home residents through holistic consultations with patients and their support networks (carers, nurses, family members).
• Review prescribing and make expert recommendations to GPs and advanced clinical practitioners, focusing on quality, safety, and improved outcomes.
• Build strong relationships with GPs, PCN teams, community pharmacies, care home managers, social services, and other stakeholders.
• Use clinical systems such as EMIS to document reviews and utilise digital technology for remote meetings and supervision.
• Contribute to quality improvement and research projects to enhance service delivery.
• Potentially line manage a senior pharmacy technician.
• Collaborate on projects and share your expertise across a range of medicines optimisation services, including Rheumatology, Children and Young People, Proactive Care, Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes, and Virtual Wards, offering variety and scope for career progression.

About You

We are looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about working with frail elderly patients and individuals with learning disabilities.
• Warm, empathetic, and an excellent communicator.
• Skilled in medicines optimisation with strong clinical and technical knowledge.
• Self‑motivated, organised, and committed to continuous learning.
• Proficient in digital technology systems such as Outlook for diary management and MS Teams for video conferencing, team meetings and clinical supervision.

Essential skills: Robust CPD in areas such as chronic conditions in older people.

Desirable skills: Post qualification experience and a proven track record in medicines optimisation.

Applicants from all branches of pharmacy practice are welcome.

Benefits

• Access to continuing professional development opportunities, including Independent Prescribing and management qualifications.
• Depending on experience, the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (18 months will be offered, which includes independent prescribing).
• Embedded within a large NHS Trust with access to organisational development, training, and staff benefits.

Working Arrangements

• Base: Hampden Park, Eastbourne
• Hours: Monday–Friday, business hours (no weekends, bank holidays, or on‑call).
• Flexible and hybrid working supported – laptop and mobile provided.
• Travel across West Sussex required, including to locations that may be served poorly by public transport.

Interviews will be held: two weeks after advert closing date.

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? Apply today and help us deliver exceptional care for care home residents across East Sussex.

Person specification

Qualifications and/or professional registration

• Registered pharmacist (1 year competency assessed and examined) professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) UK
• Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice in line with GPhC UK requirements
• Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent
• Train the trainer course or similar
• Non‑Medical Prescriber

Experience

• Extensive post‑registration experience with a significant relevant experience as a clinical pharmacist
• Providing clinical pharmacy services within an acute setting or similar setting with direct patient contact.
• Delivering training to healthcare professionals
• Clinical audits/quality improvement cycle. Plan, organise the collection of data, analyse data, findings, recommendations and audit report writing, then next steps.
• Experience of writing policies, procedures and protocols
• Broad specialist clinical pharmacy knowledge of care homes and frailty
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of working in multi‑disciplinary team
• Knowledge of primary/secondary care interface issues Working with a community health services setting
• Previous experience of working as a clinical pharmacist in care home and a good understanding of this care setting
• Previous experience of working in GP practices and familiar with some of the GP computer systems used.
• Previous experience of accessing and analysing prescribing data

Skills and knowledge

• Advanced pharmaceutical care knowledge and skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to assimilate, analyse and interpret complex data to assess risks and improve patient safety
• Critical appraisal skills
• Ability to develop effective working relationships at all levels
• Demonstrate ability to identify and implement best practice
• Ability to work independently and within a team
• Ability to challenge
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to prioritise and manage own work
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Teaching and training skills
• Accountable for own professional actions
• Ability to make important decisions in pressured situations
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty
• Good understanding of drug budgets and drug costs and how to monitor these
• Ability to apply sound professional judgement to legal and ethical issues
• Expertise on legal issues related to medicines in different care settings
• Familiarity with the concepts of evidence‑based medicine
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills and ability to persuade others
• Ability to influence and effectively communicate with medical prescribers and non‑medical prescribers, where these may be from external organisations.
• The ability and analyse complex information, judging the input required to arrive at robust and accurate conclusions and using these conclusions to inform decision‑making
• Computer skills including word‑processing, spreadsheets, presentations and GP systems e.g. EMIS or SystmOne

Other requirements

• Requirement to travel cost effectively across the area covered by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
• Requirement to attend CPPE training events or similar including residentials, and any other requirements in relation to MOCH role.

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) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Kayt Blythin
Job title Principal Pharmacist
Email address [e-mail]
Telephone number 07825 606711

Additional contact information

Ingrid Philpot, Senior Clinical Pharmacist – care homes – East Sussex
Mobile: [phone], email: [e-mail]