University Hospitals of Liverpool Group Chief Pharmacist
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Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust University Hospitals of Liverpool Group Chief Pharmacist
The closing date is 22 November 2026
Job summary
Liverpool University Hospitals Group and The Walton Centre are seeking an exceptional and forward-thinking pharmacist to join our leadership teams as Chief Pharmacist. As the Group's most senior lead for medicines use and pharmacy services, you will work with Site Directors of Pharmacy and Hospital Leadership Teams to deliver safe, effective and financially sustainable use of medicines.
Significant investments in Pharmacy Services over the last 3 years are delivering real improvements for the population we serve.
As the Group's senior professional lead for pharmacy and medicines management, you will be responsible for ensuring the safe, effective and financially sustainable use of medicines across inpatient, outpatient and community services. You will provide strategic leadership for medicines safety, clinical governance, workforce development, service transformation and medicines optimisation, while acting as the principal adviser on pharmaceutical matters.
This influential leadership role offers the opportunity to shape services across the Group and wider health system, delivering improvements in patient outcomes, operational performance and financial sustainability while ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety and regulatory compliance.
Experienced Chief Pharmacists with a desire to collaborate to influence patient outcomes, operational and regulatory performance and financial sustainability will be essential pre-requisites for this exciting opportunity.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
- be the responsible officer for medicines use in the Group Trusts and WCFT
- Have management accountability for the delivery of Pharmacy Services in accordance with the Trust Strategic Plan and the Medicines and Pharmacy Scheme of delegation.
- Provide a comprehensive and high-quality pharmaceutical service, involved in all aspects of medicines management.
- Maintain and strengthen governance and develop the workforce with the right skills, knowledge and experience to ensure safe and effective delivery of medicines management and pharmacy services.
- Provide specialist expertise and, delegated from the Group Chief Executive, and reporting through the Group Medical Director, have corporate responsibility across the Group and WCFT for all aspects of Medicine Optimisation.
- Provide professional leadership for the pharmaceutical services provided to the Trusts and other external customers. This includes performing the duties and responsibilities of the the Superintendent Pharmacist.
- Provide professional leadership and work in collaboration with senior pharmacists in the Integrated Care System and the appropriate Primary Care Networks
- Ensure that services provided are progressive, responsive to internal and external demand, are patient focused, safe, efficient and effective.
- Ensure that the pharmacy workforce is empowered, supported in development and succession planning, trained in quality improvement methodology and the culture values people.
About us
NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) was formed on 1 November 2024, born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our communities.
We are one of the largest employers in region, with over 18,900 colleagues who are dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.
For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services that extend to more than two million people in the North West.
We operate from five hospital sites:Aintree University Hospitalis the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside, and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility.Broadgreen Hospitalis home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation.Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospitalprovide specialist services incardiothoracic surgery,cardiology and respiratory medicine, both in the hospital and out in the community.Liverpool Women's Hospitalspecialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. TheRoyal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms and mainly focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.
Details
Date posted
30 October 2026
Pay scheme
Very senior manager (VSM)
Salary
Depending on experience Dependant on Experience
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
287-DTC-235-26
Job locations
Royal Liverpool Hospital and UHLG sites
Liverpool
L7 8XP
United Kingdom
Job description
Job responsibilities
For full details, please refer to the attached job description
Provide clinical leadership to transform the way the Trusts handle medicines, in every respect, to optimise their role.
Provide clinical leadership for all aspects of Medicines Optimisation within the Group Trusts and WCFT, within the Primary Care Networks in Cheshire and Merseyside across the Integrated Care System and beyond to other local health communities.
Continue to develop the Medicines Optimisation strategic plan to align MU&PS services to meet Group Trust-wide needs to drive both quality improvement and productivity gains.
Lead and implement the consequent transformational change.
Work with commercial partners to deliver operational efficiencies.
Enable excellent partnerships with national and local commissioners while also building relationships with primary care providers such as GPs and Community Pharmacists as new clinical leadership structures emerge.
Work with the ICB and specialist commissioners to deliver on commissioning intention requirements in respect of high-cost medicines and associated quality and performance targets.
Undertake the statutory roles and responsibilities of the Superintendent Pharmacist as required by all applicable legislation
Act as Controlled Drug Accountable Officer for the Trusts and be the licence holder for the Home Office Controlled Drug Licences.
Be the licence holder for MHRA Wholesale Dealer's Authority, Aseptic Specials Licences for Aintree, Royal ASU and Radiopharmacy.
Provide professional leadership to MU&PS Teams at Group and Sites to meet current statutory obligations.
Deliver, through the Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team, the active management of all aspects of pharmacy service, making optimal use of resources available.
Work with the Group and WCFT executive teams and site HLTs to address issues relating to pharmacy service provision of the wider Medicines Optimisation agenda.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For full details, please refer to the attached job description
Provide clinical leadership to transform the way the Trusts handle medicines, in every respect, to optimise their role.
Provide clinical leadership for all aspects of Medicines Optimisation within the Group Trusts and WCFT, within the Primary Care Networks in Cheshire and Merseyside across the Integrated Care System and beyond to other local health communities.
Continue to develop the Medicines Optimisation strategic plan to align MU&PS services to meet Group Trust-wide needs to drive both quality improvement and productivity gains.
Lead and implement the consequent transformational change.
Work with commercial partners to deliver operational efficiencies.
Enable excellent partnerships with national and local commissioners while also building relationships with primary care providers such as GPs and Community Pharmacists as new clinical leadership structures emerge.
Work with the ICB and specialist commissioners to deliver on commissioning intention requirements in respect of high-cost medicines and associated quality and performance targets.
Undertake the statutory roles and responsibilities of the Superintendent Pharmacist as required by all applicable legislation
Act as Controlled Drug Accountable Officer for the Trusts and be the licence holder for the Home Office Controlled Drug Licences.
Be the licence holder for MHRA Wholesale Dealer's Authority, Aseptic Specials Licences for Aintree, Royal ASU and Radiopharmacy.
Provide professional leadership to MU&PS Teams at Group and Sites to meet current statutory obligations.
Deliver, through the Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team, the active management of all aspects of pharmacy service, making optimal use of resources available.
Work with the Group and WCFT executive teams and site HLTs to address issues relating to pharmacy service provision of the wider Medicines Optimisation agenda.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters Qualification in Pharmacy (4 years)
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Post-graduate qualification relevant to hospital pharmacy practice
- Management qualification relevant to the NHS or equivalent experience
- Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy
Experience
Essential
- Recent practice in a leadership role within hospital pharmacy as a Chief Pharmacist
- Recent experience in leading transformational quality improvement project work
- Experience of managing multi-stranded situations where there may be conflicts of opinions involving a wide range of stakeholders
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound knowledge and understanding of financial management systems relevant to NHS, including understanding of Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and Capital and Corporate Planning procedures
- Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development
- Comprehensive knowledge and practical understanding of financial and commissioning frameworks
- Specialist knowledge and experience with management and response to Medicine Guidance Notes, MHRA Alerts, Care Quality Commission inspections, NHS Improvement, Internal and external auditing, Serious incident investigation and management of untoward events
- Have sound knowledge and understanding of GDP, GMP, Clinical Trials Directives plus national strategies relevant to the delivery of pharmacy services
Skills and Qualities
Essential
- Evidence of successful operational management in a senior position
- Strong, inclusive leadership style
- Ability to work under significant pressure and to demanding timescales
- Positive working relationships with senior colleagues
- Ability to monitor, maintain and improve service delivery and to lead service re-design
- Strong understanding of corporate and clinical governance and ability to improve performance across a range of competing programmes of work
- Commitment to own personal and professional development and the development of others
- Professional image and positive approach to problem solving showing tolerance, understanding, tact and diplomacy
- Able to interpret highly complex data and present highly complex information in an informative manner to a wide range of individuals
- Ability to travel independently
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters Qualification in Pharmacy (4 years)
- Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Post-graduate qualification relevant to hospital pharmacy practice
- Management qualification relevant to the NHS or equivalent experience
- Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy
Experience
Essential
- Recent practice in a leadership role within hospital pharmacy as a Chief Pharmacist
- Recent experience in leading transformational quality improvement project work
- Experience of managing multi-stranded situations where there may be conflicts of opinions involving a wide range of stakeholders
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound knowledge and understanding of financial management systems relevant to NHS, including understanding of Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and Capital and Corporate Planning procedures
- Evidence of commitment to Continuing Professional Development
- Comprehensive knowledge and practical understanding of financial and commissioning frameworks
- Specialist knowledge and experience with management and response to Medicine Guidance Notes, MHRA Alerts, Care Quality Commission inspections, NHS Improvement, Internal and external auditing, Serious incident investigation and management of untoward events
- Have sound knowledge and understanding of GDP, GMP, Clinical Trials Directives plus national strategies relevant to the delivery of pharmacy services
Skills and Qualities
Essential
- Evidence of successful operational management in a senior position
- Strong, inclusive leadership style
- Ability to work under significant pressure and to demanding timescales
- Positive working relationships with senior colleagues
- Ability to monitor, maintain and improve service delivery and to lead service re-design
- Strong understanding of corporate and clinical governance and ability to improve performance across a range of competing programmes of work
- Commitment to own personal and professional development and the development of others
- Professional image and positive approach to problem solving showing tolerance, understanding, tact and diplomacy
- Able to interpret highly complex data and present highly complex information in an informative manner to a wide range of individuals
- Ability to travel independently
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).
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Royal Liverpool Hospital and UHLG sites
Liverpool
L7 8XP
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Royal Liverpool Hospital and UHLG sites
Liverpool
L7 8XP
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Senior Executive to Hospital Chief Executive
Ruth Gaunt
01516001249
Details
Date posted
30 October 2026
Pay scheme
Very senior manager (VSM)
Salary
Depending on experience Dependant on Experience
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
287-DTC-235-26
Job locations
Royal Liverpool Hospital and UHLG sites
Liverpool
L7 8XP
United Kingdom
Supporting documents
Privacy notice
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)
Support links
© Crown copyright
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