Senior Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist


Location
Ashford, England
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 pro rata, per annum
Profession
Pharmacist
Grade
Band 8
Deadline
26 Oct 2026
Contract Type
Permanent
Posted Date
12 Oct 2026
Medical Protection — the side of locally employed doctors from £83

Job requirements

Essential

12 listed

Requirements the employer expects applicants to meet.

  • Working environment

    A full, valid UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) and the ability to travel independently are essential for this role. Should you require workplace adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to supporting you to meet the mobility requirements of the role wherever possible.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Analytical skills and the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources and present in a clear, concise manner.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Ability to develop, maintain and monitor information systems to support innovation initiatives.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills.

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Master of Pharmacy (or equivalent qualification sufficient to permit current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council)

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a pharmacist

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Postgraduate qualification, e.g. certificate/diploma/MSc in clinical pharmacy, or equivalent demonstrable experience

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Recent, significant post-qualification experience at this level in the NHS or other relevant healthcare organisation, with a proven track record of using professional knowledge to bring about change

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy (e.g. NICE, NHSE and MHRA) and the implications of this on engagement

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Experience/knowledge of both community and secondary care pharmaceutical services, including identifying and interpreting national policy and researching best practice to inform system reform

Desirable

Not listed in the available specification.

Job overview

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.

Are you an experienced pharmacist with a passion for medicines optimisation, quality improvement and transforming patient care? Do you thrive on working across organisational boundaries to influence prescribing practice, improve medicines safety and deliver meaningful change at scale?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and innovative Band 8a Senior Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist to join our dynamic Locality Medicines Optimisation Team (LMO).

This influential role offers the chance to shape medicines optimisation across Primary Care Networks (PCNs), GP practices and the wider health and care system throughout Kent and Medway, helping to ensure patients receive safe, effective and evidence-based medicines that deliver the best possible outcomes.

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities

  • Responsible for leading and delivering a specialist pharmacy service to a directorate or equivalent area, or in the community.
  • Provide expert advice on pharmaceutical matters in a specialist field.
  • Lead and develop clinical audit; undertake research.
  • Provide support on defined Kent and Medway MO work streams to ensure safe and cost-effective use of medicines within clinical pathways.
  • Undertake tasks as deemed appropriate by the line manager.
  • Support the delivery of Medicines Optimisation projects in locality, including primary and secondary care.
  • Prepare and deliver practice prescribing reports via face-to-face or online meetings.
  • Provide medicines optimisation expertise and advice to the system-wide stakeholders including primary and secondary care healthcare teams.
  • Support the portfolio of initiatives in demonstrating value for money for current spend through tracking, managing and delivering agreed benefits.
  • Support the identification and sharing of best practice.
  • Operate effectively in a highly political and sensitive environment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via kentchft.recruitment@nhs.net, quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Good luck! We can’t wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

It is important to us that all our staff are aligned to our Values and in particular the behaviours we expect from KCHFT managers. With this in mind as part of the selection process for this position you will be asked to complete two other activities in addition to the competency-based interview that you will invited to. This extended selection process is designed to assess your management style and the specific details of the exercises will be given if you are successfully shortlisted. The provisional date of the selection event is 12th October 2026, although this may be subject to change.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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Applying for this NHS job

This advert is for Senior Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist with Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust in Ashford, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Pharmacist role. The advertised salary is £57,528 - £64,750 pro rata, per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 26 Oct 2026.

Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (12 Oct 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.

For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.