Job overview
Title: Specialist Pharmacist- Frailty and Care of the Elderly
Department: Pharmacy
Band 7, £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum pro rata
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week plus on-call, weekends & bank holiday rota. Note: all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
Are you a pharmacist with a passion for Elderly Care and Frailty. As the specialist pharmacist you will work as part of a pharmacy team and develop specialist clinical pharmacy services to elderly patients working across the interface. The post holder will develop the role in the transfer of care across the interface to ensure optimisation and safe discharges for the elderly population.
Now is an excellent time to become part of the pharmacy team at MKUH; we are a friendly, forward-thinking department who continue to grow in both size and influence.
Our services are evolving to provide our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with more time to work alongside patients while supporting their medical and nursing colleagues. Our commitment is to ensure that every patient receives safe, high-quality care, placing our patients at the heart of our mission. This role is a compelling career opportunity for a skilled and dedicated pharmacist to join our hardworking, forward-looking, and innovative pharmacy team.
'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Interview date: 12 August 2026
Main duties of the job
As the Specialist Pharmacist – Frailty and Care of the Elderly, you will work closely with the Principal Pharmacist to provide expert clinical pharmacy services to older adult inpatients. You will undertake comprehensive medication reviews, supporting the safe and effective use of medicines to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. The role focuses on optimising medicines, reducing inappropriate polypharmacy, improving adherence, and enhancing patients' understanding of their medicines to support safe, person-centred care.
You will have the opportunity to work in our newly built specialist inpatient wards, purpose-designed to provide high-quality care for older adults, including those living with dementia. You will also work closely with our experienced Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and Virtual Ward multidisciplinary frailty teams, delivering comprehensive, patient-centred geriatric care to older people across Milton Keynes. In addition, there is also an opportunity to support the pharmaceutical care of older patients within a rehabilitation unit associated with the Trust, providing a diverse and rewarding clinical experience across the frailty pathway.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
NHS Staff Survey: Our Compassionate Culture and Leadership scores reflect a workplace where kindness, respect, and empathy are the norm—not the exception.
Alongside delivering ward-based clinical pharmacy services within Frailty and Care of the Elderly and providing clinical support to the dispensary, you will have the opportunity to develop your leadership and service improvement skills. This includes supporting and supervising junior pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, undertaking quality improvement and audit projects, championing medicines optimisation and medication safety initiatives, and working with the Principal Pharmacist to identify and address medicines-related issues across the elderly care division.
Our standard working pattern consists of four long days per week (8:00 am to 6:00 pm), with participation in a weekend and Bank Holiday rota. Following a comprehensive induction and training programme, you will also contribute to the pharmacy out-of-hours service.
If successful, you will join a friendly, supportive, and forward-thinking pharmacy team that is committed to delivering outstanding patient care while fostering professional and personal development. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your specialist clinical skills, contribute to service development, and make a meaningful difference to the care of older people across Milton Keynes.
Please refer to attached Job description for further information.
We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity, and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.
MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.
We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once enough applications have been received.
MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.
By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- Effective and safe pharmaceutical skills
- Ability to manage time effectively and work to deadlines
- Ability to plan, prioritise and organise self and others and deal effectively with unexpected demands
- I.T. skills such as computer literacy, word processing and spreadsheet skills.
- Ability to communicate effectively with other staff, patients and members of the public
- Good presentation skills
- Good written communication skills
- Problem solving
- Good team work and ability to work alone
- Evidence of leadership skills
- Ability to motivate and act as a role model
Experience
Essential
- Post registration experience in a hospital-based clinical post
- Experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care
- Experience of clinical audit work.
- An awareness of current national standards, guidelines and service delivery issues
- Experience of Medicines Information
- Knowledge of the medical management of disease in a range of the specialties
Desirable
- At least 2 years post registration experience in a hospital-based clinical post
- Evidence of influencing medicines use to optimise care and help clinicians manage expenditure
- Evidence of experience managing prioritisation in relation to the use of new drugs and new uses for drugs
- Evidence of significant contribution to innovative or developmental roles and activities within pharmacy
Communication
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Evidence of team working
- Evidence of effective and timely project delivery
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential
- B.Sc. / B.Pharm. / M.Pharm
- Registered with GPhC
- Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy (or equivalent)
- Evidence of on-going CPD (in line with GPhC requirements)
Desirable
- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or evidence of equivalent experience e.g. GLF
- Member of RPS
- Evidence of a good understanding of medicines management issues at the interfaces between primary, secondary and tertiary care
Personal and people development
Essential
- Experience of supervising and developing colleagues
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development to meet GPhC standards
- Evidence of leadership
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Specialist Pharmacist with Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Milton Keynes, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Pharmacist role. The advertised salary is £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 30 Jul 2026.
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