Chief Pharmacist | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	25 November 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£109,179 - £125,637 per annum
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	25 December 2025
Location:	Reading, RG30 4EJ
Company:	Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7641268/371-TAP-CS3871

Summary

Are youseekinga new and exciting leadership challenge in pharmacy?


Do you want to join a team committed to deliveringcutting-edgepharmacy services and practices with high end-user satisfaction?

We're looking for an experienced aspiring Chief Pharmacist to join our forward-thinking Trust.We've a quality improvement culture,“better never stops” is at the heart of everything we do.

Berkshire Healthcare is a CQC Outstanding trust, a Global Digital Exemplar, and a leading provider of community and mental health services. We are proud to be one of only eight trusts nominated as an Advanced Trust, ranked third nationally among Mental Health and Community Trusts, and the highest scoring for staff recommending their organisation asa great placeto work.


As Chief Pharmacist for services across Berkshire in mental health, community, and primary care, you'll:

• Lead a team of 47 WTE staff, managing a £3M budget

• Oversee Operational Services, including medicines procurement, supply, transport, & Clozapine clinics

• Lead Medicines Optimisation Services, covering safety, education & training, digital prescribing, advanced clinical pharmacy, medicines information, & governance

• Work closely with acute providers, commissioners,externalpartners& academic collaborators

• Deliver innovative, system-wide medicines optimisation enhancing patient care


Ifyou’repassionate about patient care & staff development,we’dlove to welcome you to our team.

• Provide strategic leadership on all aspects of medicines optimisation across the Trust.

• Advise the Chief Executive, Medical Director, Trust Board, and clinical services on pharmaceutical policy and practice.

• Lead pharmacy staff, including operational, clinical, and medicines information teams, ensuring high-quality service delivery.

• Oversee safe and effective management of controlled drugs as the Trust’s Accountable Officer.

• Support the Clozapine Service, clinical trials, and implementation of NICE technology appraisals.

• Develop partnerships with ICBs, acute trusts, commissioners, and academic institutions to improve system-wide prescribing.

• Manage the pharmacy budget, procurement, and medicines information services, ensuring cost-effectiveness and patient safety.

• Ensure clinical governance, audit, and risk management standards are met across all pharmacy services.

• Drive digital innovation, quality improvement initiatives, and workforce development across the pharmacy team.

We have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and ‘Other’ Ethnic Groups.


Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites



Theideal candidate will:

• Be a registered UK pharmacist with post-graduate clinical/mental health pharmacy qualification.

• Have substantial post-registration experience, including multi-disciplinary leadership and service development.

• Expertisein medicines optimisation, budget management, and NHS governance frameworks.

• Strong strategic, analytical, and interpersonal skills with ability to influence across complex organisations.


For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.


We strongly encourage you to review how you meet thecriteria in theperson specificationand write about thispoint-by-pointin your supporting statementfor the best chance of being shortlisted.


We’recommitted to equal opportunitiesand welcomeapplications fromall sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected inour accreditations:Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award.Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.


We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Pleasedon’thesitate tocontact ToluOlusoga, Medical Director, by emailing:Michelle.Jones@berkshire.nhs.uk.We’llbe delighted to help.


Please note, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so pleasesubmityour application as soon as possible.



This advert closes on Tuesday 16 Dec 2025

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