Care Home Pharmacist
| Posting date: | 06 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £45,000 to £52,000 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £45000 - £52000 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 March 2026 |
| Location: | Darlington, DL3 7PL |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | U0016-26-0002 |
Summary
The Senior Care Home Pharmacist plays a vital role in ensuring safe, effective, and person-centred use of medicines for residents in care homes. Working closely with GPs, nurses, carers, and other healthcare professionals, they review and optimise medication regimens, reduce risks, and improve residents quality of life. The holder of this post will be an important part of the Care Homes team which will deliver a highquality service across the Darlington area. The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of all aspects of the medicines management work plan in care homes. This includes the provision of specialist advice, promoting the safe handling and administration of medicines, education and training. He/she will deliver the medicines management agenda of quality, rational, cost-effective and evidence-based prescribing for service users in care homes The senior clinical pharmacist will support the Lead Pharmacist & Pharmacy Technicians in the Enhanced Health in Care Home team to work with the PCN and GP practices to deliver a programme of medicines optimisation including managing hospital discharge medication changes, medication queries. The post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principles of medicines optimisation for the population of Darlington. This will also include the management and review of patients with polypharmacy. Key responsibilities: Strong clinical knowledge of pharmacology and geriatric medicine Excellent communication and relationship- building skills Ability to work independently and as part of a team Commitment to patient safety and evidence-based practice Work as part of the multidisciplinary care homes team to support consistent standards and practice in medicines management. To work as part of the multidisciplinary team advising and supporting staff on prescribing/medicines management issues. Support the identification of patients who require a full medication review and working with the care home GPs facilitate this. Support deprescribing where appropriate to avoid unnecessary medication use. Provide advice and support to care homes on handling of medicines ensuring safe and appropriate ordering, storage and administration of medicines at all times. Provide advice and support to care homes and practices on covert administration of medicines to care home residents Work with care home staff to ensure the safer use of medication, improving medication safety, reporting of incidents and pro-actively preventing safeguarding incidents Liaise with health professionals in secondary care on interface medicines management issues relating to care home service users. Support the investigation of any concerns or incidents which occur in the care homes. To proactively develop good working relationships with all stakeholders. To input into the safeguarding team to support and advise care homes where medication management has been flagged as an issue. Plan, manage and prioritise own workload ensuring any deadlines are met. Be an independent prescriber, or wiling to work towards Support colleagues and patients with medication queries and monitoring. To support, mentor and line manage pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Using audit and action planning, help to tackle inequalities. Provide leadership on person-centered medicines optimisation including ensuring prescribers in the PCN practices conserve antibiotics in line with local antimicrobial stewardship guidance and quality improvement. Work with general practice teams to ensure that practices are compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Develop relationships and work closely with other pharmacy professionals across Primary Care Networks and the wider health and social care system. Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols, liaison with specialist pharmacists, liaison with community pharmacists and anticoagulation services. Provide clinical support for Pharmacy Technicians within the Enhanced Health in Care Home team. The above list of duties is not exhaustive and may be subject to change as deemed necessary Aims/Goals of post To promote high quality, safe and cost effective prescribing informed by the evidence base, national and local guidance within registered care homes To be responsible for the provision of highly specialist pharmaceutical advice to all healthcare professionals working within care homes. Promote incident reporting in care homes and to encourage transparency and learning. To make professional decisions where appropriate and take responsibility for them, working within relevant medicines legislation and their own professional standards of conduct, ethics and performance at all times.