Trac proudly powers the recruitment for
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
About
We provide NHS care and treatment for people living in south east England. Our mental health services provide care and treatment for people with conditions such as psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia and personality disorder. Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment you can be confident in.
Contact
- Address
- Swandean
- Arundel Road
- Worthing
- West Sussex
- BN13 3EP
- Contact Number
- 01903 843000
Principal Pharmacist and Advanced Clinical Practitioner CAMHS
Accepting applications until: 02-Sep-2026 23:59
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 02-Sep-2026 23:59
Key details
Location
- Site
- Trust HQ, Portland House
- Town
- Worthing
- Postcode
- BN11 1HS
- Major / Minor Region
- West Sussex
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- 12 months (fixed term maternity cover)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Salary
- Salary
- £66,582 - £77,368 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (NHS AfC: Band 8b)
Specialty
- Main area
- Mental Health
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.
Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
The Trust is excited to offer this maternity cover post, with the successful candidate leading the delivery and development of medicines optimisation within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
We are a hugely passionate team and we would love you to join us in providing patient focussed care. Our ethos and principles are strongly centred around our patients. Where medicines are part of a patient's care plan, we will ensure their safe and effective use, as well as de-prescribe when no longer needed. Our team foundations are built on being passionate about our role, enjoying our work life and developing our skills and
expertise to meet our patient's, personal and wider staff needs. We have a progressive educational programme and embrace innovative and new ways of working. With technological advances we strongly believe in ensuring our time with patients is not rushed and that conversations about medicines are fully connected. We feel so fortunate to live in Sussex, the scenery of the coastline and the South Downs provide so much opportunity to explore.
Advert
The role will lead on all aspects of medicines optimisation within CAMHS, supporting the development of medicines optimisation agenda, including reviewing Trust guidelines, policies and processes. The role requires you to provide leadership, support and development of all aspects of clinical
pharmacy service and delivery across the Trust and to act at the level of a Pharmacist Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
Please main responsibilities section for more details.
Working for our organisation
Sussex Partnership is a large mental health trust with a thriving pharmacy team. We pride ourselves on innovation and staff wellbeing. We are
open to flexible / part time working as well as a more traditional work pattern depending on the needs of the applicant.
If you are interested to see if this opportunity could be the role for you, please feel free to contact us for further information.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will develop and maintain highly specialist knowledge in medicines used within CAMHS.
You will work closely with senior and junior prescribers, care co-ordinators, and other members of the MDT to ensure safe, effective, and cost-effective use of medicines.
As a prescriber you will be required to engage in face-to-face patient consultations for initiating, changing, and stopping medications, you will consult with patients and their parents or guardians to ensure they receive expert advice on their medicines and are supported to manage their medicines.
We expect you to have a good knowledge of psychotropic medications and the ability to independently make appropriate decisions about treatment options, including where there is no clear answer and utilise appropriate evidence sources to support recommendations. You should be able to communicate clinical information effectively and be able to influence prescribing practices.
You will have experience of safeguarding, risk assessment, and escalation of concern, dealing with complex family and social dynamics.
You will manage and support senior pharmacy staff fostering high standards and an innovative culture within the specialist division.
You will be required to provide education and training to junior pharmacists and to the wider MDT.
You will support colleagues within primary care and the wider integrated care board (ICB) with issues relating to shared-care and formulary. Some of this work will necessitate you having the ability to calmly deal with conflict in politically charged environments and contribute to workable solutions with stakeholders
You will be highly motivated and proactive in managing your workload through effective prioritisation of tasks and can work with autonomy.
You will provide expert professional leadership and advice across the Trust.
You will oversee medication safety initiatives relating to CAMHS and liaise with the Trust's medicines safety officer to review medicines safety incidents.
Please see attached documents for further information. Alternatively if you have any queries regarding the role please contact us.
SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.
Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.
SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.
If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.
In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.
Protect Yourself from Recruitment Fraud
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust does not charge any fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or employment offers.
All vacancies, applications and recruitment communications are managed through the Trust's official careers website and published contact details.
These are the only authorised channels for applying for roles, receiving recruitment communications and verifying job offers.
Further information relating to our vacancies and recruitment process can be found at - https://careers.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/.
Applicant requirements
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree in Pharmacy at a British School of Pharmacy, or recognised equivalent
- Post-graduate diploma in clinical pharmacy practice
- Independent Prescribing qualification
- Post-graduate diploma in Advanced Clinical Practice in Mental Health
Desirable criteria
- Post-graduate clinical qualification at Masters level
- Post-graduate leadership or management training or qualification
- MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice in Mental Health
- Scope for development role to Consultant Pharmacist
Registration
Essential criteria
- Registered Member of General Pharmaceutical Council
Desirable criteria
- Credentialled Member of College of Mental Health Pharmacists
- Faculty Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Council
Knowledge, Training and Experience - Non-clinical
Essential criteria
- Extensive hospital experience post qualification
- Significant experience of working within mental health services
- Experience in a leadership role within hospital pharmacy
- Experience of Human Resources management and process
- Management skills (e.g. recruitment, appraisal, training, coaching)
- Experience of audit and reporting
- To have demonstrable evidence of having met the full gateway KSF for 8a Pharmacist
Desirable criteria
- Experience of Quality Improvement methodology and implementation
- Financial experience, including budget holding and setting
- Experience of leading a significant change in service delivery
- Experience of change management
Knowledge, Training and Experience - Clinical
Essential criteria
- Excellent clinical pharmacy skills with particular emphasis on medicines used in mental health
- Highly Specialised and up-to-date knowledge of pharmacological treatment options for mental health conditions
- Understanding of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act and application in practice
- Advanced levels of clinical reasoning and judgement in order to manage difficult or potentially conflicting problems
- Experience in providing both written and verbal information on drug usage
- Experience in carrying out Medicines Information queries, providing both verbal and written specialist advice
Desirable criteria
- Experience of providing or managing pharmacy service to different mental health services
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- John Baylis
- Job title
- Divisional Professional Pharmacy Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07471031463
- Additional information
Please note that this role is for a full time position so please disregard the hours shown on the attached job description.
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