Regional Chief Pharmacist

Our Organisation We share the core values set out in the NHS Constitution, which all colleagues are expected to demonstrate. We support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you and your colleagues. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement, whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. As part of our commitment to improving patient safety and maintaining safe and trusted services, all successful candidates will be subject to Baseline Personnel Security Screening (BPSS), which includes a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. By submitting your application, you are confirming your agreement to these checks being undertaken as part of the recruitment process. Anyone who has received a voluntary or compulsory redundancy payment from NHS England since the start of the 2026/27 financial year is not eligible to apply. Job overview Following the restructure of regional offices of NHS England, the North East & Yorkshire Regional Team are now looking to fill a number of senior clinical roles in the Medical Directorate Senior Management Team. Reporting to the Regional Medical, the Regional Chief Pharmacist will play a vital role in providing professional leadership for quality, productivity, improvement, innovation and oversight in medicines and pharmaceutical issues across the North East & Yorkshire. Advert The successful candidate will lead the Regional Chief Pharmacist Office Team and work as part of a multidisciplinary team approach within the NHS England Regional Team and act as the regional link with the National Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England’s team. They will work closely with the Chief Pharmacists of the four Integrated Care Systems and all secondary care providers and engage with the community pharmacy sector as well as other stakeholders and partners. Working for our organisation NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS. Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services. In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.  If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process. Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices. Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band. We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies. Detailed job description and main responsibilities The Regional Chief Pharmacist will have a range of responsibilities that cover: • Statutory, regulatory and advisory functions related to the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer role, the conduct and performance of contractors on the Pharmaceutical List and the investigation of complaints, serious incidents and concerns. • Clinical leadership and advice to the Regional Medical Director on issues of quality and safety on issues related to medicines and pharmacy provision and delivering of actions in relation to anti-microbial resistance • Clinical expertise and knowledge to support regional work on medicines optimisation and pharmacy services, working collaboratively with direct commissioning, primary care contracting, clinical transformation and improvement programmes Our commitments to you We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better patient outcomes. We strive to ensure our people feel trusted, valued and empowered. When you join us, we want you to grow and excel, and we offer many opportunities for you to do that. We welcome your talent and enthusiasm irrespective of age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process. This includes considering reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro-divergent. We welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you meet all the essential criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the role. While we appreciate you may have had some support with your application (for example, using AI technology or guidance from a trusted individual), it’s important all the information you provide in it reflects your own knowledge, skills and experience and we trust that you apply on that basis. If you’re applying for this role on a secondment basis, please get agreement from your current line manager before you apply. We don’t accept applications via recruitment agencies, and we cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies. NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for processing your application; our privacy can be accessed directly on the application page when you select to apply. If you are appointed to a post, your information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. If you have a query about your application, please contact the recruitment team: [email protected] or 0300 330 1369. NHS England