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Specialist Pharmacist, Acute & General Medicine
Band 7 | 1.0 WTE 36 Hours
2 Year Fixed Term / Secondment
£52,845 - £61,466
(including weekend, on-call and public holidays commitment)
Are you looking for a fast paced and dynamic role in acute medicine?
Do you want to be part of a highly skilled multidisciplinary team delivering urgent and emergency care to patients? If you are a motivated and proactive pharmacist looking to expand your clinical expertise, this is an exciting opportunity to develop your career in Acute & General Medicine at the Western General Hospital.
About the Role
This role offers the opportunity to join a highly regarded pharmacy team providing expert pharmaceutical care to patients requiring immediate and early medical management. Acute and General Medicine at the Western General Hospital assesses over 100 patients per day, working across Medical Admissions Unit, General Medicine inpatient wards and Same Day Emergency Care.
As part of this team, you will:
- Work alongside consultants and the wider multidisciplinary team, playing an active role in consultant-led ward rounds.
- Contribute to patient flow and site capacity management, ensuring timely and effective pharmaceutical interventions.
- Provide expert medicines management, optimising prescribing decisions to enhance patient safety and outcomes.
This is a dynamic and challenging role, ideal for pharmacists who thrive in fast-paced environments and enjoy working at the heart of acute patient care.
Why Join Us?
When you join NHS Lothian’s Acute and General Medicine team, you’ll be part of a forward-thinking service that values professional growth and high-quality patient care. You will benefit from:
- Specialist experience in acute and general medicine, working in one of Scotland’s leading teaching hospitals.
- A collaborative and supportive team, where pharmacists are embedded in multidisciplinary care and have an established non-medical prescribing role.
- Opportunities for career progression, including developing advanced clinical and prescribing skills.
- A role with real impact, supporting critical decision-making and improving patient flow in a fast-paced hospital setting.
About you
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic pharmacist with a passion for delivering exceptional clinical care.
Essential Qualifications and Experience:
Skills and Attributes:
- Experience in proactively influencing prescribing, using clinical knowledge to optimise patient care.
- A strong patient-focused approach, with the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills, enabling effective decision-making in an acute medical setting.
- A proactive attitude, with a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
- A strong alignment with NHS Lothian’s values and a willingness to contribute to our dynamic team.
If you’re eager to work in a fast-moving, high-impact clinical environment, we’d love to hear from you.
About NHS Lothian
NHS Lothian serves a population of 900,000 across Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and West Lothian. As Scotland’s second-largest health system, we are one of four teaching Boards, fostering strong partnerships with universities and research institutions. Our Pharmacy & Medicines Service is dedicated to delivering clinically led, person-centred care, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our patients.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
For further information on what is included in the role and the skills/experience we’re looking for, please refer to the job description and person specification linked below. We know that a job advert can only tell you so much. To discuss this opportunity further and explore how it could fit your career goals, we warmly invite you to contact:
📧 Harry Young, Lead Pharmacist Acute and General Medicine WGH
📩 Email: harry.young2@nhs.scot
📧 Laura Kirkpatrick, Acting Lead Clinical Pharmacist - Western General Hospital
📩 Email: laura.kirkpatrick@nhs.scot
For internal candidates: Please ensure that you have discussed your application with your line manager and that a completed and signed 'Pharmacy Secondment Approval Form' has been authorised prior to attending your interview.
Join our Acute and General Medicine team and make a real difference—apply today!
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.
We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.
This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.
Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.
