Job summary
**Band 8A Lead Pharmacist - VTE & Stroke**
We are looking for an enthusiastic and forward-thinking clinical pharmacist to join our Pharmacy team as Lead Pharmacist - VTE & Stroke.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop specialist pharmacy services for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, anticoagulation stewardship and stroke medicines optimisation across the Trust. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in improving patient safety, driving evidence-based practice and delivering high-quality, patient-centred care.
As an Independent Prescriber, you will provide advanced clinical care for patients with complex needs, contribute to specialist clinics and multidisciplinary meetings, and support the development of integrated stroke and thrombosis pathways. You will also lead quality improvement, clinical audit, guideline development and education, helping to shape and enhance services across the organisation.
This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced clinical pharmacist looking to develop their leadership skills while making a tangible impact on patient outcomes and the future of pharmacy services. You will work closely with colleagues across pharmacy, medicine, nursing and the wider healthcare system to deliver innovative, safe and effective medicines optimisation.

Main duties of the job

• To provide highly specialist clinical pharmacy leadership for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, anticoagulation and stroke services across the Trust.
• The post holder will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of anticoagulation stewardship, stroke medicines optimisation and VTE prevention programmes, ensuring safe, effective, evidence-based and cost-effective use of anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapies.
• The post holder will work as an independent prescriber, providing advanced pharmaceutical care, participating in clinics and multidisciplinary team meetings, and supporting the delivery of high-quality stroke and VTE care pathways.
• The post holder will provide strategic leadership for anticoagulation governance, VTE prevention, hospital-acquired thrombosis investigations, stroke medicines management, guideline development, audit, quality improvement and education.
• The post holder will support the lead in the development, delivery and continuous improvement of pharmacy services across Stroke medicine.
• They will also act as a member of the pharmacy clinical leadership group and contribute to the strategic development of pharmacy services within the Trust.

About us
Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.
The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.
Our "CARE" values: C ompassionate, A spirational, R esourceful, E xcellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Details
Date posted: 07 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 193-8109694NCG
Job locations: Royal Berkshire Hospital, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AN, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Personal Specification for further details of the job role.

Person Specification
Education, qualifications & training
Essential

• MPharm degree or equivalent (A)
• Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) (A)
• Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification (Diploma/MSc or equivalent experience) (A)
• Independent Prescriber Qualification (A)

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy, UKCPA or equivalent (A)
• Postgraduate qualification or training in leadership, education, or clinical practice (A)
• Training in quality improvement or service development methodologies (e.g. Lean, QI, PRINCE-2) (A)

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Significant post-registration hospital pharmacy experience (A/I)
• Experience of working as an independent prescriber within a clinical setting (A/I)
• Experience of leading guideline, SOP, PGD or pathway development (A/I)
• Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams to deliver patient care (A/I)
• Experience of clinical governance, including incident reporting, investigation, audit and risk management (A/I)
• Experience of contributing to service development, quality improvement, or implementation of new ways of working (A/I)
• Experience of supporting, supervising, or mentoring junior staff (A/I)
• Experience of line management, supervision, or mentoring of staff (A)
• Experience of anticoagulation stewardship and VTE prevention
• Experience of working within stroke services (A/I)

Desirable

• Experience of managing or coordinating clinical pharmacy services or workload (A/I)
• Experience of working across primary-secondary care interfaces (A/I)
• Experience of involvement in research, audit, or practice-based publication (A/I)
• Awareness of emerging developments in advanced therapies and genomics (A/I)
• Experience managing cost improvement projects related to medicines (A/I)
• Involvement or experience presenting at regional or national conferences or professional forums (A/I)

Skills & abilities
Essential

• Strong clinical decision-making skills, with the ability to manage complex patients and optimise prescribing (A/I)
• Ability to prioritise and manage a complex workload within a fast-paced, high-pressure clinical environment (A/I)
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to convey complex clinical information to patients and multidisciplinary teams (A/I)
• Ability to influence and negotiate with clinical and operational colleagues (A/I)
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to coordinate clinical and service priorities (A/I)
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use clinical judgement and data to inform decisions (A/I)
• Experience of delivering education or training sessions to multidisciplinary teams (A/I)

Desirable

• Experience of using data, metrics or digital tools to support service improvement or patient flow (A/I)
• Leadership skills appropriate to a senior clinical role (A/I)
• Ability to independently assess, prescribe and manage patients within specialist clinics (A/I)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Royal Berkshire Hospital, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Associate Chief Pharmacist - Clinical Services
Kush Bhargava
kush.bhargava@royalberkshire.nhs.uk
01183227800