Job summary
Are you ready to help shape a new integrated cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention service?

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated pharmacists with a passion for cardiology, cardiovascular prevention and medicines optimisation to join our new Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Service at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. Whether your experience has been gained in secondary care, primary care or a combination of both, we would love to hear from you.

Join our new integrated Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Service and help shape care across hospital and community pathways. As an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist, you will lead medicines optimisation, independent prescribing and specialist cardiovascular risk management, supporting patients from admission through discharge and community follow-up within an innovative multidisciplinary team.

Please note that applications from temporary workers who have been engaged with the Trust for a minimum of 3 months are welcome.

Main duties of the job
The Advanced Specialist Pharmacist will provide and develop a high-quality, patient-focused clinical pharmacy service across the integrated Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention pathway. The role spans inpatient Phase 1 rehabilitation, discharge planning, post-discharge review and collaboration with community cardiac rehabilitation, primary care and pharmacy services.

Working alongside consultant cardiologists, advanced practitioners, nurses, pharmacy colleagues and community teams, the post-holder will provide specialist pharmaceutical care for patients following acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction and other agreed cardiovascular presentations.

The post-holder will undertake comprehensive medicines reconciliation and clinical medication review, formulate pharmaceutical care plans and identify medicines-related risks. As an independent prescriber, the post-holder will initiate, review, titrate, switch or stop medicines within professional competence, agreed protocols and service pathways.

About us
We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Details
Date posted: 29 October 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: 216-AM-DC8321969
Closing date: 12 November 2026

Job responsibilities
Job purpose
The post-holder will be responsible for providing and developing a high-quality, patient-focused specialist clinical pharmacy service for the integrated Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Service. The pathway spans inpatient Phase 1 rehabilitation, discharge, post-discharge review and interfaces with community cardiac rehabilitation teams.

The post-holder will lead medicines optimisation and lipid management for patients with acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery disease and related cardiovascular risk. This will include evidence-based secondary prevention, independent prescribing, complex case review, high-cost lipid-lowering therapies and safe transfer of care.

The post-holder will work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary team and will receive professional governance, prescribing assurance and development through the Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Directorate.

Advanced clinical practice and medicines optimisation

• Identify and clinically assess eligible patients with acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease and other agreed cardiovascular presentations.
• Prioritise patients requiring specialist pharmaceutical care using clinical information, investigations and professional judgement.
• Deliver the pharmaceutical elements of Phase 1 inpatient cardiac rehabilitation, including cardiovascular risk assessment, medicines optimisation, structured education and psychological first support within competence.
• Undertake comprehensive medicines reconciliation and medication review.
• Formulate, document and monitor individual pharmaceutical care plans.
• Practise as an independent prescriber within professional competence, agreed pathways and governance arrangements.
• Initiate, review, titrate, switch and stop medicines where clinically appropriate.
• Optimise guideline-directed secondary prevention therapies, including antiplatelet agents, lipid-lowering therapies, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, anti-anginals and other relevant cardiovascular treatments.
• Identify and manage contraindications, interactions, adverse effects, adherence barriers, administration problems and therapeutic risk.
• Request or recommend appropriate investigations within scope of practice, act upon results and escalate for specialist or medical review where required.
• Undertake clinical screening of inpatient prescriptions to ensure medicines are safe, effective and consistent with local and national guidance.
• Support timely discharge through prescribing, medicines optimisation, discharge planning and resolution of medicines-related delays.

Lipid management and secondary prevention

• Lead specialist management of dyslipidaemia and statin intolerance.
• Support patients whose lipid or cardiovascular risk markers remain above agreed targets following community review.
• Provide specialist input for patients with confirmed or suspected familial hypercholesterolaemia.
• Initiate and monitor PCSK9 inhibitors and other high-cost lipid-lowering therapies in accordance with NICE guidance, local formulary decisions and commissioned pathways.
• Act as the named specialist route back into the hospital team for patients requiring complex cardiovascular risk or lipid management.
• Provide specialist advice to community non-medical prescribers, primary care and community pharmacy.
• Support safe, clinically effective and cost-efficient use of cardiovascular medicines.

Inpatient rehabilitation, discharge and follow-up

• Support eligible patients through inpatient cardiac rehabilitation and preparation for discharge.
• Provide accessible medicines information to patients and families, including treatment purpose, expected benefits, adverse effects, monitoring and safe use.
• Encourage informed decision-making and support adherence.
• Complete timely and accurate discharge summaries and clinical correspondence.
• Communicate medicines changes, treatment targets, monitoring requirements, follow-up arrangements and escalation plans clearly to relevant professionals.
• Undertake face-to-face, telephone or virtual post-discharge reviews for prioritised patients.
• Assess treatment tolerance, adherence, monitoring results and progress against agreed goals.
• Provide specialist medicines support through agreed patient helpline arrangements, including weekend provision where applicable.
• Resolve medicines-related queries or escalate matters promptly to support patient safety and reduce avoidable healthcare use.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Excellent proven knowledge of clinical pharmacy and medicines optimisation within cardiology and cardiovascular disease.
• Excellent proven knowledge of general clinical pharmacy practice and medicines use.
• Substantial demonstrable experience in cardiology/cardiovascular clinical pharmacy.
• Demonstrable experience in a range of clinical specialties.
• Demonstrable experience of medicines reconciliation, discharge planning and transfer of care in an acute setting.
• In-depth proven knowledge of secondary prevention pharmacotherapy and relevant national guidance, including NICE, ESC/BHF and BACPR standards.
• Proven skills in leadership, communication, negotiation, influencing and multidisciplinary working.
• Understanding of NHS priorities and how these can be applied locally.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate highly complex information to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
• Proven evidence of continuing professional development.
• Demonstrable experience of teaching, training and workforce development.
• Multidisciplinary working and ward-round demonstrable experience.
• Demonstrable experience of designing, developing or improving pharmacy services.
• Demonstrable experience of audit, quality improvement, service evaluation or practice research.
• Ability to work autonomously and use professional judgement in complex clinical situations.
• Demonstrable experience of supporting hospital directorate, divisional or speciality-level service delivery.

Desirable

• Demonstrable experience with lipid clinics, high-cost lipid-lowering therapies or familial hypercholesterolaemia services.
• Demonstrable experience supporting community or primary care integration of secondary prevention pathways.
• Demonstrable experience within cardiac rehabilitation, heart failure or cardiovascular prevention services.
• Demonstrable experience of presenting audit, service evaluation or research findings.
• Demonstrable experience in budget management, medicines optimisation programmes or financial improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrable experience as a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) or supervising non-medical prescribing trainees.
• Demonstrable experience of diploma mentorship, pharmacist foundation training supervision or equivalent educational support.
• Proven knowledge of commissioning arrangements and treatment pathways for cardiovascular therapies.

Qualifications
Essential

• Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy.
• Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma or equivalent qualification.
• Non-medical prescriber.

Desirable

• Current registration with the Royal College of Pharmacy.
• Member of the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA).
• Active member of Cardiology Group within UKCPA or equivalent pharmacist specialist interest group.
• Postgraduate leadership qualification.
• Postgraduate qualification in speciality.

Abilities & Aptitude
Essential

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex information effectively to a wide range of audiences.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands and manage workload effectively.
• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain performance within a busy environment.
• Ability to identify, analyse and solve complex problems.
• Ability to critically evaluate evidence and apply it to clinical decision-making.
• Ability to implement and support change.

Desirable

• Demonstrable management or leadership ability.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Address: Derriford, Plymouth, PL6 8DH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Consultant Cardiologist, Sally Olsen, sally.olsen1@nhs.net, 01752437767

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)