University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Chief Pharmacy Information Officer
The closing date is 15 November 2026

Job summary
Are you ready to lead the next generation of digital pharmacy and medicines transformation?

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is seeking a demonstrably experienced and innovative pharmacist to become our first dedicated Chief Pharmacy Information Officer (CPIO), providing strategic leadership for digital pharmacy, medicines optimisation and transformation.

This is a unique opportunity to join the Trust's senior digital leadership team and help shape the future of medicines management, electronic prescribing, automation and digital pharmacy services. Working at the interface between Pharmacy and Digital Services, you will ensure medicines optimisation, patient safety and clinical governance are embedded within the Trust's digital strategy.

As a core member of the Trust's CXIO team, you will work alongside senior clinical, nursing, operational and digital leaders to influence the design, implementation and optimisation of digital systems that support safer and more effective patient care.

As CPIO, you will lead the development and delivery of the Trust's Pharmacy Digital Strategy, providing leadership for electronic prescribing, medicines automation, digital medicines governance and pharmacy informatics.

You will work closely with pharmacy teams, clinicians, Digital Services, Epic application teams, regional partners and national networks to ensure digital solutions align with clinical practice, operational requirements and the Trust's One Pharmacy agenda.

Main duties of the job

• Lead the strategic development and implementation of digital pharmacy services across the Trust.
• Sit as an integral member of the Trust's CXIO team, embedding pharmacy and medicines digital leadership within the Trust's wider digital transformation programme and One Pharmacy agenda.
• Act as the senior professional interface between Pharmacy and Digital Services, ensuring pharmacy and medicines priorities are reflected in the design, implementation and optimisation of digital solutions across the Trust.
• Collaborate with clinical, IT, and administrative teams to integrate pharmacy information systems.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and best practices in digital health.
• Provide strategic leadership and assurance for medicines-related digital governance, supporting the safe, effective and cost-effective use of medicines through electronic prescribing, medicines automation and digital technologies.
• Drive initiatives to improve medication management, patient safety, and clinical outcomes through technology.
• Provide expert guidance on the use of data analytics to optimise pharmacy operations and patient care.

Anticipated Interview Date - 26th November 2026
Applications from temporary workers who have been engaged with the Trust for a minimum of 3 months are welcome.

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 team on 01752 432100. 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: 10 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 216-AH-CO8329902
Job locations: Derriford Hospital, Derriford Road, Plymouth, PL6 8DH, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities

• To act as the Trust's strategic pharmacy and medicines lead for digital transformation, providing highly specialised advice on the design, configuration and ongoing development of digital systems relevant to pharmacy and medicines optimisation, including the Trust's EPR, prescribing systems and medicines automation, and ensuring digital pharmacy strategy is aligned with both pharmacy business plans and the Trust's wider digital strategy.
• To operate as a core, embedded member of the Trust's CXIO team, working alongside the Chief Clinical Information Officer, Chief Nursing Information Officer, Chief Medical Information Officer, Chief Operating Information Officer and Chief Digital Information Officer, so that pharmacy and medicines digital priorities are represented within, and shaped by, the Trust's overall digital strategy and governance rather than developed in isolation.
• Whilst embedded within the Trust's digital leadership structure and appraised through the Chief Digital Officer, the post remains professionally accountable to the Chief Pharmacist for medicines optimisation, medicines governance, professional pharmacy standards and delivery of the Pharmacy Digital Strategy.
• Develop a more digital workforce for pharmacy and ensure all EPR and logistics system training and certification for all the team members is in place to meet service needs.
• Advise on procurement, implementation, and benefits realisation in clinical and non-clinical digital system projects from a pharmacy perspective.
• To be main point of contact between Trust EPR team and Pharmacy Team and to liaise with external stakeholders including ICB and other pharmacy networks, providing specialist advice and guidance on the impact of new systems, changes to existing systems, data, and reports, to ensure trends are seen.
• To ensure all tasks and operations of provisional service relating to prescribing is responsive to internal and external demand, safe, effective, and efficient, including logging, monitoring, and escalating EPR system incidents.
• To be accountable for clinical governance in relation to electronic prescribing, the safe, cost efficient and effective use of the prescribing system and medicines.
• To provide strategic leadership and assurance for medicines-related digital governance, ensuring electronic prescribing, medicines optimisation, clinical decision support and medicines automation support the Trust's One Pharmacy agenda and the safe, effective and cost-effective use of medicines.
• To ensure EPR system adheres to local and national guidelines.
• To advise, support and discuss with the Senior Pharmacy Team and wider pharmacy department on all aspects of decisions relating to digital, including electronic prescribing to incorporate into pharmacy development plan.
• To lead on the Trust's pharmacy & medicines digital strategy as an integral part of the Trust's wider digital transformation agenda. This includes, but is not limited to, medicines automation and digitalisation.
• To develop and maintain effective relationships with regional and national pharmacy informatics networks, partner organisations and peer Chief Pharmacy Information Officers to support shared learning, benchmarking, innovation and the development of consistent digital medicines governance arrangements across organisational boundaries.
• To act as the senior professional interface between Pharmacy and Digital Services, ensuring the requirements of medicines optimisation, medication safety, operational pharmacy services and clinical governance are reflected in the design, implementation and optimisation of digital solutions.
• Maintains a defined clinical commitment and professional registration to support clinical credibility, prescribing competence and informed digital leadership.
• To line manage the pharmacy Digital Team

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Masters level degree in Pharmacy, or equivalent
• Post-graduate preregistration year
• Member and registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Diploma* in Clinical pharmacy, or equivalent as determined by the interview panel

Desirable

• Qualified as Accredited EPIC certified Systems Administrator
• MSc/Diploma Digital Health Leadership (NHSE Digital Academy)
• Information Governance Training
• Risk Management Training
• Management or Leadership training/Qualification
• Member of Royal College of Pharmacy
• Member of the faculty of the Royal College of Pharmacy
• Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) (HIMSS)
• Non medical prescriber (or willing to work to this if required)

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Highly specialised proven knowledge of drugs and therapeutic trends across a wide range of specialities
• Highly specialised proven knowledge of NICE, MHRA and Patient Safety and utilisation in implementation of relevant guidance
• Highly specialised proven knowledge of Health care systems and NHS changes
• Proven knowledge and demonstrable experience of audit methodology
• High computer literacy with extensive demonstrable experience of Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Comprehensive proven knowledge and understanding of EPMA systems and closed loop processes
• Good proven knowledge of NHSE Digital framework and NHSE Digital Roadmap
• Training education proven knowledge and skills
• Extensive demonstrable leadership experience working with CCIO, CNIO and Chief Pharmacist in developing and implementing digital strategy across an organisation
• Previous management / team leader demonstrable experience with responsibility for Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and other associated staff groups
• Demonstrable experience in delivering change management and Quality Improvement relating digital systems
• Demonstrable experience in developing business cases for Trust development
• Demonstrable experience of staff development
• Demonstrable experience of working across organisational boundaries, including regional, system-wide or national digital transformation, informatics or medicines optimisation programmes.
• Demonstrable experience of managing performance
• Demonstrable experience of recruitment and selection processes
• Demonstrable experience of writing reports and business cases
• Writing and implementing SOPs, policies and guidelines
• Responsible for policy implementation and service development of the specialist pharmacy services within the Trust

Aptitude and Abilities
Essential

• Excellent organisation skills/time management
• Able to give oral presentations appropriate to the level of the audience or students
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Desirable

• To be able to respond to changing priorities from the Trust leadership as required
• Project management skills
• Ability to remain calm and work effectively within a busy working environment and to tight deadlines

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.

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Address: Derriford Hospital, Derriford Road, Plymouth, PL6 8DH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Chief Pharmacist (interim), Vivek Soni, vivek.soni@nhs.net, 01752430454

Supporting documents
Privacy notice: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust's privacy notice