The Royal United Hospitals Bath is seeking an experienced and motivated Lead Pharmacist for Clinical Commissioning and Medicines Value to join our senior pharmacy leadership team. This is a key role providing expert leadership for high‑cost drugs, medicines optimisation, formulary management, and commissioning processes across the Trust.
Our Culture
We are committed to providing a compassionate and inclusive working environment . We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are dedicated to supporting staff wellbeing, professional growth and a sense of belonging.
We want all staff to feel valued, treated fairly, and supported to reach their full potential.
Flexible Working
We encourage applications from individuals seeking a range of flexible working options , including part‑time hours, job‑share, compressed hours, or flexible start and finish times. We are happy to discuss how flexibility can work for you and the service at interview.
What we offer
Supportive senior pharmacy team
Opportunities for leadership development
Involvement in system‑wide optimisation projects
Participation in research, QI and teaching
A culture that prioritises wellbeing, teamwork and continuous improvement
About You
You should have:
Significant hospital pharmacy experience
Strong understanding of medicines commissioning, HCD processes and funding flows
Experience in formulary management and implementation of NICE guidance
Excellent communication, negotiation and leadership skills
The ability to influence and work effectively with senior clinical and managerial colleagues
A postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification or equivalent experience
You will be committed to high‑quality patient care, medicines value, and inclusive leadership
- Responsible for providing professional expertise to the Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS England and RUH to ensure the best possible patient outcomes and value for money for the NHS from medicines.
- To lead on implementation for High Cost Drugs, NICE TAs and medicines activity data by working with commissioners to develop and deliver efficiency savings plans on the High Cost Drugs (HCD) budgets.
- To manage the process for approval, appropriate use and audit of High Cost Drugs associated with Payment By Results (PBR) excluded medicines commissioned by BSW ICS
- To manage related training provision to all operational staff within the facility.
- Actively engage in service evaluation and business planning with the Pharmacy Senior Management Team
- Support training and teaching activities of the Pharmacy Department
- Line manage and undertake the annual appraisal of allocated staff
We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.
We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.
By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person‑centred care we’re proud of.
We’re committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.
We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing – and yes, we even have a pool!
Discover what it’s like to live and work in Bath , explore our RUH staff benefits , and learn how we’re building healthcare for the future through the Dyson Cancer Centre and our commitment to research .
Please find attached to the vacancy a detailed person specification and job description for further information about this role.
