Job Description

Job Introduction

Are you a forward-thinking pharmacy leader ready to shape the future of medicines optimisation across diverse healthcare services?


HCRG Care Group is looking for an experienced and dynamic

Deputy Chief Pharmacist

to join our national team. Working closely with the Chief Pharmacist, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering strategic leadership, driving innovation, and ensuring excellence in medicines optimisation across our organisation.


This is a high-impact role where you'll support the development and delivery of pharmacy services that are safe, effective, and aligned with national best practice. You'll lead on key projects, contribute to service transformation, and provide clinical assurance across a broad portfolio, working collaboratively with NHS partners, integrated care systems, and internal business units.


Main Responsibilities
Provide strategic and operational leadership to support the Chief Pharmacist and drive the delivery of safe, effective, and innovative pharmacy services across HCRG Care Group. Lead on the implementation of the Medicines Optimisation Strategy, ensuring compliance with legislation, national standards, and Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements. Offer expert clinical and strategic advice on all aspects of medicines optimisation and medicines management. Support and deputise for the Chief Pharmacist, taking responsibility for key decisions and oversight in their absence. Lead service development initiatives, cost-efficiency projects, and the establishment of new pharmacy services. Act as a role model and professional leader for Lead Pharmacists and the wider pharmacy workforce, promoting a culture of safety, continuous learning, and high performance. Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), acute trusts, and local authority partners, to deliver integrated and high-quality pharmacy services. Contribute to clinical governance and risk management frameworks, including audit, incident review, and quality improvement. Lead or support the development and implementation of pharmacy-related digital systems, including electronic prescribing (EPMA). Deliver high-quality reports and briefings to senior governance and leadership forums across the organisation.

The Ideal Candidate

You'll be a confident and experienced pharmacy leader with a passion for quality, safety, and innovation in medicines optimisation. You'll combine strategic thinking with hands-on expertise and have the credibility to influence at all levels.


We're looking for someone who can:

Demonstrate significant post-qualification experience as a registered pharmacist with the GPhC, including senior leadership within hospital or community health services. Bring strong clinical knowledge across both primary and secondary care, with a deep understanding of prescribing, medicines management, and NHS systems. Lead and inspire multidisciplinary teams, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance. Navigate complex healthcare systems and develop strong partnerships across NHS bodies, integrated care systems, and other stakeholders. Confidently interpret data, assess risk, and provide assurance around safe and cost-effective use of medicines. Communicate clearly and influence effectively at executive level, with experience presenting at governance or strategic forums. Thrive in a dynamic, flexible environment--managing competing priorities and delivering results independently and collaboratively.

You'll ideally also bring experience with electronic prescribing systems (EPMA), SystmOne, or EMIS, along with a track record of driving service innovation and digital transformation in pharmacy.


About The Company

We change lives by transforming health and care.



Established in 2006, we are one of the UK's leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency, and improved outcomes. We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year - guided by our simple values: we care, we think, we do.



We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. We're a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.



While it doesn't happen often, sometimes a role is very popular, and we'll need to close it earlier than the date we've shown here. If you're keen to join our team, we'd love to hear from you so please apply as soon as you can.



As you'd expect, safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance so we have policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices and everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.



Finally, we need to let you know that the company you'll work for is part of HCRG Care Group Holdings Limited and by applying for this job we'll need to process and hold information about you. If you would like to know a little more about how we use your information, please see our website's privacy policy.


Package Description

As a Deputy Chief Pharmacist, you'll be part of our valued team at HCRG Care Group.


You will feel valued as a Deputy Chief Pharmacistwithin HCRG Care Group, receiving access to exclusive rewards and benefits including:

76,965 - 88,682 (Band 8c) with agenda for change terms and conditions

Private medical insurance with fast access to the most used specialists including for musculoskeletal problems and for mental health support - at locations across the country Free tea, coffee and milk at your base location Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you access to discounts on every day purchases like grocery shopping as well as cashback and voucher offers for treats for you and those special to you Access to your wages as you earn them to help cover life's emergencies and avoid overdraft fees or high interest rates Online and face to face help with your mental and physical wellbeing - from healthy recipes and activity challenges through to post trauma support, legal, debt and life management help, as well career coaching and counselling Access to eLearning, bespoke career pathways and opportunities for continuing professional development through our 'Outstanding' learning and development team, The Learning Enterprise An open, just culture where you're encouraged to have and implement ideas which can help us deliver our purpose: changing lives through transforming health and care - backed up by at least 100,000 of ringfenced innovation funding each year * The pride of working for an organisation committed to the highest clinical and quality standards: with the majority of our rated services holding "good" or "outstanding" ratings from the Care Quality Commission