Pharmacy Manager Cancer and Clinical Trials
Closing date: 10 October 2025
Department: Pharmacy
Band 8b £64,455 - £74,896 per annum, pro rata
Hours: 30 hours per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
It is an exciting time to be joining the Pharmacy Department at Milton Keynes University Hospital. We now have a fully refurbished Pharmacy Department and a State of the Art Aseptic Unit based within our new Cancer Centre.
Cancer Services in Milton Keynes are developing rapidly and as a Pharmacy team we are looking to develop our services to the next level. We are looking for an experienced Cancer Pharmacist who is up for the challenge and opportunity to lead the growth and development of our Cancer Pharmacy service.
You will be a member of the Pharmacy Leadership Team and will support all aspects of the work of the Pharmacy Cancer Team including the screening of SACT prescriptions. You will also contribute to weekend and out of hours provision across the Trust.
You will be one of two experienced senior Cancer Pharmacists who work together to lead the Cancer Pharmacy Team.
You will have the opportunity to develop your own skills and undertake your own professional development. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss the role further:
Tel: or email Jill McDonald, Associate Director of Pharmacy on
Main duties of the job
The Pharmacy Manager - Cancer & Clinical Trials acts as the expert within the MKUH Cancer Centre, provides a dynamic link between clinical practice and service development by creating new models for delivering patient care ensuring the best experience and outcomes for patients from their medicines whenever and wherever their care is delivered.
About us
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.
Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards - and the recently approved Women and Children\'s Centre, set to open by 2030.
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Job responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities
To maintain a clinical expertise and develop particular areas of interest as appropriate and relevant to the substantive role and in accordance with the Trust and Pharmacy strategy.
To be recognised as an expert within Oncology and Haematology clinical pharmacy speciality.
Clinical Service Organisation and Management role
To manage the cancer & Clinical Trials pharmacy team in accordance with Organisation policy and procedures, for example, pharmacy rotas including cover for sickness, vacancies and leave and performance management.
To deputise for the Clinical Director for Pharmacy at high level meetings within the area of specialism in the absence of or at the request of the Clinical Director for Pharmacy or the Deputy Chief Pharmacist.
Education and Training Responsibilities
To provide a comprehensive induction programme in cancer services and Clinical Trials for all new members of staff coming into Pharmacy.
To ensure each member of staff within cancer services & Clinical Trials has a comprehensive training package tailored to their grade and duties, in accordance with MHRA and quality assurance standards.
Expert practice
To provide strategic advice to the Clinical Director for Pharmacy to enable implementation and delivery of a patient centred medicines management / pharmacy service to Oncology and Haematology patients.
To provide strategic advice to the Clinical Director for Pharmacy to enable implementation and delivery of a high quality, growing clinical trials portfolio.
Professional Leadership
To be recognised as having attained the highest levels of pharmaceutical expertise in Oncology and Haematology.
To expand the boundaries of the pharmacy profession
Professional Role
To ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times
To be professionally accountable for actions and advice.
Please refer to the Job Description for further details
Person SpecificationSkills
- IT and presentation skills and report writing
- Meets targets and identifies a vision for the delivery of pharmacy services to patients
- Good inter-personal skills, with the ability to liaise and influence senior managers and consultants
- Meets expected levels of practice as identified by others and identifies new areas of practice
- Identifies and prioritises clinical work and new clinical pharmacy services
- Understands local and national priorities in care and has the ability to reconcile these with local realities
- Demonstrable ability to manage time, people and resources to deliver outcomes
- Integrates research evidence and audit results into practice; documented experience of own research & audit
- Identifies and manages risk
- Demonstrates awareness of and commitment to the Clinical Governance agenda
- Demonstrates expert clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning and judgement; manages difficult and ambiguous problems
- Identifies own training needs, actively seeks training opportunities and maintains a portfolio of practice
- Works autonomously and can delegate authority appropriately
- Evaluates the quality of own work and can evaluate service quality
- An ability to prioritise a complex workload and work accurately under pressure
Qualifications and knowledge
- BPharm / BSc / MPharm (or equivalent)
- GPhC Registration
- Higher Degree / Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or equivalent experience
- Working knowledge of clinical trials and associated legislation
- MRPharmS
- MSc or PhD in Clinical Pharmacy
- Independent prescribing qualification as a pharmacist
- Formal postgraduate training in haematology or oncology.
Experience
- Broad experience of providing a clinical service to haematology & oncology patients at a senior level
- Experience of managing drug expenditure for a specialty and understanding of budgetary mechanism
- Experience of working with commissioners to manage drug use
- Previous evaluations or reviews of medicines used in the specialty's patient.
- Experience as a trainer
- Experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care
- Experience of audit work.
- An awareness of current national standards, guidelines and service delivery issues relevant to the directorate's patient.
- Experience of supervising, developing and appraising staff as well as giving feedback
- Proven experience of working at a strategic level with senior clinicians and managers and experience of working in an integrated directorate team
Communication
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
Specific requirements
- Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
- Knowledge and understanding of the safe handling and dispensing of cytotoxic medications, including COSHH.
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.
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
£64,455 to £74,896 a year per annum, pro rata
