Hospital Pharmacy NHS Bands

Hello, just wanted to ask how one would move up the ranks within hospital pharmacy, and how long would it take from the time of graduating to move from Band 6 to Band 7 and 8. Thank you!

Hi,

So after you graduate, you would work for 1 year as a pre-registration trainee (Band 5). Upon qualifying as a pharmacist with the GPhC, you would work for 2-3 years as a rotational clinical pharmacist (Band 6), during which you would study for a clinical diploma. Thereafter, you would seek to work in a more specialised role as a specialist clinical pharmacist or a senior rotational pharmacist if you didn't know which area you wanted to specialise in for another 2-3 years (Band 7). After that you would seek to work as for a further 2-3 years as a highly specialist clinical pharmacist or advanced clinical pharmacist (Band 8a). During this time you may start thinking of further post-graduate, e.g. an MSc or PhD. Next, you might work again for another 2-3 as a lead clinical pharmacist for a speciality (Band 8b), at which point you would decide whether you wanted to commit to a clinical or managerial career - you could aim to be appointed as a consultant pharmacist (Band 8c), or as a deputy chief pharmacist (Band 8d), after which the end game would be to work as a chief pharmacist (Band 8d/9).

Hope this helps

Thank you, that is perfect! Do you mind me also asking whether the jobs get more and more competitive for each successive pay band? Or so they stay roughly the same. Thank you again!

Hi,

No problems

Yeah, I believe there's less competition going from band 5 to band 6 (as hospitals often have fewer pre-registration jobs than rotational pharmacist jobs, but thereafter it only become more competitive and you would probably need to move at some point to get to a band 8b and above! Have a look at the NHS Jobs website and you'll see how infrequently band 8b-9 jobs become available.