Pharmacy Career Pathways in the NHS

The NHS offers hospital pharmacists a recognised pharmacy career pathway with newly qualified hospital pharmacists entering the NHS at salary Band 6 and many hospital Chief Pharmacists being at salary Band 9. Well established training posts incorporating the opportunity for postgraduate study exist to support hospital pharmacists to progress through the salary bands.

NHS Salaries

Newly qualified hospital pharmacists are paid according to salary Band 6 on the NHS salary scale. In November 2007 the basic starting salary for a Band 6 pharmacist was £23,458 per year. An additional high cost area allowance is payable in inner London, outer London and South East England. If the pharmacist is required to take part in an on-call rota, as most newly qualified hospital pharmacists are, a further payment will be made. NHS salaries increase (usually in line with inflation) in April each year and staff are generally awarded pay increments each year within a pay band. In other words most hospital pharmacists enjoy two pay rises each year!

For further information about NHS pharmacy career salaries see www.nhsemployers.org/

Terms and conditions:

Hospital pharmacists work 37.5 hours per week. This usually means Monday to Friday. You will not be required to work most weekends. However, involvement in weekend work and bank holiday rotas and on call rotas will be required.

The holiday entitlement is excellent with newly qualified pharmacists getting 27 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays. The annual leave entitlement rises to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years in the NHS.

The NHS supports flexible working and there are pharmacy career opportunities for part-time working and job-shares in many hospital pharmacy departments.

The NHS pension scheme is amongst the best in the country. Your pension may not sound important now, but it will become an increasingly important consideration in the future.