Advanced Specialist Cancer Pharmacist (GI)

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and experienced Advanced Specialist Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Pharmacist (Band 8b) to lead and further develop our pharmacy related service developments, improvements and initiatives across all GI cancer specialities namely colorectal, anal, upper GI and hepatobiliary (HPB) cancers.

The post will provide strategic and clinical leadership working closely with the multidisciplinary team to ensure delivery of high\-quality, patient\-centred care across all trust sites including peripheral clinics.

The post holder will oversee the safe and evidence\-based use of systemic anti\-cancer therapies (SACT), act as a Non\-Medical Prescriber in outpatient settings, and support personalised treatment pathways.

Responsibilities include leading service development aligned with Trust and national strategies, contributing expert input to protocols and guidelines, driving quality improvement initiatives, and supporting research and innovation.

The Pharmacy Department has close links with academic partners including The University of Manchester, and actively supports postgraduate study, DPharm and MSc programmes, and research secondments.

You will be joining a supportive and forward\-thinking team with a reputation for pioneering work in service delivery for patients with GI cancers. If you are enthusiastic and keen to shape the future of GI cancer pharmacy at one of the UK’s most advanced cancer centres we would like to hear from you.

To lead and manage the specialist GI cancer pharmacy services, ensuring clinical excellence, service alignment with Trust and national standards, and continuous improvement through defined performance measures.

To provide advanced clinical pharmacy expertise, including independent prescribing, multidisciplinary collaboration, and delivery of patient\-centred, evidence\-based care for GI cancer patients.

To oversee medicines optimisation and governance, ensuring safe, effective, and cost\-efficient use of cancer medicines through robust protocols, incident management, and regulatory compliance.

To manage and develop staff, providing leadership, mentorship, appraisals, \& training to support advanced practice and workforce sustainability within the oncology pharmacy team.

To drive innovation and service development, leading initiatives such as pharmacist\-led clinics, digital prescribing \& pathway optimisation to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities.

To contribute to education, research, and financial stewardship, delivering teaching, audits, and clinical research while managing budgets, forecasting drug expenditure, and supporting sustainability goals.

Although the pharmacy service is based at The Christie Hospital main site, postholders may be required to work at any location across the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network. The Trust has a flexible working policy and, subject to service commitments, it may also be possible to support an element of working from home.

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3\.2 million across Greater Manchester \& Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.

We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• To lead, develop and manage the specialist gastrointestinal cancer pharmacy service within the Trust, ensuring alignment with departmental, Trust, and national standards across all specialties within the GI disease groups, namely colorectal, anal, upper GI and hepatobiliary (HPB) cancers.


• To provide highly specialist clinical pharmacy advice to clinicians in multidisciplinary team meetings, outpatient clinics and on an ad hoc basis regarding the management of Trust patients undergoing treatment for gastrointestinal cancers including the management of clinical uncertainty by critically appraising the evidence\-base and applying it to novel situations and reaching appropriate decisions in complex, challenging or sensitive environments where there are competing priorities and/or an absence of reliable evidence and in situations where other professionals may challenge the advice given.


• To act as an independent prescriber for appropriate gastrointestinal cancer patients, managing own caseload and developing pharmacist\-led clinics where possible. This will include the management of patients with complex pharmaceutical care issues and distressed patients in emotive circumstances.


• To record personally generated information in the patient’s Electronic Patient Record and Electronic Prescribing systems.


• To support patient\-centred care by providing expert medicines advice, promoting adherence, and facilitating shared decision\-making, including verbal and written communication of highly complex drug or medicine\-related information to patients, relatives or carers, including patients who may have language difficulties, physical or mental disabilities.


• To identify service improvement opportunities to meet the changing requirements of both the patient population and the Trust and take a proactive role in the development and implementation of these initiatives, both within the Trust and with external agencies across the network where applicable.


• To drive innovation in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancers, including pharmacist\-led clinics, supportive care interventions, and digital prescribing systems. To oversee and delegate responsibilities to the specific disease group pharmacists within the gastrointestinal cancer team


• To establish a series of performance measures (discussed and agreed with the Principal Pharmacist for Clinical Services, the Service Manager \& the Director of Pharmacy) against which the success of the post will be measured and reviewed on an ongoing basis.


• To lead and take responsibility for specific projects involving business planning for service expansion, workforce models, delivery of Trust and NHS strategy in shaping the gastrointestinal cancer services within colorectal, anal, upper GI and hepatobiliary (HPB) disease group specialties, across the organisation, and network which may impact across or within departments, services or agencies external to the organisation, and collaboration with key stakeholders.


• To monitor and analyse medicine expenditure usage patterns and prescribing trends to advise on current budgetary issues, informing future business\-planning processes to support the management of medicines expenditure across the Trust and the wider Cancer Network, Maximising the efficiency and cost\-effectiveness of the service by facilitating advances or changes in service.


• Identify changes in current prescribing practices that are likely impact on the directorate drugs budget. In addition to identify potential new prescribing practices that may impact on the drugs budget (horizon scanning) and service delivery models.


• Work collaboratively with the senior pharmacy team to identify and deliver cost savings and service efficiencies within the department.


• To provide expert advice on funding and commissioning queries, procurement, named\-patient requests, and management of drug shortages


• To work collaboratively with other organisations across the network to encourage and support the implementation of creative and innovative service models to improve healthcare inequality and drive efficiencies across the system.


• To identify opportunities to reduce health inequalities and improve access to optimal gastrointestinal cancer treatments across the network.


• To develop, implement, and maintain treatment protocols, prescribing guidelines, standard operating procedures and patient information in collaboration with the specialist clinical pharmacists, clinicians and nursing teams.


• To collaborate in the development and monitoring of the gastrointestinal cancer\-specific homecare offering, self\-administration, and pathway optimisation initiatives and monitor expenditure across these areas.


• To be responsible for proactive reporting, investigating and reviewing trends in medication incidents in collaboration with the Medicines Safety Officer. Including risk assessment and leading on the implementation of actions with the wider multidisciplinary team to reduce the likelihood of future harm and share learning through relevant governance committees.


• To maintain assurance that high\-cost, high\-risk medicines are used appropriately with robust governance processes.


• To act as a national opinion leader through involvement in guideline development, advisory boards, and specialist forums.


• To represent the Trust in regional and national projects to advance gastrointestinal cancer pharmaceutical services.


• To continuously deliver and evaluate clinical pharmacy services and lead on service improvements to optimise gastrointestinal cancer medication use and contribute to service/system efficiencies.


• To develop educational resources for both staff and patients and contribute to local and national training programmes in gastrointestinal cancer and oncology pharmacy.


• To initiate, plan, organise, lead and participate in research, clinical audits, quality improvement projects, and service evaluation both at a local

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