Pharmacy Career Pathways in the NHS
Pharmacy jobs are in no short supply; in fact it may be one of the few industries where the supply outweighs the demand.
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 , but it will become an increasingly important consideration in the future.
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