Welcome to Hunter Gatherer AHP – specialist pharmacy recruitment across the UK.
We place pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants into NHS hospitals, community pharmacies, GP surgeries, Primary Care Networks, mental health trusts, and HM Prison and Probation Service settings on both a locum and permanent basis. Whether you’re a service looking for reliable pharmacy cover or a pharmacist ready for your next role, we make the process fast, compliant and properly matched.
What Does a Pharmacist Do?
Pharmacists are GPhC-registered healthcare professionals responsible for the safe and effective use of medicines. Their role has evolved significantly in recent years — far beyond dispensing — to encompass independent prescribing, clinical medication review, chronic disease management, patient counselling and medicines optimisation across diverse healthcare settings.
In the NHS, community pharmacy, and primary care, demand for experienced clinical pharmacists continues to grow. From 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists graduate as independent prescribers, further expanding the clinical role of pharmacy across the UK workforce.
Why Services Choose Hunter Gatherer for Pharmacy Recruitment:
- Multi-sector pharmacy specialists We recruit across community pharmacy, NHS hospital, primary care, mental health, prison, and specialist settings. Our consultants understand the differences between these environments and match pharmacists on both sector experience and clinical background.
- GPhC-verified and fully compliant Every pharmacist we place is verified for GPhC registration, DBS (including enhanced checks for prison and certain NHS roles), professional indemnity, and relevant experience before we put them forward.
- Locum and permanent placements Urgent cover or a long-term hire – we support both, across all pharmacy roles including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and dispensers.
- Fast turnaround When you need pharmacy cover, response time matters. We aim to send vetted CVs quickly and can mobilise compliant locums at short notice.
Need support attracting top pharmacy talent?
Pharmacy Settings We Recruit For:
Our pharmacist and pharmacy team network covers placements across all major sectors:
- NHS Hospitals – acute trust pharmacy departments, ward clinical pharmacy, dispensary, aseptic services, medicines information
- Community Pharmacy – high street pharmacies, supermarket pharmacies, independent community pharmacies, pharmacy chains
- Primary Care & PCNs – clinical pharmacists and independent prescribers in GP surgeries and Primary Care Networks (ARRS-eligible roles)
- Mental Health Trusts – specialist mental health pharmacy, CAMHS pharmacy, forensic and secure services
- HM Prison & Probation Service – in-reach pharmacy in prisons and secure settings (enhanced DBS required)
- Specialist Hospital Services – oncology pharmacy, aseptic/cytotoxics, clinical trials pharmacy, medicines information
- Private Healthcare – private hospital pharmacy, specialist clinics, private prescribing services
Pharmacy Roles We Place:
We recruit across all levels and roles within pharmacy:
Pharmacists
- Newly qualified pharmacists (NQPs) – community and hospital
- Clinical pharmacists – hospital Band 6–8a
- Independent prescribing pharmacists – primary care and specialist services
- Specialist pharmacists – oncology, HIV, mental health, renal, anticoagulation
- Pharmacy managers and superintendent pharmacists
Pharmacy Technicians
- Community and hospital pharmacy technicians (Band 4–5)
- Dispensary technicians and accuracy checking technicians (ACTs)
- Aseptic technicians
- Medicines management technicians
Pharmacy Assistants and Dispensers
- Pharmacy assistants and dispensers
- Counter assistants
- Medicines counter assistants (MCAs)
Qualifications We Look For:
- Pharmacists: Active GPhC registration, MPharm degree (or overseas equivalent accepted by GPhC), completed foundation training year, relevant sector experience. Independent prescribing annotation for clinical and primary care roles.
- Pharmacy Technicians: GPhC registration (for registered pharmacy technicians), NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent, relevant competency for dispensary, accuracy checking, aseptic or medicines management roles.
- Pharmacy Assistants: NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent, dispensary experience. DBS checked.
- All candidates placed by Hunter Gatherer AHP are DBS-checked, reference-verified and GPhC registration-confirmed before placement.
Locum Pharmacy Opportunities:
Locum pharmacy work in the UK offers competitive rates, flexible hours and the chance to build experience across different settings. Whether you’re a newly qualified pharmacist picking up community shifts or an experienced clinical hospital pharmacist looking for block bookings, we’ll find opportunities that fit your background and availability.
We have active pharmacy requirements across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond.
Let's embark on the journey together to find your next role in pharmacy
Pharmacist Pay Rates (2025/26):
Locum Pharmacist Rates
The pharmacy sector has a wide range of settings and roles, each with different rate structures:
-
Pharmacy technician - Band 4–5£15 – £22 per hour
-
Community pharmacist (locum)£22 – £35 per hour
-
Clinical pharmacist - hospital Band 6£26 – £34 per hour
-
Clinical pharmacist - hospital Band 7£30 – £42 per hour
-
Independent prescribing pharmacist - primary care£35 – £55 per hour
-
Specialist pharmacist - oncology, aseptic, mental health£35 – £50 per hour
Rates vary by setting, location, specialism and urgency. London and specialist clinical roles typically attract higher rates. Weekend, evening and urgent cover also command a premium.
Permanent Pharmacist Salaries
NHS pharmacist roles follow Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales. Newly qualified pharmacists enter at Band 6 (£38,682–£46,580 for 2025/26), reflecting the changes to initial education and training. Band 7 clinical pharmacists earn £47,810–£54,710; Band 8a advanced pharmacists from £55,690 upwards.
Community pharmacy salaries vary by employer, location and role type, but typically range from £35,000–£55,000 for experienced community pharmacists, with superintendent and management roles paying more.
Career Progression in Pharmacy:
UK pharmacy offers a well-defined career pathway across all sectors:
- Foundation Year – completing the 52-week foundation training programme post-MPharm (from 2026, this includes independent prescribing as standard)
- Band 6 / Newly Qualified – developing clinical competencies in community, hospital or primary care
- Band 7 / Specialist – specialist clinical pharmacist with defined therapeutic area or service responsibility
- Band 8a / Advanced Practitioner – advanced pharmacy practice, clinical leadership, independent prescribing
- Band 8b+ / Consultant – consultant pharmacist, head of pharmacy, medicines optimisation lead
- Superintendent Pharmacist – responsible pharmacist role in community pharmacy settings
Many pharmacists use locum work to explore different sectors before committing to a permanent specialism. The breadth of pharmacy – from community dispensing to specialist hospital clinical roles – means there’s genuinely varied work at every stage of a career.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Do newly qualified pharmacists need independent prescribing to get locum work? For most community pharmacy locum shifts, independent prescribing is not required. For clinical pharmacist roles in primary care, PCNs and many hospital settings, it is increasingly expected. From 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists graduate with IP as standard, so this distinction will become less relevant over time.
- Do you place pharmacy technicians as well as pharmacists? Yes. We place pharmacy technicians, dispensers and pharmacy assistants across community pharmacy, hospital and prison settings, as well as registered pharmacists at all levels.
- Can you place pharmacists in prison pharmacy roles? Yes. We have experience placing pharmacists and pharmacy teams in HM Prison and Probation Service settings. These roles require enhanced DBS clearance and additional vetting – our compliance team manages this process.
- Can you provide short-notice or urgent pharmacy cover? Yes. Once a pharmacist is registered and compliant with us, we can respond quickly to urgent requirements. Contact us directly for same-day or short-notice cover needs.
- Do you place pharmacists in primary care and PCN roles? Yes – though primary care pharmacist placements (particularly ARRS-funded clinical pharmacist roles in PCNs) are handled by our dedicated Primary Care team at Hunter Gatherer Primary Care. See our Independent Prescribing Pharmacists page for more information.
- What areas do you cover? We place pharmacists across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sheffield, Nottingham and beyond.
Your future starts here!
Discover our latest opportunities or register with us today to unlock your potential!
Testimonials:
Latest Jobs
-
Pharmacist – Band 8a – West London – Wards
Are you a Band 8a Pharmacist looking for a rewarding locum role in Mental Health? We have an exciting hospital-based opportunity in West London with […]View Pharmacist – Band 8a – West London – Wards job -
Independent Prescriber (Pharmacist or Nurse) – Remote – Hormone/HRT
Are you an Independent Prescriber (Pharmacist or Nurse) looking for a rewarding locum role in Hormone Therapy / HRT and Gender-Affirming Care? We have a long […]View Independent Prescriber (Pharmacist or Nurse) – Remote – Hormone/HRT job