Aseptic, QA and Clinical Trial Pharmacist

Royal Marsden; London; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job description

Aseptic, QA and Clinical Trial Pharmacist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Main area: Pharmacist Grade NHS AfC: Band 7

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 282-SB344

Employer: The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: The Royal Marsden Hospital Chelsea Town Chelsea

Salary: £54,320 - £60,981 Per Annum Inc HCAS

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 02/04/2025 23:59

Job overview

Aseptic, QA and Trials Pharmacist Band 7 (or Band 6 to 7 Progression)

Chelsea Based (Expected to cover cross site if needed)

A unique opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, highly motivated, dynamic pharmacist to join the pharmacy aseptic team at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

We are not specifically seeking any prior experience for this role, although desirable, we can support training. However, you will need to demonstrate your ability to work efficiently as a releasing pharmacist within a busy production unit and support quality assurance and clinical trials.

This is an incredible opportunity to join the team due to various exciting upcoming projects.

• The trust has implemented EPIC systems which can go paperless in terms of production, using validated computer/portable screen devices in the clean rooms and isolators.
• Implementation of a new mini microbiology lab/team to carry out in-house QC testing.

We will be interested in your ability to show drive, ambition, willingness to learn, manage busy workloads, organisational and team working skills.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will assist and work closely with the objectives of the senior managers across clinical trials and aseptic services.
• To develop a good understanding of Quality Assurance (QA) matters including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Quality Control (QC) and contribute to the development of other staff to ensure the pharmacy provides aseptically prepared medicines, fit for their intended use, at the right time.
• To work with the clinical trials team and contribute to the set-up, delivery, and ongoing management for IMP studies.
• To support the safe delivery to meet the demands of an unlicensed section 10 aseptic service for RMH.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits and learning and development opportunities. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.

Aseptic Services

• To assist the Aseptic Services Management team in the day-to-day management and provision of the cytotoxic reconstitution and aseptic services (including gene therapy) across sites.
• Ensure appropriate working conditions are adhered to and that the relevant principles of Good Manufacturing and Dispensing Practice, and those of the Health and Safety at Work Act are applied at all times.
• Ensure all professional aspects of technical services are incorporated into the chemotherapy and aseptic services procedure manuals and other aseptic services documentation.
• Ensure that aseptic services policies and procedures are adhered to, and production records and training documents are completed appropriately.

Pharmacy Quality Assurance

• To assist the aseptic department to ensure the service is fully compliant with the relevant regulatory guidelines.
• Assist in maintaining the Quality Management System (QMS) in accordance with the unlicensed NHS facility requirements as documented in procedures and policies, aid in development in response to changes to regulations and legislation and help improve production processes.
• Assist in reviewing and approving data generated from Micro testing (including verification, calibration and validation for methods and equipment/accreditation results).
• Support the Aseptic Services Management team with CAPAs and Change Controls as per Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services (QAAPS) and MHRA guidelines.
• Assist in completion of patient impact assessments and product quality risk assessments via deviation system.
• Raise deviations in the QMS, assist in minor & major investigations and ensure effective implementation of identified CAPAs. Support critical deviations.

General Duties and Responsibilities

• To gain working knowledge of the aseptic/QA and clinical trial sections of the pharmacy and therefore be able to work competently and with minimum supervision in any section as and when required to do so.
• To assist in the training and accreditation of trainee pharmacists, pharmacists, technicians and other health care professionals, and in the induction of all new staff.
• To act as a mentor and provide advice to junior members of the team and assist in their professional and personal development.
• To participate in all department rotas, weekend service and on-call. Pharmacy is in a transitional period and moving over to a 7-day service, therefore any successful candidate would be required to participate in a 7-day service which includes requirement to work weekends, late shifts and bank holidays.
• To undertake any other duties consistent with the nature of the post, which may vary from time to time, as requested by the pharmacy manager.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• GPhC registered Pharmacist
• Working towards Diploma in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance diploma/post graduate certificate or equivalent

Experience

• For Band 6 Level applications will be considered for those without any experience related to aseptics/clinical trials/QA.
• For Band 7 Level - Candidates are expected to have significant NHS Pharmacy Aseptics/QA/Clinical Trials experience or equivalent.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Contribute to the team
• Good communication skills (written and verbal in clear English)
• Good presentation and problem-solving skills
• Awareness of current developments in pharmacy as well as technical pharmacy services
• Ability to use Microsoft Office applications e.g., Word and Excel.
• Be able to interpret and work with complex clinical trial and aseptic documents/guidelines
• Good leadership skills

Personal Qualities

• Progressive and continuing professional development

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the utmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.