Principal Pharmacy Technician - Chemotherapy Services

Main area: Chemotherapy Services

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 6

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Weekends, Bank Holiday and ad-hoc Out of Hours. Contract hours 08:00 - 18:30.)

Job ref: 196-LIS9382

Employer: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Guy's Cancer Centre, Guy's Hospital

Town: London

Salary: £44,806 - £53,134 p.a inc of HCA

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 08/04/2025 23:59

Interview date: 07/05/2025

Principal Pharmacy Technician - Chemotherapy Services

NHS AfC: Band 6

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and specialist care for patients from further afield, including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the leadership team of a highly specialist chemotherapy aseptic preparation and dispensing unit providing high quality and responsive pharmacy services to a cancer centre and satellite units.

Main duties of the job

The person will be responsible for:

1. The daily technical and operational management of the Chemotherapy Preparation and Dispensing Unit.
2. Ensuring the quality management system is fully implemented, maintained and GMP compliant.
3. Collaborative working alongside other Cancer services and Pharmacy teams, Procurement, Engineering and External Contractors to regularly review service delivery, stock holdings, and unit maintenance.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To ensure the chemotherapy unit’s quality system is fully implemented and deviations are reported appropriately.
2. To be overall responsible for the workflow management and planning of all aseptic preparations.
3. To be responsible for the day-to-day management and allocation of all technical staff.
4. To undertake when required the roles of the senior technician including aseptic preparation and dispensing of chemotherapy and other products, and to act as a supervisor checker within aseptic areas.
5. To act as a role model to staff working throughout the department.
6. To undertake any other reasonable duties as specified by the highly specialised chemotherapy production pharmacists or chief technician.
7. To lead in the recruitment and selection of staff to the Trust’s chemotherapy aseptic units and assist in recruitment to the pharmacy as a whole.
8. To lead annual stock takes and internal audits.

Person specification

Skills and Ability

• Demonstrated ability to train and assess others in a GMP compliant manner.
• Demonstrated ability to apply specialist knowledge GMP, GCP & Quality Assurance to maintain, develop and validate an aseptic unit quality system and service provision.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and have oversight of stock management.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of professionals and patients, using clear written and spoken English.

Previous Experience

• Demonstrates knowledge, experience and competence in aseptic preparation or manufacturing either within or outside NHS pharmacy aseptic units.
• Multidisciplinary working with professionals, whilst operationally managing and planning aseptic services supply.
• Demonstrated experience of a senior role (minimum NHS AFC B5) as a team leader within aseptic services.
• Direct participation in an EL(97)52 or MHRA audit.
• Demonstrated experience of ability to appraise staff and set performance objectives.

Qualification and Knowledge

• Registered as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council GPhC.
• QCF/NVQ Pharmacy services Level 3 plus an accredited underpinning knowledge (BTEC in Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent) or equivalent.
• Relevant leadership and management experience - portfolio that demonstrates acquisition of this level of specialist knowledge.
• Relevant University courses to aseptic services.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitably according to their needs.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process.

Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now."

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.