Quality Assurance/Quality Control Assistant Technical Officer (QA/QC)

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

About
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS organisations in the region, employing over 12,000 staff and serving a population of almost 800,000 residents. We deliver care from two main hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, six community hospitals and in patients' own homes.

We are an ambitious trust with a simple vision, to provide the communities we serve with excellent healthcare and build a better future for the people of East Suffolk and North Essex. To help us do this, we will work closely with our local partners to deliver more of the joined-up services and care our residents need.

For our staff and our patients we have the same philosophy: time matters. We concentrate on removing or improving the things we do that don't work for our patients. For our staff, this means more time to care for patients and greater opportunities to develop skills and experience. We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

To be the best, we need to attract and keep the best staff. Our size puts us in a strong position to grow, providing more of the latest services. Our scale provides exciting opportunities for development, innovation, research, education and training. Support from technology and logistics help us see patients at the right time.

If you are passionate about patient care, want to develop your skills and knowledge and if your ambition matches ours, it's time to work together.

Vacancy Status
Key details
Location
Site: Colchester Hospital
Address: Turner Road
Town: Colchester
Postcode: CO4 5JL
Major / Minor Region: Essex

Contract type & working pattern
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Salary
Salary: £24,071 - £25,674 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Grade: (NHS AfC: Band 3)

Main area
Pharmacy

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England. Our scale provides exciting opportunities for development, innovation, research, education and training.

Talk to us about our range of flexible working opportunities, apprenticeships and staff benefits.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is at the heart of all we do; and it forms part of ESNEFT's core activities. The Trust operates and relies on everyone treating each other with dignity and respect, to receive equitable and fair treatment in the implementation of Policies, Procedures and in its Practices, to foster positive work relationships, and finally to act with integrity as a professional within ESNEFT as well as a representative of the NHS as a whole. The EDI Agenda reflects the Trust values such as Optimistic, Appreciative and Kind.

Job Overview
Have you got the enthusiasm and confidence to take up the challenge of this exciting post in the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Department?

We are looking for a Band 3 QA/QC Assistant Technical Officer. This is a permanent full-time position based at Colchester Hospital; however, cross-site working to Ipswich Hospital is essential as and when required.

You will support the Pharmacy Quality Assurance team in ensuring that the regulatory requirements and standards set by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are met for the Manufacturing Specials, Clinical Trials and Wholesale dealing licenses held by the Trust.

About Our Pharmacy Service
The main duties will include providing support and maintaining Quality Assurance functions within main pharmacy in line with procedures and current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.

Assisting the QC/QA Officer with the running of the QA/QC Laboratory, such that an efficient system of workflow through the department is maintained, and safe working practices in the laboratory are adhered to.

Carrying out Microbiological Environmental Monitoring when required in line with schedule and non-routine monitoring when required for investigations/validation.

Assisting in the Microbiological/chemical/physical testing of samples i.e. water, raw materials, finished products, stability samples or new deliveries of media in accordance with approved specifications.

Assisting in the Microbiological testing of samples provided by internal or external customers in accordance with supplied specifications or limits.

Working for our organisation
We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals, we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Please note that where response levels are exceptional we may close the post before the specified date; therefore, early application is recommended.

Please make sure that you read the Job Description and Person Specification attached and that your statement in support reflects this as your application will be judged against these criteria.

Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria

• Previous experience working in pharmacy/ drug manufacturing environment or equivalent

• Experience of working in a GMP/GLP laboratory

• Level 2 NVQ Diploma or BTEC first certificate or GCSE grades A - C or equivalent

• ONC/BTech in Chemistry/Biology or related field

• Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality

• Familiarity with Windows based applications, particularly Microsoft Office

Further details / informal visits contact
Name: Mina Tawfik
Job title: Head of Quality Assurance
Email address: mina.tawfik@esneft.nhs.uk
Telephone number: 075170911505

If you have problems applying, contact
Address: Colchester General Hospital
Telephone: 07789651269