Senior Aseptic Services Technician

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King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King's College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

flexible-working

Job overview

The Aseptic Services department employs roughly 35 staff and is responsible for providing 10,000+ cytos doses a year. It also supports many clinical trial studies particularly in haemato-oncology and liver. The Aseptic Services Pharmacy team screen and supply 9,000+ bags of parenteral nutrition per year for inpatient and home patients under the care of King's College Hospital.

The post holder will support the Aseptic Services department - under the management of the Chief Pharmacy Technician and under the overall leadership of the Associate Chief Pharmacist - to ensure the safe, effective and timely provision of aseptic products to all patients in King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The commissioning of a new second aseptic clean room facility at the Denmark Hill site in 2021, and refurbishment of the main aseptic facility to be operational in early 2023, has expanded the Pharmacy Aseptic Service at KCH to provide a more comprehensive service to our patients and the Trust. We will be expanding our services to patients as inpatients, outpatients and in their own homes.

The trust strives to improve to provide world class patient care. The successful post hold holder will know and understand the trust strategy and vision (https://www.kch.nhs.uk/about/our-strategy).

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day running of a section within the Aseptic Services Department. The post holder will work to the principles of current Good Manufacturing Practice, within the Aseptic services department at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a large and progressive teaching hospital. They will be expected to work to the principles of Good Manufacturing Practice, undertake and supervise the day-to-day preparation of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CIVAS, Parenteral Nutrition and clinical trials doses within the Aseptic Services department.

The post holder will contribute to the delivery of a high-quality patient focused service within the pharmacy aseptic unit, including training of junior staff, dispensing, checking and contributing to the smooth running of all Aseptic services activities. These activities may also include stock management, documentation management and QA/QC activities.

Working for our organisation

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and around 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King's College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in Bromley.

King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

The trust-wide strategy Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we can take Team King's to another level.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To maintain equipment according to procedures, documenting all activity appropriately
• To actively encourage adherence to all procedures relating to the Aseptic Services department and GMP
• To accurately complete all documentation needed for Quality Assurance, including writing and updating procedures and to archive and file appropriately
• To perform In-process accuracy checks for other Aseptic Services staff after undergoing accredited competency process
• To generate worksheets and labels using the pharmacy computer system
• To advise the Chief Technician and Deputy Director on amending work practices and documentation which would improve the running of the service including quality, efficiency and health and Safety issues
• To assist the aseptic services managers in the development of new services for the Trust
• To participate in the on call rota for trials or short dated aseptically produced drugs out of hours or at weekends, and to participate in the early morning rota for cleaning as required
• To sit or stand at isolators for long periods
• To participate in the out-of-hours, weekend and Bank Holiday rotas in Pharmacy Aseptic Services
• To be responsible for the aseptic preparation, clinical trials, or stock control services on a rotational basis with the other senior technicians including prioritization and delegation of work.
• To be involved in Quality Assurance ensuring environmental monitoring, sterility testing and validations are carried out and culture media is incubated, read and sent for identification appropriately, and in a timely manner.
• To be responsible for the allocation and daily planning of workload in a section of the aseptic department
• To assist in the recruitment and selection of technicians, cleanroom supervisors and ATOs.
• To demonstrate and teach aseptic skills to pharmacists, Trainee pharmacists, technicians, pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians, cleanroom supervisors and ATOs as appropriate
• To be a line manager for technical staff and take responsibility for all the following, according to all Trust procedures: such as Disciplinary, Probation, and Departmental workload allocations.
• Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ Pharmacy services Level 3 plus accredited underpinning knowledge (BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent) or equivalent plus Professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council OR Completion of Science Manufacturing Technician Level 3 apprenticeship OR Academic qualification (at least BSc) related to medicines for Human Use plus substantial experience working in a GMP-compliant facility preparing/manufacturing medicines for Human Use.

Desirable criteria

• Pre and In Process Checking Accreditation (PIPC)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice
• Considerable experience working in an aseptic unit and using aseptic technique
• Supervisory and Training delivery experience
• Be familiar with handling and preparing cytotoxic drugs following approved procedures

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of regulations and legislation relevant to Clinical Trials

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Team worker with good interpersonal and communication (written and oral) skills

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Click here to see the range of benefits we offer
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust's criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• Senior Aseptic Services Technician JD and PS (PDF, 480.3KB)
• Denmark Hill Site Map (PDF, 1.2MB)
• Princess Royal (PRUH) Site map (PDF, 1.4MB)
• Visa and Sponsorship Information (PDF, 352.6KB)