Pharmacist - Aseptic Services

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading teaching hospital in London is seeking a Pharmacist for its Aseptic Services. This role involves overseeing chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition preparation, supervising pharmacy staff, and providing expert medication advice. Ideal candidates will have significant pharmacy experience and knowledge of Aseptic Services and Good Manufacturing Practice. This full-time position offers a competitive salary range between £46,419 to £55,046 per annum.

Qualifications

• At least 12 months experience working in pharmacy.
• Minimum 6 months experience in community or hospital pharmacy.
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition preparation.
• Provide expert advice on medicines to healthcare professionals.
• Supervise staff in pharmacy aseptic units.

Skills

Knowledge of regulations and legislation

Understanding of Aseptic Services

Excellent communication skills

Education

GPhC registration

Relevant pharmacy degree

Job description

Go back King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Pharmacist - Aseptic Services

The closing date is 19 October 2025

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Pharmacy Aseptic Services at King's College Hospital. The Denmark Hill site houses two unlicensed aseptic units operating under the Section 10 exemption, preparing high risk medications including chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, clinical trials and CIVAS products for our patients. Along with the Quality Assurance team, we provide quality assurance expertise and aseptic preparation services to the wider pharmacy department and across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work alongside senior pharmacists and technicians in the Section 10 aseptic units at Denmark Hill. The key responsibilities include undertaking clinical validation of parenteral nutrition orders, technical verification of chemotherapy prescriptions, worksheet checking and final check and release of aseptically prepared products.

In addition, the post holder will provide a daily clinical pharmacy nutrition service to wards, liaising between wards, other departments and pharmacy to ensure that services are tailored to meet ward and patient care needs wherever possible.

The post holder also has essential operational responsibilities in ensuring the smooth running and delivery of the day-to-day pharmacy aseptic service supporting, managing and developing specific aspects of the service in collaboration with the Specialist and Senior Pharmacists in Aseptic Services. The post holder will also contribute to and undertake research and audit and provide dissemination of findings to the wider trust using the production service.

Late duties, weekend and bank holiday working (including 7-day service) will also apply to this role, and the post holder will be added to a wider pharmacy rota to fulfil these commitments. The post holder must be flexible to working at other King's College Hospital trust sites when required to fulfil the service needs of cross-site working.

About us

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching hospitals with 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.

Our values at King's, are that we're a kind, respectful team.Kind - We show compassion and understanding and bring a positive attitude to our workRespectful - We promote equality, are inclusive and honest, speaking up when neededTeam - We support each other, communicate openly, and are reassuringly professionalThe trust-wide strategy Strong Roots, Global Reach is our vision to be BOLD.o Brilliant peopleo Outstanding careo Leaders in Research, Innovation and Educationo Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (EDI) at the heart of everything we do

King's is dedicated to embracing the broad diversity of our staff, patients and communities and stand firmly against all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Job responsibilities

Policy and Service Development

To co-ordinate day to day preparation of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, parenteral nutrition and clinical trial patient doses. To liaise with Pharmacy/Aseptic Technicians to ensure the safe, efficient and timely delivery of aseptic products. To promote safe, effective and economical use of medicines across the Trust. To actively encourage the adherence to all procedures relating to the aseptic services department and Good Manufacturing Practice, and to suggest changes in practice and procedures as appropriate. To complete, process and file all documentation in line with Trust and departmental policies. To be accountable for own professional actions, ensure compliance with national protocols and frameworks, KCH Formulary and other local policies and procedures. To support specific service initiatives and changes affecting the clinical pharmacy services and pharmacy aseptic services in the department and across the Trust. To support the implementation and audit of plans, guidelines, procedures, policies and service changes within the aseptic units. To monitor workload patterns in all areas of Aseptic Services to establish and maintain a safe, cost-effective workflow with the senior aseptic team.

To provide expert advice on medicines including dosing, mechanisms of action, calculations, dose benefit effects, choice of medicines, formulations, adverse effects, drug interactions, chemical compatibility and stability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, etc. to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals individually and in multidisciplinary groups. To provide and counsel complex information about medicines (including doses, side effects, administration details) to patients and the general public to ensure compliance and promote health. To ensure appropriate and timely supply of medication to patients. To liaise with other pharmacists to ensure efficient transfer of clinical and medicine management issues. To participate in the medicines management/clinical ward pharmacy services involving any of the following: ensuring accurate drug histories are taken and documented; patients own drugs are appropriately assessed; dispensing of medicines on the ward for patients to take home; educating patients on the use of their medicines.

Staff Management and Training

To supervise staff working in the pharmacy aseptic units and deputise for the Senior Pharmacists in their absence. To support training and supervise trainee pharmacists, technicians, student and other junior pharmacy staff. To monitor the quality of the Pharmacy Aseptic Services and the performance of junior pharmacy staff. To undertake the aseptic unit induction for all new staff in the department. To lead on error reporting record keeping for the aseptic unit, maintain the error database and prepare quarterly quality monitoring reports for discussion in quality meetings. To act as a role model for pharmacy staff working in the aseptic units. To undertake CPD to ensure that knowledge is continually updated. To work effectively as part of a team in a multi-disciplinary and pharmacy environment, and maintain rapport with medical and other colleagues.

Research and Development

To undertake the dispensing of aseptically prepared clinical trials. To undertake audits, service evaluations and quality improvement initiatives. To liaise with clinical trial and pharmacy staff, support monitoring and continuing supply of trial medicines to patients.

To support monitoring drug expenditure, providing and analysing monthly drug expenditure information. To identify areas of potential cost-savings within the trust overall and Aseptic Services specifically, and to implement systems to realise savings and contain prescribing costs.

General The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post. To maintain satisfactory personal performances and professional standards and to achieve, where possible, agreed objectives described in the Annual Staff Appraisal system undertaken by the Specialist Pharmacist Aseptic Services. All employees of Kings College Hospital NHS Trust are required to carry out their duties with regard to the Fair Access Policy and respect the cultural beliefs and customs held by clients and staff. To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations. To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff. All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account, which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication. To ensure compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act and all other relevant legislation, national and local policies and procedures. To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues. To uphold the principles of Clinical Governance within the Trust. To undertake any other relevant duties, as may be required by the Associate Chief Pharmacist Aseptic Services.

At Kings we want to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and welcomed. We want to be an organisation where everyone shares a commitment to delivering the very best care and feels like their contribution is valued. Everyone is responsible for promoting inclusion no matter their role or team.

This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.

Nothing omitted or written here shall absolve the pharmacist from at all times ensuring that correct, professional techniques, ethics, attitudes and procedures are maintained by the staff for whom they are responsible.

Safeguarding

The Trust takes the issues of Safeguarding Children, Adults and addressing Domestic Abuse very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the organisation in our duties by: Attending mandatory training on safeguarding children and adults Familiarising themselves with the Trust's processes for reporting concerns Reporting any safeguarding child or adult concerns appropriately

Infection Control Statement

The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene procedures and requirements when in clinical areas.

The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to make to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements of this role.

These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control and in local policies and procedures, which will be made clear during your induction and subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all times.

Person Specification

• Competency assessed and examined professional registration GPhC
• Knowledge of all regulations and legislation relating to general pharmacy practice
• At least 12 months experience working in pharmacy including at least 6 months working in either community/primary care or hospital pharmacy
• Understanding of Aseptic Services and Good Manufacturing Practice

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£46,419 to £55,046 a yearper annum including HCA

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

213-Division-A-7522749

Job locations

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust