Senior Aseptic Services Technician - Research

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in Manchester is seeking a Pharmacy Technician to join their Aseptic Services team. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice standards and participate in patient care through aseptically prepared products. Applicants should be registered with the GPhC and have relevant qualifications in Pharmacy Services. The role requires strong communication and organisational skills to manage workloads effectively. This position offers an opportunity to work in a supportive environment dedicated to high-quality patient care.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Access to NHS benefits

Qualifications

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) for Pharmacy Technicians.
• Experience in hospital pharmacy desired.
• Ability to supervise staff and manage workload effectively.

Responsibilities

• Promote teamwork within the Aseptic Services team.
• Ensure compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice regulations.
• Assist in planning workload schedules and training of junior staff.
• Participate in the Aseptic On-Call preparation service.

Skills

Aseptically trained technician

Time management

Organisational skills

Effective communication

Education

NVQ3 / BTEC in Pharmacy Services or Aseptic Pharmaceutical Science

Manufacturing Technician level 3

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Communications and Relationships

Promotes team working within the Aseptic Services team.

Keeps team informed of changes throughout preparation sessions.

Is self‑motivated and committed as a team leader, promoting staff development and supporting all levels of staff working in accordance with local SOPs and guidelines.

Ensures that essential information is communicated effectively to all aseptic staff, customers, MDT's and to other pharmacy staff in a timely manner.

Acts as a professional role model, develops positive relationships with key personnel both internally and externally to the department.

Keeps ASM, Deputy ASM, Chief Technician and Highly Specialised Technician up to date with changes which may affect capacity or cause delays in workload.

Liaises with wards and departments regularly to ensure patients treatments are provided in a timely manner when treatment is taken off hold. Gives achievable ETA to ward staff as when treatment will be ready to collect.

Analytical and Judgmental Skills

Is aware of alert and action limits for environmental monitoring and subsequent measures needed to rectify issues in line with SOPs and policies.

Performs accuracy checks on documentation, including worksheets and labels which may contain complex calculations.

Ensures the completion of all logs and records and informs Authorised Pharmacist, ASM, Deputy ASM, Chief Technician or Highly Specialised Technician of any results which either show significant changes or are outside the specified limits.

Performs in‑process accuracy checks during cleanroom supervision sessions as required.

Reviews SOPs and worksheets and assist in implementation of any new/changed procedures.

Reviews training packages when required.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Is responsible for the planning of workload schedules, informing the Highly Specialised Technician of any discrepancies or issues as they arise.

Assists the Highly Specialised Technician in planning, organising and managing the workload in accordance with the capacity plan, ensuring adequate numbers of appropriately trained staff are available to perform tasks required for a given activity level and feeding back information to managers when breaches and constraints occur.

Ensures adherence to environmental monitoring schedules in accordance with departmental procedures.

Ensures that an efficient aseptic dispensing and distribution service is provided to patients and staff which is in line with current standards and conforms to agreed service deadlines within the service level.

Is responsible for ensuring Aseptic Services administrative duties are carried out appropriately by technical staff including the filing and archiving of information and data.

Complies with all legal requirements relating to the prescribing, dispensing and storage of pharmaceutical products and works to the relevant standard operating procedures at all times and in accordance with criteria set out under COSHH regulations.

Physical Skills

Participates in the production of all types of aseptically prepared products demonstrating the necessary high standard of dexterity, accuracy and precision required for aseptic manipulations.

Long periods of concentration performing accuracy checks.

Responsibility for Patient Care

Maintains compliance with Rules and Guidance to Good Manufacturing Practice and any other local, regional and national guidance documents.

Assists with the maintaining Quality Assurance Standards in accordance with National, Regional and local requirements.

Participates in ensuring that the aseptic service complies with clinical governance strategies, including risk management assessments of working practices, reporting of clinical incidents, pharmacy error reporting schemes, intervention monitoring and risk reduction strategies.

Conducts regular documented GMP Observations, referring to Highly Specialised Technician, Chief Technician and ASM/Deputy ASM where non‑compliance or deviation identified.

Is trained and named on the intrathecal register to undertake appropriate preparation and documentation tasks relating to intrathecal chemotherapy services following local, trust and national guidance for the safe administration of intrathecal chemotherapy.

It will be a requirement of the post holder to participate in the Aseptic On‑Call preparation service for chemotherapy outside normal working hours on a rotational basis.

To participate in a Saturday/Sunday and Bank Holiday rota, when the service requires which may be on a regular/rota basis.

Undertakes any other duties of a similar nature requested by the ASM, Deputy ASM, or the Director of Pharmacy.

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development

Assists in audits and produces written reports and provides statistical information with identified action.

Assists in the validation, performance reviews of equipment and processes used in Aseptic Services, ensuring that they continually achieve their intended purpose in the allocated area.

Establishes and enforces effective communication systems to ensure pharmacy staff are kept informed of all technical operations in line with the change control process.

Responsibilities for Financial and Physical Resources

Ensures the completion of workload statistics as required.

Assists in the management of procurement of medicines, equipment and consumables and the stock control within the unit.

Ensures patients receive drug products as required for administration.

Receives, checks and reconciles goods received with orders placed/delivery notes. Enters details of goods received onto delivery notes/computer system. Transfers goods to correct stock location and rotates stock to ensure that shorter dated stock is used first to avoid unnecessary wastage.

Complies with legal and trust requirements relating to the purchase, supply, use, safe custody and destruction of medicines within Pharmacy and other areas of the Trust.

Ensures that all items used in aseptic and dispensing procedures are recorded as costed issues through the Drug Management and Administration software systems.

Assess pharmaceutical products returned from clinical areas. Returns to stock items which are fit for reuse or disposes of items unfit for use, in accordance with COSHH regulations and Trust procedures. Processes the returns following departmental procedures.

Carries out regular stock checks within the department in accordance with local procedures to ensure computer records accurately reflect stock holding. Performs investigations when stock deviations are identified to rectify and document actions. Identifies and reports stock discrepancies to ensure that pharmaceutical products are available for patients when required and waste is minimised.

Monitors cold storage equipment to ensure temperatures are within the defined limits and reports any variation to a Highly Specialised Technician.

Maintains storage areas in an organised, safe and tidy condition in accordance with Health and Safety regulations.

Participates in a system for checking expiry dates of stock. Ensures that stock is rotated so that shorter dated stock is used first to avoid unnecessary wastage.

Removes out of date stocks informing Highly Specialised Technician and where appropriate, disposes of the stock, recording the issue on the pharmacy computer.

Ensures high‑cost drugs are accurately stocked and maintained. Performs weekly checks, investigating, rectifying, and reporting any deficiencies.

Responsibilities for Human Resources

Supervises Band 4 technicians, aseptic practitioners and assistant groups within the aseptic suite to ensure compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice and departmental procedures and protocols.

Participates in the recruitment process for Band 4 technicians, aseptic practitioners and assistants.

Performs appraisals with junior members of the team as delegated.

Responsibility for Information Resources

Can navigate pharmacy systems used for prescribing, dispensing, ordering and receipt.

Ensures completion of records, worksheets and logs including patient data following ALCOA principles, adhering to data integrity standards.

Accurately transcribes prescription details to generate worksheets and labels for Aseptically prepared products in line with national, regional and local guidance.

Assists in ensuring that systems are in place for the accurate and effective management of the Aseptic Services computer system to record all issues, receipts and returns.

Reports and participates in the collation of near miss and error data.

Participates in the collation of activity data.

Responsibilities for Research and Development

Participates in the aseptic services audit/validation calendar.

Contributes to the remedial action plan in response to audits and to the delivery of these plans.

Pro‑actively identifies and initiates improvements and developments to working practices, procedures and documentation.

Participates in aseptic preparation of clinical trials.

Assists in audits and produces written reports and provide statistical information with identified action.

Freedom to Act

Deputises for the Highly Specialised Technician in their absence.

Deals with initial complaints, investigations and referring to managers as required.

Completes appropriate incident reports liaising with Highly Specialised Technician, Chief Technician and ASM/Deputy ASM.

In the case of equipment/air handling failure, take immediate appropriate action then report to senior staff.

Keeps updated with current pharmaceutical practice and knowledge, attending approved meetings, courses or conferences relating to role necessary for personal and departmental development. Recording these as CPD Entries.

Maintains annual professional registration.

Person specification

Registration

Essential criteria

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) for Pharmacy Technicians or the Science Council for Science Manufacturing Technicians

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ3 / BTEC in Pharmacy Services or Aseptic Pharmaceutical Science
• Manufacturing Technician level 3 or equivalent nationally recognised qualification

Desirable criteria

• BTEC accredited accuracy checking qualification or equivalent aseptic services qualification (or be willing to successfully complete)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience as an Aseptically trained technician
• Sound knowledge and understanding of GMP and QA and its application to Aseptic processing
• Good working knowledge of safe dispensing and aseptic practices
• Evidence of supervising staff and workload on a day‑to‑day basis
• Demonstrable time management and organisational skills in a busy setting
• Ability to work effectively under pressure
• Able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner with staff and managers in person and at meetings

Desirable criteria

• Experience in hospital pharmacy
• Leeds University Aseptic Preparation of Medicines (APDM) attendance
• Experience in training individuals and groups
• Evidence of active involvement in service development
• Audit experience

Values

Essential criteria

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

Other

Essential criteria

• Participate in late night/bank holiday and on call rota as required by the service

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

Application Information

If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.

Sponsorship Information

We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Pre‑Employment Checks

To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre‑employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards. These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicants responsibility)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history and references.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

If You're Offered the Role – you will be agreeing to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

The Inter‑Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

No Smoking Policy

You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Additional Information

We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect. The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero‑tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• Job Description And Person Specification (PDF, 296.6KB)
• The Christie Values and Behaviours (PDF, 919.5KB)
• Strategy Brochure (PDF, 1.0MB)
• Travel to The Christie (PDF, 3.8MB)