Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Aseptics

County Durham & Darlington Nhs Foundation Trust; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Cancer Services Pharmacist to lead the Aseptic Unit and manage SACT provision across three sites. You will work with oncologists, haematology teams, and pharmacy colleagues to ensure high-quality care for cancer patients.

You will deliver outpatient services, contribute to governance and education, and help shape cancer pharmacy services across the Trust. This role requires autonomous practice and travel to required sites.

Qualifications

• Must hold a Masters in Pharmacy or equivalent and be registered with the GPhC.
• Postgraduate clinical qualification at diploma level and CPD evidence.
• Independent Prescriber status or working towards qualification.
• Able to travel independently to required outpatient sites.
• Formal training in Aseptic Services and chemotherapy expertise.
• Strong communication and presentation skills; leadership in oncology services.

Responsibilities

• Act as Authorised Pharmacist supervising the Aseptic Unit.
• Lead education and training for Cancer Services pharmacists.
• Deputise for Lead Pharmacist, Cancer Services during absences.
• Provide highly specialist SA C T care across the Trust for cancer patients.
• Deliver outpatient clinics and review/prescribe SACT with clinical teams.
• Advise clinicians on drug treatments and ensure protocol compliance.
• Support policy reviews for pharmacy and SACT in line with national guidance.

Skills

Formal aseptic training

Chemotherapy expertise

Oral and written communication

Presentation skills

Influencing practice

Team player

Self-motivation

Reliability

Education

Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent

Diploma level clinical qualification

CPD and education evidence

Eligible Pharmacist Independent Prescriber or working towards

Postgraduate Masters qualification (Desirable)

Postgraduate management qualification (Desirable)

Technical Services qualification (Desirable)

Job description

Job summary

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest integrated care providers in England, serving a population of around 600,000 people. We are a high performing organisation with a track record of success.

As a pharmacy service we pride ourselves in working at the leading edge of clinical pharmacy practice and medicines management with our teams achieving national recognition for innovative, high-quality patient care.

We are looking for a reliable and forward-thinking Senior Cancer Services Pharmacist to join the CDDFT team.

The post holder should have experience of working in an Aseptics Unit in addition to clinical skills in the management of patients receiving Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT).

The post will be based at Darlington Memorial Hospital working in the Aseptic Unit supporting the provision of chemotherapy to three locations around the region.

It will also involve the delivery of Oncology clinics, where patients will be seen between Consultant reviews. The role will also involve both face-to-face and remote review of patients, the ordering of appropriate tests, and the prescribing of treatments. This part of the role may require cross-site working, to support delivery of key service objectives.

You will join a supportive and forward-thinking team that prioritises staff wellbeing and professional development, empowering you to reach your full potential.

Main duties of the job

Working closely with consultants and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will build on strong, established relationships with our oncology and haematology services. This includes supporting oncologists from James Cook University Hospital and Newcastle Hospitals, alongside CDDFT haematology teams, to provide high-quality care for cancer patients across the region.

Alongside your clinical responsibilities, you will support our technical teams in the preparation and release of aseptically prepared medicines within our Section 10 Aseptic Unit, which supplies systemic anti‑cancer therapy (SACT) to three Trust locations.

You will also work with the Lead Pharmacist for Cancer Services to drive quality improvement, governance, education, service development and sustainability initiatives, helping to shape the future of cancer pharmacy services within the Trust.

We are committed to supporting your professional development and offer a range of opportunities including support with independent prescribing, PTQA Postgraduate Diploma study, portfolio development, alongside other educational opportunities.

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated pharmacist who can work independently, provide leadership and support to colleagues, and contribute positively as part of a collaborative and forward-thinking team.

About us

Why join us?

• Be part of a highly respected Cancer Services team
• Work closely with specialist oncology and haematology clinicians
• Access excellent professional development and career progression opportunities
• Contribute to service development and innovation in cancer care

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester‑le‑Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

Job responsibilities

Flexible working conversations are welcomed.

Key Responsibilities

• To act as an Authorised Pharmacist providing supervision of the Aseptic Unit
• To lead on education and training for pharmacists in the Cancer Services team
• To deputise for the Lead Pharmacist, Cancer Services in times of absence
• To fulfil the role of highly specialist pharmacy practitioner for patients requiring SACT, developing and evaluating pharmaceutical care for patients across the Trust.
• Act as a role model for specialist clinical pharmacists, junior medical staff, students and others in the pharmaceutical management of cancer patients, demonstrating advanced skills in drug utilisation review and evaluation.
• Deliver outpatient clinics alongside the clinical teams to review and prescribe SACT for CDDFT cancer patients.
• Provide highly specialist advice to clinicians on drug treatments for individual patients
• Review prescriptions, communicating highly complex drug and therapeutic information to senior clinicians, managers and other professionals in order to influence treatment options and ensure compliance with treatment protocols and avoid errors and side effects. Able to communicate clearly the rationale for advice where this is challenged.
• Provide information and highly specialised advice to patients and their carers to support the use of SACT and other medication as required.
• Provide advice on pharmaceutical and medicines management aspects to the Cancer Management Team.
• Support the review and update of pharmacy and SACT policies, in consultation with relevant colleagues, by interpreting and adapting professional guidance and National Strategy Statements for use within the Trust.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Masters Degree in Pharmacy or equivalent. Relevant post graduate clinical qualification (to at least diploma level). Evidence of CPD and education. Qualified Pharmacist Independent Prescriber or working towards the qualification.

Desirable

• Post graduate Masters qualification in a relevant subject. Post graduate management qualification. Formal qualification in Technical Services

Special Requirements

Essential

• Able to travel independently to the required sites for the delivery of outpatient clinics.

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Formal training in Aseptic Services
• Good understanding of current pharmacy / NHS issues Demonstrable chemotherapy expertise and specialist knowledge. Ability to apply theoretical knowledge to the clinical situation Good oral and written communication skills Good presentation skills.
• Able to build good relationships with colleagues and influence the practice and behaviours of others in a positive way. Demonstrable prioritisation, organisational, decision‑making, time‑management and interpersonal skills. Self‑motivation and ability to motivate others.
• Team player
• Desire to develop clinical skills
• Reliable work record

Desirable

• Ability to demonstrate an area of expertise within a field of pharmacy practice Evidence of active contribution to relevant specialist interest groups Record of research and/or audit and/or scholarly publications

Experience

Essential

• Sufficient experience to be able to provide highly developed near‑patient clinical pharmacy services.
• Able to work as an autonomous practitioner in all areas of pharmacy practice.
• Experience of developing good multidisciplinary working relationships. Experience of providing directorate pharmacist services e.g. drug cost reports, drug usage reviews, specialist drug information etc. Experience in audit and service development

Desirable

• Experience of managing a team.
• Experience of providing basic HR support. Practice Research experience. Contribution to publications / conference presentations

Statutory Registration

Essential

• Registered as a Practising Pharmacist with the GPhC

Desirable

• Membership of RPS

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).