Senior Pharmacy Technician Clinical Trials

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a pharmacy technician to support clinical trial activities. The role involves preparing and dispensing medicines for trials, ensuring compliance with SOPs and regulations while communicating effectively with a range of healthcare professionals. Candidates should be registered and possess NVQ Level 3 or equivalent, with a strong emphasis on interpersonal and organizational skills. This position requires a commitment to patient care and adherence to established policies.

Qualifications

• Post qualification experience or willing to complete a progression period.
• Clinical trials experience is desirable.
• Ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Dispensing and preparation of medicines for clinical trials.
• Monitor and maintain drug accountability during clinical studies.
• Coordinate clinical trial pharmacy issues with health professionals.

Skills

Good initiative

Good interpersonal skills

Self-motivating

Ability to work under pressure

Good time management

Education

NVQ Level 3 / BTEC Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent

Registered as a pharmacy technician with GPhC

Accredited Accuracy Checking Technician

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication & Relationship skills

• Communicate professionally with staff on all levels, both internal and external relating to trial activities, regarding information which may be confidential and sensitive in nature.
• Communicate with sponsors for monitoring appointments and meetings verbally and in written format.
• Liaise with other health professionals within research teams providing advice and support pertaining to clinical trial pharmacy issues.

Analytical & Judgemental skills

• Exercise judgement when dealing with all enquires. Assess and manage query if possible, referring to the Lead clinical trials technician, senior trials technicians or pharmacists as appropriate.
• Check pharmacy files for missing data and organise, retrieve, and record data in a timely manner.

Planning and organisational skills

• Co-ordination of monitoring visit requests, ensuring availability of staff and workspace.
• Ensuring clinical trial pre orders and vial allocations are turned around in a timely fashion to prevent any delay in patient treatment.
• Support co-ordination of study set-up with the clinical trials pharmacist in a timely manner.

Physical skills

• Work with sponsor IVRS/IWRS for ordering, acknowledging orders, dispensing update calls for Investigational Medicinal Products.
• Supports the generation of worksheets and labels for Investigational Medicinal Products for both Aseptics and the Dispensary.

Responsibility Patient/Client Care

• Dispensing and preparation of medicines for clinical trials in accordance with departmental and study specific SOPs
• To act as a certified accredited checking technician, supporting the final check of clinical trial prescriptions.
• To provide support to other pharmacy staff in the dispensing of complex clinical trials.
• Support and advise key staff accordingly in relation to handling, labelling, and dispensing for all new products used in clinical trials.
• Ensure all trial related reports and documentation are maintained within the timeframes defined by the sponsor.

Responsibility Policy & Service Development
• Follow all relevant policy and legislation (e.g., EU Directive)
• Prepare master worksheet and labels for approval by appropriate pharmacists using Sponsor supplied documents.
• Awareness of COSHH regulations in the safe handling and storage all clinical trial materials.
• Assists SATO, Student Technicians, and the CTA in ensuring supplies of Investigational Medicinal Product are ordered in a timely manner.

Responsibility Information Resources

• Use computer-based data storage systems and IVRS/IWRS to record clinical trial activity.
• Work with Microsoft office programmes, requiring standard software skills.
• Maintain individual patient treatment records on Trust based systems, ensuring information is up to date, accurate and complies with Data Protection Act.

Responsibility Research & Development

• Assist pharmacy team in all areas of R&I administration as required.
• Ensure all drug accountability for all clinical trials are processed accurately and in a timely manner ensuring drug accountability is up to date at the time of a monitoring visit, audits, and Inspections.
• Assists the ATO/CTA in maintenance of pharmacy documentation where required.
• Support regulatory compliance across all clinical research services within pharmacy.

Freedom to Act
• Post holder is expected to follow all relevant protocols, SOPs, and standard practice.
• Clinical Trials Team Leader is available as point of reference for any queries and will meet regularly with staff.
• Plan and organise own time and workload activity with prioritisation.

Physical, Mental and Emotional Effort

• Long periods of time spent using screens and keyboard to input information
• Prolonged concentration is regularly required e.g., when entering new products onto the computer system to produce worksheets and labels.

Working Conditions

• The Trust operates a range of policies, e.g. Human resources, clinical practice (available on the Trust Intranet). All Trusts employees must observe and adhere to the provisions outlined in these policies.
• Participate in the extended hours of the department, if required. To be able to participate in weekend and bank holiday working as required by the service. This may be reviewed and altered depending on the service demands.
• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours and the positive working relationship policy.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 3 / BTEC Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent
• Registered as a pharmacy technician with GPhC
• Accredited Accuracy Checking
• Technician or willing to work towards

Desirable criteria

• Current certified ICH-GCP training.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Post qualification experience or willing to complete a progression period to gain experience post qualification

Desirable criteria

• Clinical Trials experience.
• Hospital Experience
• Oncology Experience
• Aseptic Experience

Skills

Essential criteria

• Good initiative, ability to work on own or as part of a team.
• Self- motivating
• Ability to work under pressure
• Good interpersonal skills
• Good interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and written, with a wide range of staff and external drug companies.
• Good time management
• IT proficient able to use Microsoft office applications eg Word, teams, excel and outlook,
• Ability to train other members of staff
• Calm under pressure, maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Adaptable to change
• Prepared to take responsibility and able to work without direct supervision
• Demonstrate initiative: proactive and self-motivated
• Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of ICH -GCP
• Knowledge of COSHH

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of oncology
• Knowledge of GMP

Values

Essential criteria

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

Other

Essential criteria

• Participating in extended working hours, weekend, bank holidays if required)

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.

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

All positions within the Christie are subject to the receipt of satisfactory written references, medical clearance and evidence of your Right to Work in the UK. Some roles will require a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. Please note if you are successfully appointed to a post with this Trust, you will be required to pay for your own DBS Disclosure.

By applying for this post you are 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.

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.

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.

Overseas candidates wishing to apply for this position and who would require immigration sponsorship, may wish to self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the post on the UKVI website.

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

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• JD & PS (PDF, 206.9KB)
• The Christie Values and Behaviours (PDF, 919.5KB)
• Strategy Brochure (PDF, 1.0MB)
• Travel to The Christie (PDF, 3.8MB)