Senior Radiopharmacy Technician

The Christie International; Manchester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester seeks an enthusiastic Radiopharmaceutical Technologist with aseptic dispensing experience to join our Radiopharmacy team. Dentifications of candidates with radiopharmacy experience welcomed; training is provided.

The post is advertised at band 6, with progression from trainee to band 6 possible on successful completion of training. Operational duties include aseptic production, quality control, environmental monitoring and staff training, in a busy

Qualifications

• Proven aseptic dispensing experience in a radiopharmacy setting.
• Knowledge of GMP and data integrity principles.
• Experience in quality control and documentation.
• Flexible to work across multiple sites and training opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Deliver radiopharmacy aseptic services under supervision.
• Supervise aseptic dispensing and manufacturing activities.
• Contribute to quality control and endotoxin testing.
• Participate in regional radiopharmacy operations and logistics.
• Assist in training junior staff and deputies when needed.
• Maintain documentation in compliance with GMP.
• Ensure environmental monitoring and radiation protection.

Skills

Aseptic dispensing experience

Radiopharmacy dispensing

Management/supervisory experience

Teamwork and collaboration

Education

BTec level 3 in pharmacy services

NVQ level 3 in pharmacy services

Science Manufacturing Technicians level 3

Science Degree

Senior ATO with dispensing experience

Second year student Pharmacy Technicians

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Radiopharmaceutical Technologist with experience in aseptic dispensing to join our dynamic and expanding Radiopharmacy team. Experience of Radiopharmacy is desirable but full support and training will be provided to candidates who met the other specifications. The post is advertised at band 6, however consideration would be given to a less experienced applicant to join the team as a trainee at a lower band with progression to a band 6 upon successful completion of training.

Main duties of the job

Applicants must have the ability to work in an aseptic unit under current GMP guidelines and local rules. The successful candidates will be responsible, under the supervision of the Production Manager, for the delivery of Radiopharmacy Aseptic Services, including participation in and supervising of aseptic dispensing and manufacturing activities. They would also participate in the quality control of the radiopharmaceuticals and contribute to the day to day running of the department in a proactive manner.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Regional Radiopharmacy

• 1.1 Receipt of orders from customer departments
• 1.2 Preparation of the Radiopharmacy prior to each production run
• 1.3 Preparation of materials prior to Radiopharmacy production runs, including radionuclide generators
• 1.4 Participation in the complex processes for production of Tc-99m labelled radiopharmaceuticals using aseptic techniques, and working with due speed and efficiency.
• 1.5 Participation in the complex processes for production of Ga-68 and In-111 Octreoscan for same-day administration to Christie patients, using aseptic techniques
• 1.6 Packaging and dispatch of QC products to other hospitals, including liaison with drivers
• 1.7 Decontamination and cleaning of the Radiopharmacy post production, including tidying of waste and restocking of consumables
• 1.8 Packaging and return of used radionuclide generators to manufacturers
• 1.9 Production of the documentation for all the above processes (in compliance with GMP and data integrity principles)
• 1.10 Proposes changes to policies and procedures
• 1.11 Acts as in-process checking technician for the Radiopharmacy routine service and maintain this practice in accordance with local policy

2. Quality control

• 2.1 Analysis of radiochemical purity using chromatography techniques (ITLC and HPLC)
• 2.2 pH testing
• 2.3 Radionuclidic purity testing
• 2.4 Analysis of endotoxin levels
• 2.5 Ensuring that working areas are cleared after each operation

3. Environmental and microbiological monitoring

• 3.1 Air quality and air flows
• 3.2 Microbiological contamination
• 3.3 Periodic monitoring of aseptic compliance for each member of staff
• 3.4 Integrity of air seals in the blood labelling suite

4. Regional blood cell labelling service

• 4.1 Aseptic preparation of radio-labelled red and white blood cells, in multi-stage patient-critical procedures, prior to re-injection of the cells into patients for diagnostic scanning purposes
• 4.2 Liaison with customer departments for scheduling, transportation of blood to and from the customer department, and other arrangements

5. Management, supervision and training of staff

• 5.1 Deputises for the Senior Radiopharmaceutical Technologist in their absence.
• 5.2 Assists in the training of new staff and supervises the work of more junior members of the department

6. Stock control

• 6.1 Pharmaceutical products, chemical reagents, and disposable items used in the radiopharmacy and associated areas
• 6.2 Consumable items for the Clinical Isotopes Department
• 6.3 Orders stock items for Radiopharmacy and Clinical Isotopes from Pharmacy

7. Training

• 7.1 Assists in the training of junior Radiopharmacy staff
• 7.2 Introduces pre-registration pharmacists and radiography students to Radiopharmacy.

8. Radiation protection

• 8.1 Monitors the radiopharmacy for radioactive contamination, and records results
• 8.2 Assesses requirement for decontamination procedures, and carries these out if necessary

9. Professional

• 9.1 Where applicable maintain GPhC Registration, for which participation in a continuous professional development programme is compulsory
• 9.2 Participate in an Annual Personal Development Review (PDR)
• 9.3 Demonstrates the agreed set of values and accountable for own attitude and behaviour

Person specification

Qualifications

• BTec level 3 and NVQ level 3 in pharmacy services
• Science Manufacturing Technicians level 3 or Science Degree
• Senior ATO with dispensing experience
• Second year student Pharmacy Technicians

Experience

• Extensive experience of aseptic dispensing
• Experience of Radiopharmacy dispensing
• Management/supervisory experience

Skills

• Ability to work both within a team, and independently in complex multi-stage procedures
• Ability to think quickly and change plans at short noticeAbility to keep accurate and legible written records
• Ability to work safely, quickly and meticulously with good manipulative skills
• Conscientious approach

Knowledge

• Principles and practice of aseptic production techniques
• Practical awareness of radiation protection principles

Values

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

Other

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.

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 andreferences.

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

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.