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Job summary

Main area
Pharmacy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract
Permanent: 1 weekend day per 6 week period
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (1 weekend day per 6 week period)
Job ref
321-CORP-6178190-B3-PUB
Employer
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Churchill Hospital / John Radcliffe Hospital
Town
Oxford
Salary
£22,816 - £24,336 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
01/05/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacy Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 3

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.

 

The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

 

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

 

Many of our recruitment programmes use Value Based Interviewing to identify those who have the skills we seek, who share our values and who are able to deliver compassionate excellence from the outset. We know that this makes a significant difference to your job satisfaction and above all the outcomes and experience of our patients and their families. For more information about our Values and Value Based Interviewing please visit www.ouh.nhs.uk/about/vision-and-values


 

Job overview

Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacy Assistant – Band 3 - Permanent

Hello! My name is Samuel Badcock and I am a Specialist Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacy Technician at the Clinical Trials Pharmacy in Oxford.

As a Senior Technician I am privileged to manage and support our fantastic technical team of Pharmacy Technicians, Assistants and Apprentices as we provide support services to clinical trial research teams on all our Trust sites throughout Oxfordshire.

The Clinical Trials Pharmacy consists of Pharmacists, Technicians, Assistants and Apprentices. We work closely with research teams across the trust and external representatives. 

We offer a supportive environment where individuals holding relevant qualifications can advance their careers through tailored development paths. There are opportunities within our team for career progression, ensuring that talented professionals can thrive and grow within our team.

If you are interested in an informal discussion about the Pharmacy Assistant role offered within our team then I would be very pleased to chat with you. You are more than welcome to call on the numbers below or even better, we can make an appointment for me to show you around and answer your questions. I look forward to hearing from you.

The majority of correspondence will be via the e-recruitment system; therefore you should check your emails regularly including junk mail folders in web-based email products.

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacy Assistant in our team, you will have an extremely varied role – you will be involved in maintaining the supply chain of Clinical Trial medications to research nurses who deliver treatment to patients, maintaining financial records, completing drug accountability activities, closing down and archiving of completed studies, as well as facilitating meetings from sponsors.

A successful candidate should possess BTEC Level 2 in Pharmacy Service Skills, equivalent qualification or related degree (i.e. pharmaceutical or science degree). Applicants without these qualifications will still be considered. However, they will be required to undertake the provided relevant qualification in Pharmacy Service Skills.

Please make sure that you read the job description and person specification attached below, and that your statement in support reflects this as your application will be judged against these criteria.

Working for our organisation

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. Find out more here  www.ouh.nhs.uk

The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Core Role -  Pharmacy Clinical Trials

  1. To obtain and maintain Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training.
  2. To apply principles of GCP in the management of clinical trials and work within the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trial) Regulations 2004 and EU directive relating to Clinical Trials.
  3. To communicate with Investigators, Research Nurses, Trust R&D, Sponsors, Clinical Research Associates and Pharmacy staff during the set-up and running of a clinical trial.
  4. To ensure clinical trial protocols and SOPs are followed during dispensing of clinical trial investigational medicinal products and other drugs included in the protocol.
  5. To order and receive in clinical trial drugs, process receipt paperwork and acknowledge receipt on IVRS (Electronic Medication Supply) systems.
  6. To check stock levels and expiry dates of clinical trial drugs and keep balance logs up to date.
  7. To assist with the packing down and re-labelling of clinical trial drugs if required.
  8. To assist with the preparation for monitoring meetings, audits and inspections,
  9. To maintain Clinical Trial files ensuring items can easily be located and are presentable.
  10. To process returned clinical trial drugs and ensure the paperwork is kept in order.
  11. To participate in the statutory temperature monitoring of clinical trial stock.
  12. To assist with the destruction of clinical trial medication.
  13. To assist with the closedown and archiving of clinical trial files.
  14. To represent the Clinical Trials Team to update the dispensary staff at meetings.
  15. To liaise with Research Nurses to update them on trial progress, stock levels etc.
  16. To assist in the collection of data as requested by the Senior Clinical Trial Technician or Clinical Trial Pharmacists.  
  17. To assist in maintaining financial records, including the generation of invoices, checking payments etc.
  18. To assist with general administration such as organising set up meetings etc. and be a point of contact within the Clinical Trials Pharmacy Team.
  19. To maintain clinical trial filing systems and drug accountability documentation for clinical trials.
  20. To use the computer system and other information technology in all areas of Pharmacy.

Regulatory

  1. To assist in non-aseptic preparation and dispensing of clinical trial medication in accordance with the RPSGB code of ethics and current legislation and guidance including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Health and Safety, Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and Departmental Procedures.
  2. To ensure you are familiar with and adhere to Pharmacy, CTASU and Trust standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  3. To ensure the disposal or recycling of medicinal products is carried out in a safe and efficient manner, in accordance with Health & Safety, COSHH regulations and Departmental Standard Operating Procedure.

Teaching and Training

  1. To participate in a programme of work based training, development and appraisal.
  2. To participate in the training and induction of pre-registration students, technicians and assistants (if required).

General responsibilities

  1. To ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.
  2. To be aware of and be involved in good customer service.
  3. To assist in audit programme.
  4. To participate in weekend, evening and bank holiday working according to rota.
  5. Any other reasonable duties as requested.

Risk Management

  1. The management of risk is the responsibility of everyone and will be achieved within a progressive, honest and open environment.
  2. Staff will be provided with the necessary education, training and support to enable them to meet this responsibility.
  3. Staff should be familiar with the
    • Major incidents Policy
    • Fire Policy
  4. The post holder should make themselves familiar with the ‘local response’ plan and their role within that response.

 Responsibilities for Health and Safety

  1. The post holder is responsible for ensuring that all duties and responsibilities of this post are carried out in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Statutory Regulations and Trust Policies and Procedures. This will be supported by the provision of training and specialist advice where required.

Infection Control

  1. Infection Control is everyone’s responsibility. All staff, both clinical and non-clinical, are required to adhere to the Trusts’ Infection Prevention and Control Policies and make every effort to maintain high standards of infection control at all times thereby reducing the burden of Healthcare Associated Infections including MRSA.
  2. All staff employed by the ORH Trust has the following key responsibilities:
    • Staff must wash their hands or use alcohol gel on entry and exit from all clinical areas and/or between each patient contact.
    • Staff members have a duty to attend mandatory infection control training provided for them by the Trust.
    • Staff members who develop an infection (other than common colds and illness) that may be transmittable to patients have a duty to contact Occupational Health.

Special Working Conditions

  1. The post holder must adhere to associated hygiene and clothing requirements of individual work areas. This may involve: absence of make-up, removal of jewellery, wearing of protective clothing, working in a confined space for up to periods of 3 hours at a time.

Please Note:

  1. This Post is subject to appraisal, which is a two way process.
  2. This job description is not definitive or restrictive in any way and should be regarded only as a guide to the duties required, and also it will be understood that at a time of rapid change within the Health Service other responsibilities may be added, as determined by the Chief Pharmacist. The job description does not form part of the contract of employment.
  3. The post-holder will be expected to participate in flexible working if introduced.
  4. Out of hours working may be included and participation in such arrangements will be required.
  5. Pharmacists will be required to participate in on-call arrangements according to site and experience.
  6. Individual’s continuous Professional Development needs will be identified and supported.

I am very keen to hear from you if you have previously worked in a pharmacy environment and/or have some exposure to clinical trials as we have some great opportunities for you to progress your career. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Person specification

Criteria

Essential criteria
  • Ability to work at an isolator fully gloved and gowned
  • Enthusiastic and responsible attitude
  • Professional approach
  • Attention to detail
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills
  • Uses own initiative
  • Team player
  • Adaptable to change
  • IT skills e.g. Word processing, spreadsheets
Desirable criteria
  • Previous aseptic experience
  • Clinical trials experience
  • Well organised
  • Experience of working on own initiative
  • Experience of team working
  • Experience of a changing working environment

Qualifications and experience

Essential criteria
  • BTEC Level 2 in Pharmaceutical Sciences OR equivalent (or willingness to undertake)
Desirable criteria
  • Previous NHS experience

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Train work experience quality standard - gold standardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Embracing Equality Diversity InclusionDisability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Prince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Samuel Badcock
Job title
Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacy Technician
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01865 572151
Additional information

If I am unavailable, please contact Karolina Joniak or one of the below numbers and ask to speak to a manager:

JR: 01865 223035

CH: 01865 572151

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