Lead Pharmacy Technician Clinical Trials and ChemoCare

Job overview

This is a split post 50/50 working in the Pharmacy Clinical Trials and ChemoCare electronic prescribing teams.

You will be taking the technical lead in the medicines management and set up of clinical trials at NUH.

Duties include logging and resolving queries, liaising with the supplier (CIS Oncology), ChemoCare reports, chemotherapy protocol builds, and user training. Working closely with the ChemoCare governance group, the role can touch many aspects of the patient journey & aims to improve the patient and staff experience with chemotherapy prescribing.

In addition to the below summary you need to familiarise yourself with the full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

Main duties of the job

You must have considerable post qualification hospital pharmacy experience and experience of clinical trials would be an advantage.

Vital for this role are good written and verbal communication and IT skills and you must also enjoy paying close attention to detail.

Your role will be central in providing a dedicated pharmacy service for clinical trial and ChemoCare support.

The role will require development and monitoring of appropriate procedures in accordance with both Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Clinical Practice as required under Clinical Trials Legislation.

Working for our organisation

With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. In conjunction with the Pharmacy Clinical Trial team (including specialist technicians and pharmacists), the Production Department Management team and Quality Control staff, assist in the delivery of a responsive clinical trials service, to ensure good clinical practice standards (GCP) and the needs of service users are met.
2. To support the Specialist Clinical Trials Pharmacists and Chief Pharmacy Technician – Clinical Trials by managing the clinical trials, technical and support staff, through liaison with the lead trial technicians in cancer and non-cancer services.
3. To manage the day-to-day running of the clinical trials service in liaison with other lead clinical trial technicians ensuring adequate staffing levels and appropriate skill mix.
4. To supervise and participate in the dispensing of clinical trials prescriptions and requisitions.
5. To supervise and participate in the accuracy checking by pharmacy technicians of all dispensing.
6. To supervise and participate in the appropriate, accurate and legible completion of Investigational Medicinal Products (IMPs) and Non Investigational Medicinal Products (NIMPs) accountability documentation.
7. To review and update clinical trial documentation and procedures in liaison with the Production Department Management team, the Pharmacy Clinical Trial team and the Quality Control Department to ensure a consistent approach.
8. To assist the clinical trials pharmacists in the review and set-up of new clinical trials; review of amendments and updates to existing studies and dissemination to all relevant pharmacy staff to ensure compliance with protocols and procedures in line with GCP. Involving close working with Sponsor representatives on how research can be delivered within the Trust. This will involve writing study specific dispensing procedures, liaison with the Production Management team, research staff and liaison with the ChemoCare team (where necessary).
9. Alongside Specialist Pharmacist lead on allocated clinical trials from a pharmacy perspective and ensure GCP compliance on clinical trial delivery.
10. To manage stock control of trial medicines in liaison with the Pharmacy Clinical Trial team, including ordering and receipt, monitoring of stock levels, reconciliation of returns, monitoring of expiry dates, investigation and rectification of discrepancies in accountability and ensuring appropriate storage conditions. To lead in ensuring that correct trials medication is available for manufacture in the chemotherapy production unit in a timely manner, as required and that other associated medicines are ordered.
11. To supervise the upkeep of dedicated clinical trial storage areas, including temperature control and monitoring.
12. To measure and monitor all aspects of the clinical trial service on a regular basis liaising with the Information Technology and Finance administrators as needed.
13. To assist in the induction and training of new pharmacy staff in clinical trial services and where necessary, nursing and medical research staff to ensure compliance with clinical trials protocols and procedures.
14. To ensure income accrued by protocols in cancer services is calculated, requested and recorded according to standard procedures.
15. To support the Principal Pharmacist – Research and Innovative Treatments and the Chief Pharmacy Technician – Clinical trials in preparation for and during clinical trial audit by Sponsors and MHRA inspections
16. To undertake project work, e.g. review of service or standards, as required providing data with which to develop the service or/and implement change as appropriate.
17. To liaise with teams within pharmacy, the NUH Trust Research and Innovation Directorate and other NHS Trusts, and trial investigators, their research delivery team representing a sponsoring organisation or personnel from national and local clinical research networks, when necessary and appropriate.
18. To undertake a regular operational commitment in order to maintain competencies and demonstrate fitness to practice as a registered pharmacy technician, which may include dispensing, (including cytotoxic and controlled drugs), counselling patients on their medication, accuracy checking (including controlled drugs) and utilisation of the pharmacy computer system.

1. To work with the supplier, specialist clinical pharmacists and Chemocare Systems Manager to support the maintenance and use of the chemotherapy e-prescribing system.
2. To review and update pharmacy chemotherapy e-prescribing procedures in liaison with the chemocare system manager; to ensure that there is a consistent approach to data input and use of the system in pharmacy.
3. To liaise with the Specialist Clinical Trial Pharmacists, ChemoCare System manager, the ChemoCare team and the Principal Investigator to support with the build of complex clinical trial protocols on the e-prescribing system and including the generation of study specific electronic trial prescriptions.
4. To be involved with the set-up of clinical trial SACT medications on the e-prescribing system to include validation of preparations, strengths, diluents and preparation expiries
5. In line with protocol amendments and process ChemoCare Change Request Forms to include the alteration of existing drugs, regimens and protocols used in cancer clinical trials where necessary.
6. To operate as a ‘super-user’ for the system. Super-user training and status will provide a high level of access to the system to allow set-up and maintenance.
7. To lead on the ChemoCare e-prescribing training programme for newly appointed staff, ensuring that appropriate training documentation is completed and maintained.
8. To provide support and advice to system users, relating to clinical use of the system, as necessary.
9. To be responsible for routine information processing from the system for department and Trust meetings, i.e. provision of data from the system for audits, including cost-saving data.
10. To work closely with the specialist clinical pharmacists and the ChemoCare system manager regarding development of the system, to maximise benefits to the department and Trust.

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

• BTEC, City and Guilds or NVQ level 3 in Pharmaceutical Services, or recognised equivalent
• Registered pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

• Existing management and organisational skills
• Qualified Accuracy Checker

Experience

• Clear understanding of the role of the technician in clinical trials managemen
• Extensive and varied experience of working in hospital pharmacy
• Working knowledge of ChemoCare Prescribing system

• Experience in pharmacy clinical trials services

Communication and relationship skills

• Good verbal, written and interpersonal skills with an ability to liaise with a wide range of staff and patients within and outside NUH Trust
• Experience teaching or training staff

Analytical and Judgement skills

• Accurate and logical with excellent attention to detail
• Able to interpret complex trial protocols

Planning and organisation skills

• Methodical with good organisational skills and good time management
• Able to oversee more than one task at a time, prioritise accordingly and work to agreed deadlines Able to work under pressure

[...]

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at the NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Closing Dates: Please submit your application form as soon as possible to avoid disappointment; we reserve the right to close vacancies prior to the published closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

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Easy read application: if you have a disability and find it difficult to complete our online application form, you can apply via our easy read application which you can find on the intranet https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/easy-read-job-application

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If you are aged 16 or 17 and applying for a role that is more than 20 hours a week, please be aware that you will be asked to commence an Apprenticeship within the Trust alongside your role, as long as there is a suitable apprenticeship standard available. This is in line with the current guidance in England that whilst young people under the age of 18 can leave school (on the last Friday in June) they must then do one of the following:

• Stay in full-time education, for example at a college
• Start an Apprenticeship
• Spend 20 hours of more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

For more details visit; School leaving age - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Disability Confidence: All applicants who have declared a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the post will be shortlisted.

At Risk of redundancy: NHS employees within the East Midlands who are ‘at risk’ of redundancy will be given a preferential interview where they meet the essential criteria of the person specification.

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Consent:

• Transfer of information: If I have previous NHS service - I consent to the transfer of my Electronic Staff Record (ESR) data between this and other NHS Trusts. I also consent to the Occupational Health Department confidentially accessing my occupational health records from my current or previous employer in order to check the status of my vaccinations, immunisations s and screening tests as relevant to the post. I understand this is an automated process and the information will only be used for these purposes prior to me taking up the position at NUH.
• Disclosure and Barring Service: Your post maybe subject to a DBS check which incur a cost dependent on the level of check required (£42.90 for enhanced and £22.90 for standard). I agree to reimburse Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust the cost of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if it is required (by deduction from first month’s pay). Should I decide to withdraw from my job offer, I agree to reimburse Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust the cost of the DBS check undertaken by cheque or other agreed method.
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