[ref. j1683121] Environmental Monitoring Assistant - NHS

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions.

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.

We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.

Job overview

Due to secondment, we are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual with an interest in pharmaceutical microbiology. Ideally the candidate will have experience in undertaking monitoring activities or working in the cleanroom environment and is familiar with performing settle and contact plating, completing swabs along with air and particulate sampling.

The candidate will not only undertake monitoring activities but read plates, liaise with contract laboratories to identify organisms recovered and report results back to our manufacturing units which are critical to ensure environmental control is maintained.

This is an ideal opportunity for a recent graduate in a biology / microbiology / biomedical sciences field or an aseptic / production operator who has previously successfully undertaking monitoring activities in a cleanroom / laboratory environment.

Training on gowning procedures and sampling techniques will be provided.

Note: this post operates across both Guys (London Bridge) and St Thomas' (Waterloo) sites

If you are looking for a new challenge then this could be the opportunity for you.

Main duties of the job

To undertake the physical and environmental monitoring of aseptic, production, radiopharmacy and other trust manufacturing units. Supervision of media incubation and reading/recording of results of microbiological recoveries and accurately imputing data onto Quality Management Systems in accordance with GMP and current departmental procedures.

Working for our organisation

Department Information

The Pharmacy Quality Assurance department at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust is an independent department within Pharmacy which provides support and guidance to clinical pharmacists and in-patient pharmacy dispensaries at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital plus alongside the on-site Quality Control department provide a full Quality Assurance manufacturing and product release service to aseptic, sterile and non-sterile manufacturing.

The manufacturing units undertake a wide range of manufacturing and dispensed activities to provide medicines to meet the special clinical needs of patients which are not commercially available. Each unit has a full complement of Pharmacists, Technicians and Assistants and prepare a wide range of products.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To carry out routine physical and microbiological environmental monitoring of pharmaceutical production areas following Standard Operating Procedures and schedules.
2. To use environmental monitoring and other QA equipment correctly by following the procedures for use, cleaning and monitoring of such equipment.
3. To ensure that all required documentation is filled in correctly, processed and filed in the correct manner according to GMP principles.
4. To maintain and update accurate record logs of environmental monitoring undertaken and subsequent results.
5. To assist in the arrangements for QA equipment calibrations.
6. To accept delivery of materials for the Pharmacy QA micro-team.
7. To book in raw materials and containers on receipt from external suppliers according to Standard Operating Procedures.
8. To assist in the stock control of media used in the microbiological monitoring service.
9. To actively assist senior staff in the maintenance of the Quality Management System.
10. To contribute to the development of GMP documentation such as standard operating procedures and worksheets.
11. To contact Manufacturers and Suppliers to obtain appropriate Certificate of Analysis or Certificates of Conformity for received raw materials and containers.
12. To ensure that working procedures at all times conform with standards of Good Laboratory Practice, The Health and Safety at Work Act, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations and other relevant legal and professional directives.

General:

1. To undertake other duties as required in order to maintain the safe, efficient and effective provision of Pharmaceutical services.
2. To contact appropriate supervisor for assistance as required when undertaking the activities of this job description.
3. To attend courses and undertake training to develop expertise in appropriate skills, where training needs are identified.

Person specification

Education/Knowledge

• Numerate and literate
• Computer literate (Microsoft office applications)
• GCSE (or equivalent) Grade C or above in Maths, English and Science

• NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent

Experience

• Demonstrated ability to work accurately to set procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and under own initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritise and organise routine daily tasks using own initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate routine information effectively using clear written and spoken English.

• Demonstrated ability to undertake tasks within an aseptic preparation area.
• Demonstrated practical understanding of the principles of GMP and QA.

Skills

• Ability to work within a team and under own initiative
• Ability to work unsupervised after suitable training.
• Able to work under pressure and prioritize workload

• Willing to ensure continuing education and professional development

Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

Flexible working

We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process.

Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.

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