Job vacancy: Senior Pharmacy Assistant , Aseptic Services, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Chelsea

Job summary

Main area: Pharmacy
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 282-SB550-A

Employer: The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: The Royal Marsden Chelsea
Town: Chelsea
Salary: £30,039 - £31,088 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 25/06/2025 23:59

Senior Pharmacy Assistant , Aseptic Services

NHS AfC: Band 3

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification :-

2.1 Assist in the maintenance of Technical Services facilities as defined in Good Manufacturing Practice (Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributors 2017 – ‘The Orange Guide’) and to comply with current NHS guidance on Aseptic Processing (Quality Assurance of Aseptic Processing. 5th ed. Ed Alison Beaney, Pharmaceutical Press).
2.2 Become familiar with Standard Operating Procedures and COSHH forms for Technical Services.
2.3 Complete the in-house training programme and the in-house accreditation programme according to grade and responsibility.
2.4 Gain an in-depth knowledge and skill in the handling and compounding of cytotoxic medicines, biological medicines and other medicines.
2.5 Assemble, spray and wipe, prepare/compound products, using aseptic technique in a grade A environment.
2.6 Dispense, label and assist in the distribution of compounded products to patients.
2.7 Support the Technical Services management team in the training of new operatives
2.8 Dispose of Technical Services waste appropriately according to SOP.
2.9 Cleaning of the aseptic unit environment and equipment as required (all staff)

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria

GCSE level (Grade A-C in English and Maths) or Numeracy and Literacy functional skills level 2 (or equivalent)

Desirable criteria

NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential criteria

For band 3; Experience of working in a hospital compounding unit or pharmaceutical industry (preferably in a clean room environment) or equivalent experience • A Band 2 position may be offered to applicants with no experience and robust objectives would be set to be achieved in order to progress to Band 3 level

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of the Principles of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Awareness of handling anti-cancer products
Experience in a Quality Assurance environment including monitoring and validation
Previous satisfactory performance in a busy team orientated environment

Skills Abilities/knowledge

Essential criteria

Ability to communicate effectively in clear English with members of the public and with other health care professionals.
Ability to work effectively as part of a team and with staff at all levels.
Time management / Organisational / Problem solving Skills; ability to priorities own workload and that of others and to manage own time effectively
Computer skills: ability to use Microsoft Office applications eg Word, Excel, Outlook

Desirable criteria

Training Skills: ability to train/coach/teach tasks to other assistants
Experience with EPIC -computer system

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.