Senior Pharmacy Assistant - Aseptic Services
Royal Marsden, Chelsea, MA, United States
Senior Pharmacy Assistant - Aseptic Services
NHS AfC: Band 3
Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract 12 months (Fixed Term: 12 months) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 282-SB1433
Employer The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site The Royal Marsden Hospital, Chelsea Town Chelsea Salary £31,554 - £33,270 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 08/05/2026 23:59
Job overview
An opportunity has arisen within the busy Pharmacy Aseptic Unit at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust for a Band 3 Senior Pharmacy Assistant, Aseptic Services.
The aseptic unit at our Chelsea branch of the hospital, provides a range of anti-cancer agents for both standard of care treatment and for clinical trials including cytotoxic chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies and gene therapy.
This position provides support to the Chief/Deputy Chief Technicians and other senior Aseptic Services staff carrying out ordering, stock control, cleaning and monitoring of the aseptic facility. The successful applicant will also work in the support areas of the aseptic suite setting up product trays to be made and carrying out the compounding of aseptic products including gene therapy. There is a new area of Vaccines pathway, which gives opportunity to Band 3 to also dispense vaccines in wards for patients. All staff work closely with our main outsource provider, Baxter, to order, process and distribute bought-in pre-ordered IV products.
Reporting to the Deputy Chief Technician, Aseptic Services you will possess good communication and inter-personal skills. Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office), flexibility in the role and good teamwork are essential. You must be able to partake in early and late weekday shifts, weekend and bank holiday working rotas. The post involves some manual handling and may require cross-site working on rare occasions.
Main duties of the job
This post is particularly suitable for those looking for experience in a hands-on operational GMP workplace.
You will gain a thorough understanding of working in a hospital pharmacy clean room environment and must be prepared to take your learning forward in order to contribute to the quality management system in addition to the manufacturing activity.
Full training will be given for all aspects of the role. The post offers opportunities for development, and we are looking for individuals who want to grow and share in the future of the service.
Working for our organisation
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information please refer to the Job Description & Person Specification
Gain an in-depth knowledge and skill in the handling and compounding of cytotoxic medicines, biological medicines and other medicines.
Assemble, spray and wipe, prepare/compound products, using aseptic technique in a grade A environment.
Dispense, label and assist in the distribution of compounded products to patients.
Support the Technical Services management team in the training of new operatives.
Recording essential monitoring data, filing and reporting.
Participate in the action plan generated in response to quality audits
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
GCSE level (Grade A-C in English and Maths) or Numeracy and Literacy functional skills level
NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent experience
Experience
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
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
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
Training Skills: ability to train/coach/teach tasks to other assistants
Experience with EPIC -computer system
Other
Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail
Adaptable and flexible, to be able to adapt to changes for example in procedures and practices
Patient Care; must be committed to safe and effective patient care
Demonstrate initiative: proactive and self-motivated
Ability to successfully pass validations and accreditations as per unit SOPs: hand wash, gowning, transfer, cabinet/room clean, operator broth, ordering of batch/PS, assembly, compounding and bagging/labelling
Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role
Must be able to move light to moderate weights e.g. stock and materials as per Trust Manual Handling policy.
Must be manually dextrous to participate in production activity
Able to put on and wear protective clothing and equipment.
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. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application
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.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Name Ghazia Jumshad Job title Chief Technician Email address Ghazia.Jumshad@rmh.nhs.uk Additional information For further information please contact Ghazia Jumshad (Ghazia.Jumshad@rmh.nhs.uk) Chief Technician or Thimira Fernando (Thimira.Fernando@rmh.nhs.uk@rmh.nhs.uk), Deputy Chief Technician on phone number 020 78082205
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NHS AfC: Band 3
Main area Pharmacy Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract 12 months (Fixed Term: 12 months) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 282-SB1433
Employer The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site The Royal Marsden Hospital, Chelsea Town Chelsea Salary £31,554 - £33,270 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 08/05/2026 23:59
Job overview
An opportunity has arisen within the busy Pharmacy Aseptic Unit at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust for a Band 3 Senior Pharmacy Assistant, Aseptic Services.
The aseptic unit at our Chelsea branch of the hospital, provides a range of anti-cancer agents for both standard of care treatment and for clinical trials including cytotoxic chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies and gene therapy.
This position provides support to the Chief/Deputy Chief Technicians and other senior Aseptic Services staff carrying out ordering, stock control, cleaning and monitoring of the aseptic facility. The successful applicant will also work in the support areas of the aseptic suite setting up product trays to be made and carrying out the compounding of aseptic products including gene therapy. There is a new area of Vaccines pathway, which gives opportunity to Band 3 to also dispense vaccines in wards for patients. All staff work closely with our main outsource provider, Baxter, to order, process and distribute bought-in pre-ordered IV products.
Reporting to the Deputy Chief Technician, Aseptic Services you will possess good communication and inter-personal skills. Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office), flexibility in the role and good teamwork are essential. You must be able to partake in early and late weekday shifts, weekend and bank holiday working rotas. The post involves some manual handling and may require cross-site working on rare occasions.
Main duties of the job
This post is particularly suitable for those looking for experience in a hands-on operational GMP workplace.
You will gain a thorough understanding of working in a hospital pharmacy clean room environment and must be prepared to take your learning forward in order to contribute to the quality management system in addition to the manufacturing activity.
Full training will be given for all aspects of the role. The post offers opportunities for development, and we are looking for individuals who want to grow and share in the future of the service.
Working for our organisation
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information please refer to the Job Description & Person Specification
Gain an in-depth knowledge and skill in the handling and compounding of cytotoxic medicines, biological medicines and other medicines.
Assemble, spray and wipe, prepare/compound products, using aseptic technique in a grade A environment.
Dispense, label and assist in the distribution of compounded products to patients.
Support the Technical Services management team in the training of new operatives.
Recording essential monitoring data, filing and reporting.
Participate in the action plan generated in response to quality audits
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
GCSE level (Grade A-C in English and Maths) or Numeracy and Literacy functional skills level
NVQ level 2 in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent experience
Experience
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
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
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
Training Skills: ability to train/coach/teach tasks to other assistants
Experience with EPIC -computer system
Other
Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail
Adaptable and flexible, to be able to adapt to changes for example in procedures and practices
Patient Care; must be committed to safe and effective patient care
Demonstrate initiative: proactive and self-motivated
Ability to successfully pass validations and accreditations as per unit SOPs: hand wash, gowning, transfer, cabinet/room clean, operator broth, ordering of batch/PS, assembly, compounding and bagging/labelling
Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role
Must be able to move light to moderate weights e.g. stock and materials as per Trust Manual Handling policy.
Must be manually dextrous to participate in production activity
Able to put on and wear protective clothing and equipment.
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. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application
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.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Name Ghazia Jumshad Job title Chief Technician Email address Ghazia.Jumshad@rmh.nhs.uk Additional information For further information please contact Ghazia Jumshad (Ghazia.Jumshad@rmh.nhs.uk) Chief Technician or Thimira Fernando (Thimira.Fernando@rmh.nhs.uk@rmh.nhs.uk), Deputy Chief Technician on phone number 020 78082205
#J-18808-Ljbffr