Pharmacy QA Technician

Job summary

Are you looking for an exciting and challenging new role? Are you keen to learn new skills and work in a fast paced-environment focused on continuous improvement and developing technical pharmacy services?

We are looking for a pro-active, self-motivated individual with strong problem solving skills who shows a passion for improving and developing services to work in our small, dedicated team in pharmacy QA for a fixed-term period of 1 year to provide maternity leave cover.

The role involves providing a technical pharmacy service to both internal and external customers - primarily NHS Trusts. This will involve regularly visiting other trusts (sometimes staying overnight) and undertaking physical and environmental monitoring tasks in pharmacy cleanrooms and radiopharmacies, therefore a good understanding of GMP and clean room behaviours is required. This role also involves a significant amount of manual handling.

On site, the role requires the management and processing of non-pathogenic microbiological samples, and therefore the individual will also need to demonstrate a clear understanding of GLP. This role also involves providing advice and support to customers, clinical hospital teams, and occasionally patients. The QA team advise on the use and safety of unlicensed medicines, the stability of medicines made in the licensed aseptic unit (and radiopharmacy), medicines defects, safe storage of medicines and aspects of COSHH. All necessary training will be provided.

Main duties of the job

This role will suit an individual with good technical and practical skills, who has a background in the life sciences, microbiology, chemistry, pharmacy or engineering.

The main purpose of all of the above is to ensure that across the Trusts we work with, high-risk, high-cost medicines are made at the highest quality possible for our most vulnerable patients in the most appropriate and safest environment at all times. While often considered to be a non-patient-facing environment, it can be determined from this that the safety of all of our patients is at the forefront of everything we do, and the successful applicant will be expected to demonstrate a strong patient-focus at all times.

You must be an excellent communicator with outstanding interpersonal and relationship building skills. You will need to be forward thinking and enthusiastic, with a commitment to continuing professional development. You will be regularly representing the Trust at external sites so must have a good professional countenance and excellent interpersonal skills. BTHFT is a teaching hospital and Pharmacy QA demonstrate a significant commitment to training, the successful candidate can expect a supportive training programme to address any gaps in their knowledge and will also be expected to participate in supporting and training other staff as appropriate.

About us

The team is small, and the volume and variety of work undertaken is large, there is no denying that we work very hard. Therefore the ideal candidate will also need to be dedicated and hard working, and have a willingness to be flexible when necessary. As a consequence of the often pressured working environment, there is a strong management focus on staff wellbeing and support within the team, the outcome being that the team is highly-functioning, fun, friendly and supportive of all colleagues.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

By bringing together the wide range of skills and expertise across West Yorkshire and Harrogate we are working differently, innovating and driving forward change to deliver the highest quality care. By working for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust this is your opportunity to be a part of that change.

WYAAT is the acute sector arm of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, one of the largest integrated care systems in the country. The Partnership's ambition is for everyone to have the best possible health and wellbeing, and the work of WYAAT, and each individual trust, supports that ambition.