Chief Pharmacy Technician - Quality Assurance

We are seeking an experienced and motivated pharmacy professional to join our Cancer and Aseptic Services team as Chief Technician - Quality Assurance. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key leadership role in the development and delivery of a modern, high-quality aseptic pharmacy service across Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

The successful candidate will lead on all aspects of aseptic quality assurance, ensuring compliance with national regulatory standards and best practice guidance while supporting the ongoing development of our pharmaceutical quality system. You will work closely with pharmacy, governance, estates and operational teams to ensure the safe preparation and release of aseptically prepared medicines for our patients.

This role offers the opportunity to influence service development, lead quality improvement initiatives, support workforce development and contribute to regional and national aseptic pharmacy networks.

Job description

The Chief Technician - Quality Assurance is responsible for providing assurance for the safe and accurate preparation of aseptically prepared medicines in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements. The post holder will lead the development, implementation and maintenance of a robust pharmaceutical quality system that supports the delivery of high-quality aseptic services across Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The role will provide professional leadership on all matters relating to aseptic quality assurance, governance and regulatory compliance.

The post holder will act as an approved product approver and be responsible for the release of aseptically prepared products from the aseptic unit. They will work closely with the Principal Pharmacist - Technical Services, Deputy Chief Pharmacist - Cancer and Aseptic Services and wider Trust stakeholders to ensure the aseptic service remains compliant with national guidance, quality standards and regulatory requirements whilst supporting continuous service improvement and innovation.

The post holder will lead the development, maintenance and continual improvement of the pharmaceutical quality system, ensuring compliance with all applicable legislation, standards, guidance and best practice relating to aseptic services. They will be a key member of the aseptic governance team and provide expert advice on quality assurance matters to pharmacy staff, Trust colleagues and external stakeholders.

The role includes leading internal and external audit programmes, developing and monitoring action plans, supporting regulatory inspections, maintaining effective relationships with auditors and ensuring that identified actions are implemented within agreed timescales. The post holder will support investigations relating to incidents, complaints, deviations and non-conformances and will apply risk management principles to ensure appropriate corrective and preventative actions are implemented.

The post holder will be responsible for managing and overseeing environmental monitoring programmes, including physical, microbial and environmental monitoring activities, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. They will lead the development and delivery of validation programmes including validation master planning, equipment qualification, calibration schedules and planned preventative maintenance activities. The role includes supporting recommissioning activities following maintenance works or service interruptions and ensuring permit-to-work processes are completed appropriately.

The post holder will contribute to supplier qualification activities, supplier audits and product assessments and will support the development and implementation of processes associated with unlicensed medicines and quality management activities. They will contribute to the development of KPIs, reporting mechanisms and governance frameworks that monitor the quality and performance of aseptic services.

The role requires the production of reports, presentations and assurance documentation for pharmacy, governance and Trust committees and the communication of complex quality and governance issues in a clear and understandable manner to a wide range of audiences.

The post holder will support the operational leadership of aseptic services and, where required, deputise for senior technical staff to ensure continuity of service delivery. They will maintain competence across aseptic processes and operational activities and will be expected to undertake operational duties where required to support service demands.

They will ensure all aseptic activities comply with relevant legislation, standards, professional guidance and local procedures. This includes quality assurance standards for aseptic preparation services, medicines legislation, health and safety requirements, patient safety standards and Trust policies. The post holder will contribute to resolving operational challenges, balancing service pressures and supporting safe and effective service delivery.

The post holder will support the management of documentation, worksheets, labels and records associated with aseptic preparation and will ensure robust governance arrangements are maintained across all aspects of service delivery. They will support the monitoring of commercial compounders and contribute to service reviews and performance monitoring processes.

The post holder will contribute to the effective management of resources within aseptic services. This includes supporting budgetary control, monitoring expenditure relating to equipment and consumables and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce waste. They will contribute to cost improvement programmes and support the review of supplier contracts, service level agreements and procurement activities to ensure value for money and service sustainability.

A key aspect of the role is supporting the development of a highly skilled and competent workforce. The post holder will contribute to the design, implementation and delivery of structured competency-based training programmes for pharmacy staff working within aseptic services. They will support training, competency assessment and ongoing professional development activities for technical, pharmacy and multidisciplinary staff.

The post holder will act as a role model for quality assurance and aseptic practice and will support the delivery of education programmes for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, assistants and trainee staff. They will contribute to workforce planning and support the development of future training pathways that meet service needs and align with regional and national standards.

The successful candidate will be expected to maintain their own professional knowledge and competence and participate fully in appraisal, personal development planning and continuing professional development activities.

The post holder will play a significant role in the strategic development of aseptic services and quality assurance activities. They will contribute to business planning, service redesign, quality improvement initiatives and innovation projects that support the future direction of pharmacy services. They will identify opportunities for improvement, develop proposals and support implementation of changes that improve quality, efficiency, patient safety and service resilience.

The role requires participation in audits, evaluations, regional forums, professional networks and national developments relating to aseptic services. The post holder will contribute to the development of policies, procedures and governance frameworks that support service delivery across the organisation.

The post holder will contribute to recruitment, retention, workforce planning and performance management activities within aseptic services. They may be required to support interviews, staff supervision, appraisal processes, absence management and other people management activities in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

They will be expected to participate in operational pharmacy activities where required and support the wider pharmacy service in delivering safe, effective and timely care for patients. Participation in weekend and bank holiday working arrangements may be required in accordance with service needs.

The post holder must maintain patient confidentiality, comply with all relevant legislation and professional standards and act at all times in a professional, caring and responsible manner. They will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues across pharmacy, clinical services, governance, estates and external organisations to support delivery of high-quality pharmacy services.

Person specification

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Sound knowledge of aseptic preparation and dispensing processes.
• Specialist knowledge of cleanroom technology and pharmaceutical quality assurance.
• Extensive Microsoft Office 365 skills, including Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety legislation, COSHH and Manual Handling requirements relevant to aseptic services.
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively to pharmacy, clinical and non-clinical staff.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of HR policies and procedures.
• Ability to influence, motivate and support change.
• Ability to develop and implement policies and service improvements.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Qualifications

Essential

• Knowledge of pharmaceutical service procedures gained through formal training (for example NVQ Level 3, BTEC in Pharmaceutical Science or equivalent).
• MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance or willingness to work towards the qualification.
• Equivalent relevant experience working in a technical, scientific or quality-focused pharmaceutical environment.

Experience

Essential

• Recent experience working as an aseptic operative delivering aseptic pharmacy services.
• Experience supervising or supporting less experienced staff.
• Experience working within hospital pharmacy.
• Experience and knowledge of aseptic services, quality management systems and pharmacy policies.
• Experience ordering medicines and consumables where accuracy is critical.
• Experience managing routine and non-routine workloads, problem solving and work allocation.
• Experience working under pressure and delivering against challenging deadlines.
• Understanding of current issues facing NHS aseptic services.
• Experience of day-to-day staff supervision and training delivery.
• Evidence of leading service improvement, innovation or organisational change.
• Evidence of applying risk management principles.
• Evidence of delivering cost improvement initiatives.
• Experience of project work within the NHS.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

About the employer

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.