Quality Assurance Assistant

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) is an integrated provider of acute hospital and community services for people living in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding area.

We care for over half a million patients every year:

• Provide specialist spinal services at our world renowned National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the birthplace of the Paralympics.
• Nationally recognised for urology and skin cancer services.
• Regional specialist centre for burns, plastic surgery, dermatology, stroke and cardiac services.
• Deliver community services in health centres, schools, patients’ own homes, community hospitals and community hubs.

More than 6,500 people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds work for us.

We would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options. We strive to be a family friendly, inclusive employer.

If you require any assistance in making this application, please contact bht.recruitment@nhs.net or phone 01494 734868.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work – and invite you to join our BHT family.

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic, self-motivated Quality Assurance Assistant to join our Pharmacy Quality Assurance Team. As part of the pharmacy team, the post holder will be working closely with the QA technicians in the provision of a quality control/assurance service to Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and other customers.

We are looking for candidates with at least 1 year’s experience working in a laboratory or clean room. Experience of some microbiological analysis, and pharmaceutical clean room environmental monitoring would be advantageous.

The post holder must be able to work well within a team and in an aseptic environment. The job requires good communication and IT skills, flexibility and willingness to travel to external sites for customer visits. A full valid driving license and access to a car are essential.

Main duties of the job

1. Concentration at all times to minimise risk of errors.
2. Ensure safe working practices and a safe working environment at all times.
3. Working in busy environments such as NHS aseptic units, in a commercial unit or in the quality control laboratory.
4. Position requires some physical activity – lifting and travel between sites.
5. Availability for flexible working hours with early or late start when required.
6. Ability to work in a controlled environment i.e., cleanrooms.
7. Use of precision instruments such as microscope, active air samplers, anemometer, airborne particle counter, water bath.
8. Working with hazardous substances such as chemical reagents, cytotoxic or mutagenic substances, microorganisms and culture media.
9. Working according to the department’s Standard Operating Procedures.
10. Computer systems knowledge – Windows/Word/Excel.
11. Ability to communicate and work in a team environment.
12. Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.

What does Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer you?

As part of our BHT family, you’ll benefit from learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.

Alongside NHS benefits of generous annual leave entitlement and pension scheme, you\’ll have access to NHS discount schemes.

We provide a range of health and wellbeing services to promote a healthy, happy workforce.

What do we stand for?

Our vision is to provide outstanding care, support healthy communities and be a great place to work.

Our mission is to provide personal and compassionate care every time.

We are working hard to increase diversity at all levels within the trust. We believe a diverse workforce can have a positive effect on both staff wellbeing and patient outcomes.

We welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates, candidates with disabilities and care-experienced candidates.

We are proud to achieve the Gold award for the Armed Forces Covenant and support applications from the Armed Forces Community. Please contact Pam.Daley@nhs.net (our Armed Forces Covenant Lead) if you would like guidance or assistance with your application.

We make employment decisions by matching our service needs with the skills and experience of candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

Person specification

Education, Qualifications and Training

• Level 2 NVQ Diploma or BTEC first certificate or GCSE grades A – C or Equivalent.
• Experience of working in a Pharmaceutical Laboratory or Cleanroom environment for 1 year.

Experience

• Some experience of working in a microbiology laboratory/environmental monitoring.
• Some experience of time management skills and prioritising work.
• Some experience working in a fast-paced environment.

Skills, abilities and knowledge

• Able to work to set procedures.
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to communicate routine information effectively using clear written and spoken English.
• Able to handle materials which are hazardous (microorganisms/cytotoxic).
• Able to work in pharmaceutical clean room environment.
• Able to prioritise and organise daily tasks using own initiative.
• Able to use computer programmes such as MS Word, Excel, Outlook, data collection.
• Ability to work to deadlines and achieve agreed objectives.
• Ability to sit or stand at workstation such as bench, safety cabinet or isolators for periods of the working time.

Special circumstances

• Full valid driving license and access to a car.
• Able to travel to customer sites within the Trust and customer sites outside the Trust.
• Able to meet the physical and educational demands of the role.
• Flexible and adaptable to change – able to work a range of hours when needed.

PPE requirements: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust requires all colleagues to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with our infection prevention and control procedures.

COVID-19 and Flu vaccinations remain the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the viruses when working in our healthcare settings. We encourage our staff to be vaccinated when recommended.

If you are successful at interview, we will require you to complete a Covid-19 risk assessment document.

Application deadline: This post will close on the closing date stated at midnight. If we receive a large number of applications or there is a change in circumstance, we may be required to close a job before the closing date.

Contacting you: We will contact candidates through the email address supplied on their application form. Please make sure you check this regularly.

Application information: If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Shortlisting: The monitoring and safeguarding sections are not made visible to the shortlisting panel. The safeguarding section may be made visible to the interview panel, dependent on the role being recruited into.

Travel expenses: It is Trust policy that travel expenses for interview will not be reimbursed.

Smoking: All Trust sites are NO SMOKING. Smoking in all areas of the buildings and premises is prohibited.

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: Christiano Silva Job title: QA Team Lead Email address: christiano.silva@nhs.net Telephone number: 01296316758 Additional information

Working hours: Monday to Friday (8:00 – 16:00)

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