Senior Pharmacy Assistant - Clinical Trials in Sutton

An exciting and unique opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, dynamic and self‑motivated professional to join our clinical trials team at the Sutton site of the Royal Marsden. You will be part of a team consisting of Pharmacists, Technicians and Assistants, who are always striving for excellence in all aspects of our work. We are working collaboratively as part of a Multi‑Disciplinary Team to ensure we always deliver outstanding care to our patients.

This is an exciting time to join the Royal Marsden Hospital Clinical Trials Department. Our service is built around providing a high‑quality service to our patients and staff of the Trust. The Oak Cancer Centre (a new, state‑of‑the‑art treatment and research facility) opened in June 2023 in Sutton which will speed up the translation of world‑leading research into breakthroughs in treatment and care, transforming the lives of cancer patients at The Royal Marsden and beyond. The hospital has recently introduced the EPIC digital health record system and we are looking to use the full capabilities of this system to support the pharmacy teams and become a more efficient and truly paperless department.

Main duties of the job:

• To support the Chief/Deputy Chief Technician Clinical Trials and Senior Clinical Trials Technicians in the provision of the clinical trials service within the pharmacy department.
• The work will include technical and clerical duties as well as a clinical trial receptionist service carried out under the supervision of more senior members of staff within the Clinical Trials team.
• You will be required to work well with a variety of other hospital staff both by telephone and in person.
• All Clinical trials must be carried out in accordance with current UK Clinical Trial Regulations, the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) regulation 2004 (EU Clinical Trial Directive) and all updates, together with ICH GCP guidelines and departmental procedures and ensure provision of a high quality service to patients and staff at the Royal Marsden.
• As a member of the pharmacy clinical trials team you will be required to ensure that all of the relevant legislation and guidelines are adhered to at all times.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• To provide excellent customer service to patients and their carers presenting at the pharmacy research hatch and on the telephone.
• To participate in all aspects of dispensing for the Clinical Trials service and ensure an efficient, structured and accurate service.
• Assist in the directing, supervising and co‑ordinating teams of Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants in the daily running of the clinical trial (CT) dispensary according to standard operating procedures and delegate to other members of staff where appropriate.
• Collate and co‑ordinate the CT dispensary by reviewing EPIC patient lists to efficiently manage time and workload and dispense prescriptions in advance of patient treatment times.
• Issue clinical trial medication to patients and counsel them on their trial medication when appropriate.
• To be responsible for the co‑ordination of the receipt, storage and supply of clinical trial medication within the Pharmacy Department.
• To provide clerical support for the Senior Technicians Clinical Trials, Deputy Chief Technicians Clinical Trials, Chief Technician Clinical Trials, Clinical Trials Operations Manager, Specialist Pharmacist Clinical Trials and Lead Pharmacist, Clinical Trials as required.

Person specification:

• Education/Qualifications: GCSE level (Grade A‑C in English and Maths) or Numeracy and Literacy functional skills level 2 (or equivalent). NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services or relevant GPhC accredited Training Programme equivalent to Level 2.
• Experience: Experience of working in pharmacy. Experience of preparing & dispensing prescriptions. Experience of ordering and stock management. Working with and liaising with other healthcare professionals. Experience of working in NHS or other health care setting. Clinical Trials Experience.
• Skills Abilities/knowledge: Ability to work effectively as part of a team. Good time management and organisational skills and ability to prioritise effectively. Ability to communicate effectively with members of the public and other healthcare professionals. Ability to use Microsoft office applications eg Word, excel and outlook.
• Other Requirements: Calm under pressure, maintaining accuracy to detail. Adaptable to change. Prepared to take responsibility and able to work without direct supervision. Reliable with good attendance record. Well presented to appropriate standard for working in clinical area. Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role. Interest in healthcare provision. Ability to train other members of staff.

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 utmost 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.

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.