Job summary
- Main area
- 317 Pharmacy 520300
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Part time hours considered)
- Job ref
- 317-2025-10-045
- Employer
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Trustwide
- Town
- 317 Trustwide
- Salary
- £24,071 - £25,674 pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/04/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 07/05/2025
Employer heading
Clinical Trials Assistant - Pharmacy
Band 3
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.
Job overview
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust currently has approximately 450 on-going studies involving investigational medicinal products (IMPs) and Pharmacy has an important role in ensuring that clinical trial medications are handled safely. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and well-motivated Clinical Trials Assistant to join the Pharmacy Clinical Trials Team. You will provide support in order to maintain a high level Trustwide Pharmacy Clinical Trials Service.
You will be required to communicate with professionals both internal and external to the Trust via telephone, e-mail and face-to-face. You will carry out the dispensing of clinical trials prescriptions, which can be very complex and time consuming, requiring a high level of accuracy and concentration. Other regular tasks include ordering, distribution and monitoring of storage areas (including refrigerators/ freezers) in which investigational medicinal products (IMPs) are held.
- Interview Date Wednesday 07 May 2025
- 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week (Part time hours will be considered)
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Main duties of the job
- To answer telephone enquiries from internal or external persons involved in clinical trials.
- To liaise and communicate regularly with members of other disciplines working in the Trust.
- To carry out dispensing of clinical trials prescriptions and order forms.
- To manage ordering, maintenance, distribution, destruction (where applicable) and return (where applicable) of medications used within clinical trials.
- To maintain clinical trial documentation that forms part of the Trial Master File.
- To complete and maintain in house documentation for monitoring equipment and managing clinical trials medication.
- To work in compliance with European and UK legislation related to clinical trials in particular Good Clinical Practice (GCP).
- To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors. To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any non-compliances to a senior member of staff.
- Calculates monies owed for previously agreed contracted clinical trial activities for approval by clinical trial Sponsors.
- Deals with finance queries from external organisations and Trust finance department.
- Organises and prepares invoice documentation for monies owed.
Working for our organisation
Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As well as in-house training within the Pharmacy Clinical Trials Unit, you will be required to complete a Good Clinical Practice (GCP) course (either online or face-to-face depending on availability) and subsequent refreshers courses every three years.
A base hospital/ Pharmacy Clinical Trials Unit will be allocated to the post holders on appointment. However, you may be required to work at one of the other Pharmacy Clinical Trials Units within the Trust which include the main Pharmacy Departments at Freeman Hospital, The Royal Victoria Infirmary, The Northern Centre for Cancer Care (Freeman site) or the Campus for Ageing and Vitality (old General Hospital site). You will report to the Specialist Senior Pharmacy Technician at the relevant site, and you will be accountable to the Clinical Trials Operations Managers, the Lead Clinical Trials Pharmacists and the Senior Lead Clinical Trials Pharmacist (all Trust-wide – see job description for more details).
Candidates must have a minimum of NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services Skills or equivalent, and previous dispensing experience. You must be able to demonstrate good oral and written communication, have basic computer skills and be capable of working with minimum supervision.
A Clinical Trials Assistant will provide technical support to clinical trials services and the wider clinical trials team with the aim of providing safe management of clinical trials patients within the hospital and community.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person specification
KNOWLEDGE
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of drug names and differences in formulations / pack sizes
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of Hospital Pharmacy
SKILLS
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate good oral and written communication
- Basic computer skills
- Good organisational and accuracy skills
- Capable of working with minimum supervision
- Good customer care skills
EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Previous experience of dispensing prescriptions
- Significant training and induction within clinical trials
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the duties carried out within the role to a minimum of NVQ level II in Pharmacy Services Skills or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- GCSE (Min. Grade C) or equivalent in Mathematics and English Language or previous relevant experience
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kay Jones
- Job title
- Pharmacy Clinical Trials Manager
- Email address
- mai.jones@nhs.net
- Telephone number
- 0191 2824298
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