Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacist

Job overview

Senior Clinical Trials Pharmacist - Band 8a (Permanent)
Pharmacy Shared Services – Based at Royal London Hospital with rotation to Whipps Cross and Newham University Hospital with future rotation into the Clinical Research Facility

The pharmacy clinical trials service at Barts Health has seen significant investment over the last few years and the evolving team of pharmacists, technicians and assistants manage an ever-expanding portfolio of commercial and non-commercial clinical trials. Due to additional funding being made available, there is an excellent opportunity for a pharmacist to develop their skills across multiple sites, encompassing a wide range of trials at the largest recruiting Trust for commercial trials in the country. In the last 5 years we have significantly improved the service we provide, and have one of the best staff satisfaction results in the Trust.

Main duties of the job

You will manage an excellent trials team at the Royal London hospital (RLH), Whipps Cross University Hospital (WX) and Newham University Hospital (NUH) sites and will have a portfolio of trials to set up and monitor. You will also be involved in continuous improvement project work associated with service development and have opportunities to train junior staff, develop your managerial skills and enhance your regulatory knowledge. There are a lot of improvements being made to the service, including a state of the art Clinical Research facility at RLH, complete with a satellite trials pharmacy, and expansion into ever more ATIMP trials.

Working for our organisation

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Candidates should have experience of working within clinical trials, with a thorough understanding of Good Clinical Practice. Clinical pharmacy experience, as well as managerial experience is also desirable. The applicant must be efficient, organised, forward thinking and able to work as a team and autonomously. A positive attitude is essential. However, we value personal attributes very highly and training can and will be provided for the right candidate.

For further information or to arrange an informal visit, please contact: Stuart Chandler (Lead Clinical Trials Pharmacist) on 020 3246 0604 or e-mail

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• MPharm or equivalent
• Registered as a pharmacist with the GPhC

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent knowledge and experience

Experience

Essential criteria

• Proven experience of good performance in previous posts.
• Significant post registration experience
• Previous significant experience of working in clinical trials at advanced level including feasibility, assessment, contracts and hosted and sponsored studies
• Experience in supervising and organising staff and work
• Evidence of basic teaching and tutoring in a hospital setting through training others e.g., trainee pharmacists and foundation training pharmacists

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of managing staff
• Previous experience of working within Clinical Trials in an NHS hospital

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Demonstrated knowledge of all aspects of GCP, GMP and QA and clinical trial legislation
• Understanding of GPhC Revalidation requirements
• Knowledge of medicines management systems at ward level
• Up to date knowledge of legislation relevant to pharmacy practice, e.g., controlled drugs, Health and Safety at Work
• Understanding of stock control systems
• Understanding of the pharmaceutical care needs of patients in various specialties.
• An awareness of current national standards, guidelines and service delivery issues relevant to clinical trials patients
• Knowledge of Safe and Secure Handling of Medicines requirements
• Understanding of the importance of adherence to SOPs and legislation
• Demonstrates a good understanding of patient safety initiatives

Desirable criteria

• Specialist technical / Management modules or equivalent experience in: Supervisory Skills Staff training and development

Skills

Essential criteria

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Demonstrates effective persuasive skills.
• Able to prioritise own workload to an advanced level.
• Demonstrates ability to delegate effectively
• Demonstrates ability to answer complex enquiries
• Demonstrates ability to supervise processes and identify deviations.
• Able to meet deadlines
• Demonstrates effective customer service skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and to a deadline
• Able to complete documentation accurately with attention to detail
• IT literate; able to use Microsoft office with intermediate IT skills including, accurate data entry and use of specialist computer programmes
• Able to work effectively in stressful situations.
• Demonstrates ability to analyse complex management information – workload and error reports.
• Demonstrates ability to manage staff
• Demonstrates ability to be a member of a recruitment panel and contribute to staff selection
• Demonstrates ability to train staff in practical skills and underpinning knowledge
• Demonstrates assertive behaviour when appropriate.
• Demonstrates numeracy skills and ability to perform accurate, complex calculations
• Demonstrates diplomacy.

**Visa Sponsorship Information**

Recent changes to UK immigration policy on the Health and Care Visa and Skilled Worker Visa could mean that this role is not eligible for sponsorship or that you may not meet the eligibility criteria.

Sponsorship can only be offered if this post and any individual offered employment meet all the Home Office’s requirements under the UK Skilled Worker visa scheme.

If you are applying from outside the UK or will require sponsorship, please mention this clearly in your application.

To be eligible for sponsorship, the following conditions must be met:

• Eligible role: The position must be on the UK Skilled Worker visa list. You can check your eligibility here: - .
• Salary threshold: The role must meet the minimum salary set by the Home Office. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.
• Skill level: The role must meet the minimum skill requirement of RQF Level 6 or above (graduate level).
• English language: Applicants must demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level B2 or higher.
• Other criteria: Applicants must meet all other criteria as set out by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)