Pharmaceutical Technician – Basic Grade Aseptics

Job Title: Pharmaceutical Technician - Basic Grade Aseptics

Department: Pharmacy

Reports to: Head of Pharmacy Services, Chief 2 Aseptic Pharmacist

Date: 2024

Overall Purpose of Job

To undertake a broad range of pharmaceutical activities, and demonstrate competence to provide a service making full use of Technician extended roles to provide excellent pharmaceutical care to the patients of Beacon Hospital

To support the Chief 2 Aseptic Pharmacist in the daily running of the Pharmacy Aseptic Unit.

Responsibilities and Deliverables

• The purchase, storage and supply of all Aseptic medicines and related items consistent with quality and value for money. 
• The provision of Aseptic-based services, including the provision of aseptic compounding, managing audit schedules, managing workload, stock management and supervision of junior staff. 
• The timely collation and input of data concerning Aseptic drug usage in the hospital, in line with departmental policy. 
• The performance of all duties and responsibilities in line with all Pharmacy Department procedures and protocols, as well as hospital wide procedures.
• Participate in continuing education consistent with the post. 
• Ensure that all departmental and hospital wide Health and Safety protocols and procedures are adhered to and all areas of non-compliance are promptly addressed.
• Performance of such other duties appropriate to the post, including on call and the participation in extended opening rosters including weekend opening and other such services that may from time to time be introduced by the Director of Pharmacy Services

Aseptic Services

Cover basic grade technician tasks including but not limited to:

-       Monitoring and recording regular checks, on allocated isolator(s) prior to commencing work in that isolator.

-       Following training, performing routine tests and validations on critical equipment

-       Undertaking operator and process validations, as determined by the Quality Assurance programme in the unit.

-       Producing worksheet and label documentation for chemotherapy prescriptions using pharmacy and prescribing electronic systems.

-       Helping to ensure completed treatments are delivered, or collected, by appropriate ward and medical staff

• Aseptic preparation of all parenteral chemotherapy drugs prepared in the unit, including clinical trials materials, in pharmaceutical isolators according to Good Manufacturing Practice, health and Safety at work, pharmaceutical guidelines relevant to aseptic dispensing and departmental and hospital procedures.
• To be responsible for ensuring all records and departmental logs are filled in correctly and at the specified frequency, and to act on any "out of specification" results and report to the senior/lead pharmacists.
• Assisting in the maintenance of adequate levels of drugs and equipment, by ensuring proper stock rotation and informing senior technicians when stock levels are unusually low and performing stock check process on a daily basis.
• To be responsible for ensuring that the required environmental monitoring is carried out in the allocated units and that microbial plates are labelled and sent for incubation in a timely manner.
• To supervise and organise the work of rotational technicians and ensure that they are aware of the daily plans and what is expected of them. 
• Maintaining records and documentation of activities, by completing worksheets, isolator and equipment records and any other documentation appropriately.
• Assisting with the maintenance of documentation systems in the Unit, including filing and archiving documentation. 
• Assisting in compiling workload statistics and other management information as required.
• Operating the Unit equipment in accordance with departmental procedures.
• Attendance at such courses and meetings as required in the interests of the service and your professional development.

Dispensary: 

• Process orders delivered to the Pharmacy Department in accordance with procedures and documentation requirements and having regard to special requirements such as maintenance of cold chain and handling of cytotoxic products.
• Responds appropriately to the Hospital's capacity pressures and escalates any issues to the appropriate manager. The purchase, storage and supply of all medications consistent with quality and value for money and in line with agreed levels and frequencies. Ensure accurate charging of medications.
• Report shortages to the Senior Purchasing Technician in a timely manner.
• Ensure that Pharmacy shelves are neat, tidy and fully stacked and that stock is rotated.
• Carry out stock checks as required.
• Processing of returns from wards and destroy of pharmaceuticals as required, in line with hospital policy.
• Record and respond to telephone calls and messages.

Training and Development

• Participates in in-service training and continuing education programmes within the department and Hospital.
• Assists in the training of pharmacists, pre-registration pharmacy students, undergraduate pharmacy students, student pharmacy technicians and pharmacy technicians and other healthcare professionals.
• Participates in the training of new Pharmacy technician and support staff, for all Aseptic services-based role. 
• Participates in the training of hospital staff in pharmacy-related topics as necessary

Information Technology

• Competent in the use of the hospital-wide Clinical Information Systems.

Quality

• Participate in the JCI Accreditation and adherence to standards and hospital-wide quality management programmes.
• Ensure that the medication use process is measured, analysed and optimised by undertaking relevant pharmacy audits.
• Participate in dispensary-based policy formation and the development of pharmaceutical services.
• Reports all medication incidents in a timely fashion, via the approved reporting system and participates in any remedial actions that are designated the responsibility of the pharmacy department.

Flexibility

• The above indicates the main duties of the post, which may be reviewed in the light of experience and developments within the service.
• This post requires a high level of flexibility to ensure the delivery of an effective and efficient service. Therefore, the post holder will be required to demonstrate flexibility as and when required by their manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications:

• Possess a Pharmaceutical Technician diploma

Experience:

• Essential: Aseptic compounding experience
• Desirable: Working or technical knowledge of new technologies including automation

Skills & Abilities:

• Participate in the pharmaceutical service as part of a punctual, dedicated and professional team.
• Create, promote and maintain open communications and healthy working relationships.
• Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others 
• Contribute to the improvement of services 
• Experience in training.

Personal Competencies:

• Is self-motivated and committed towards quality service provision.
• Has an inherent person-centred philosophy which is respectful and assertive towards clients, staff and other contacts.
• Enjoys working as part of a team.
• Is honest and trustworthy.
• Is accurate.
• Is computer literate.
• Can motivate others
• Can motivate others.

This job description is intended to be an outline of the areas of responsibility and deliverables at the time of its writing. As the Hospital and the post holder develop, this job description may be subject to review in light of the changing needs of the Hospital.