South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Pharmacy Technician / Science Manufacturing Technician
The closing date is 27 May 2026
We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated production technician to work in the pharmacy production unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital. The role entails working in a cleanroom environment to undertake all workflow steps required to produce aseptic products, from generation of patient‑specific documents, dispensing of the necessary starting materials, and use of negative pressure isolators to undertake aseptic dispensing of chemotherapy doses.
Pre‑existing experience in an aseptic unit is essential.
Applicants should possess NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services and be a registered Pharmacy Technician, or NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services, together with a Science Manufacturing Technician qualification with Level 3 Diploma in Principles of Aseptic Pharmaceutical Processing. A Science Manufacturing Technician should be registered with the Science Council.
If neither of these registrations are held this post will provide training to complete the Science Manufacturing Technician training and level 3 diploma to register as a Science Manufacturing Technician. The postholder will be paid as a Band 3 until this qualification and registration is gained.
Main duties of the job
The pharmacy production unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital supplies in excess of 30,000 ready‑to‑administer chemotherapy items per year.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated production technician to participate in the preparation of cytotoxics and other agents. You will be working as part of a multi‑skilled team to supply chemotherapy to oncology and haematology units in Sunderland and South Tyneside hospitals.
The role includes liaising closely with chemotherapy administration units, nursing, medical and pharmacy production staff in order to produce aseptic products in a timely manner.
Job responsibilities
To support the work in the pharmacy production unit to prepare aseptic, cytotoxic and extemporaneous products not commercially available.
To work in accordance with professional standards, good manufacturing practices and legislation, to ensure all health and safety, COSHH and departmental standards are met.
To promote maintenance of adequate stock levels of pharmaceuticals within the department and to ensure all transactions are correctly entered onto the computer system to minimise stock discrepancies and out of stock situations.
To identify prescribing practice which does not comply with Trust policy or practice and ensure the appropriate action is taken to correct it.
To undertake quality assurance, particularly by drawing attention to items which appear to be faulty or unsuitable.
To advise staff and patients on routine pharmaceutical matters and to be aware of when to seek further advice or refer to a pharmacist.
To carry out relevant administration procedures such as documentation, record keeping.
To assist in the organisation and working within the department to promote the most efficient utilisation of time i.e. prioritisation of workload.
To ensure cleaning and maintenance of environment and equipment used for dispensing and aseptic/extemporaneous preparation.
To promote the proper storage of pharmaceuticals within the department, rotate stock and perform expiry date checks to minimise financial loss and out of stock situations.
To provide cover to all areas/sites as and when required.
To identify and pursue personal training and development needs with the objective of improving personal performance and keeping abreast of new developments.
Person Specification
Physical Skills
* Manual dexterity to perform detailed technical tasks accurately while handling potentially hazardous solutions.
* Able to concentrate for prolonged periods.
* Able to work in an isolator for prolonged periods.
Skills and Knowledge
* Adaptable.
* Ability to work on own initiative.
* Manual dexterity to perform detailed technical tasks.
* Good knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice.
Personal Qualities
* Ability to work to the challenges and deadlines of the post.
* Ability to work under pressure.
* Enthusiastic and well‑motivated.
Experience
* Experience in aseptic and chemotherapy production.
* Ability to dispense aseptic products accurately following GMP and SOPs.
* Organisational skills.
* Ability to prioritise workload.
Qualifications
* To work as Band 3: Basic Numeracy & Literacy Skills to Level 1 or equivalent Basic IT Skills.
* Level‑2 qualification in Pharmacy Services or an equivalent Pharmacy Production Qualification.
* To work as Band 4: The postholder must be in possession of Level 3 NVQ Pharmacy with BTEC or equivalent, or Level 2 Qualification in Pharmacy Services, & Science Manufacturing Technician qualification with Level 3 Diploma in Principles of Aseptic Pharmaceutical Processing.
* They must be a registered GPhC or RSciTech Technician to work as Band 4. If the postholder is working towards this or needs to undertake this qualification and registration, they will remain on as band 3 until relevant qualification and registration is gained.
* Registered Pharmacy Technician with GPhC or Registered Science Technician with Science Council.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.
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