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Job summary

Main area
Chemotherapy Ward Medicines Assistant
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
319-6216118AZ-HAS
Employer
Northumbria Healthcare - NHCT Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Wansbeck General Hospital
Town
Ashington
Salary
£22,816 - £24,336 pro rata per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
12/05/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Northumbria Healthcare - NHCT Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust logo

Chemotherapy Medicines Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 3

Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work for an organisation that was voted the best acute and combined acute and community trust in the country, based on the experience of its staff (NHS Staff Survey 2022).  Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare and, this is…the Northumbria Way!

What the Northumbria Way means for you:

  • Extensive staff health and well-being programme including access to our specialist Wellbeing Hub
  • Support and connection through a variety of Staff Network groups
  • A range of flexible working opportunities
  • Generous annual leave and pension scheme
  • Access to lease car and home electronics scheme (qualifying criteria applies)
  • Opportunities to improve your professional development through our vast training programmes
  • On-site nursery places via salary sacrifice
  • Access to savings scheme via salary sacrifice with Northumberland Community Bank

We are proud to be one of the country’s top performing NHS trusts – rated ‘outstanding’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide a range of health and care services to support more than 500,000 people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside across the largest geographical area of any NHS Trust in England. Our teams deliver care from hospitals, a range of community venues and people’s homes. Our hospitals include a specialist emergency care hospital (the first of its kind in England), three general hospitals and community hospitals. In the community we deliver a wide range of community and public health services.

We lead in innovation and quality, having opened the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub during the Covid-19 pandemic and have recently launched our Community Promise – a pledge to make a real impact not just in healthcare but on the wider factors that affect people’s lives, such as education, employment and the economy. 

If Northumbria Healthcare sounds like somewhere you could belong we would love to hear from you. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

 

 

Job overview

We have an exciting secondment opportunity to join our Cancer Services Pharmacy team as a Chemotherapy Medicines Assistant. 

The Chemotherapy Medicine Assistant role was introduced 2016. Since then this new and innovative role has progressed and developed and our Ward Medicine Assistants are recognized as a vital part of the nursing and clinical pharmacy teams assisting in the safe supply of medications and facilitating in the discharge of patients. We now have established Ward Medicine Assistant roles at  North Tyneside General Hospital, Wansbeck General Hospital, Hexham General Hospital and at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.  They provide a vital link between our Pharmacy Production Unit, verification pharmacists and our clinical oncology nursing teams; providing support to ensure the safe and timely supply of chemotherapy and supportive medication to our patients. 

This post is ideal for qualified pharmacy dispensing assistants who are looking for patient facing roles where development is encouraged. The role provides an excellent gateway to career development in both nursing, allied health professional careers and pharmacy, for example we have recently supported some ward medicines assistants to undertake an apprenticeship and train to be pharmacy technicians. 

Main duties of the job

Chemotherapy Ward Medicines Assistants provide an essential link between our pharmacy production unit, verification pharmacists and clinical oncology nursing teams. Providing support to ensure the safe and timely supply of chemotherapy and supportive medication to our patients. 

Successful candidates will undertake activities at ward level but also within the pharmacy department contributing to the efficient and effective delivery of medicines to patients e.g. medicines supply, drug administration and dispensing medication. You will also utilise our clinical systems e.g. Chemocare, Medchart and Nerve Centre to assist nursing staff and patients. 

Our Pharmacy team supports three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality – opening a state-of-the-art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. We are one of the best performing NHS organisations in England. Our organisation supports its staff to develop and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients. We are passionate about staff development and encourage staff to innovate and work to the top of their licence within our supportive learning environment.

Working for our organisation

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, in addition to our state-of-the-art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. We also care for people in their homes and provide services from facilities in local communities such as health centres. We give people greater choice and control over their care to help them to live independently at home and avoid hospital admission where appropriate. High quality patient care is at the heart of everything we do and we strive to ensure every single patient and service user has an exceptional experience with us. We have one of the most extensive patient experience programmes of any trust in England.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • GCSE Grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics
  • NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services supported by appropriate underpinning knowledge training e.g. that provided by NPA, Buttercups or other accredited in-house programmes or a recognised pharmacy dispensing qualification (Boots, NPA) and relevant training /experience. Please note that training posts are not available for this role
  • Ability to maintain a disciplined approach to work
  • Must be able to demonstrate the English language proficiency level required for this post
  • Good written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work as a member of the team
  • To participate in a weekend pharmacy service and relevant bank holiday arrangements

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • GCSE Grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics, or equivalent
  • Minimum of NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services, or equivalent, supported by a base level of theoretical knowledge and appropriate underpinning knowledge training e.g. that provided by NPA, Buttercups or other accredited in-house programmes or a recognised pharmacy dispensing qualification (Boots, NPA) and relevant training /experience

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardDisability confident employerCare quality commission - OutstandingStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Better Health at Work Award - Maintaining ExcellenceHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Jennifer Allen
Job title
Lead Clinical Pharmacist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01912932729
Additional information

[email protected]

01912932729

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