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Team Leader

NHS aseptic or production services provide controlled environments in which trained staff produce a range of products such as:

• Ready to Administer (RtA) products such as IV antibiotics.
• Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatments (SACT) such as chemotherapy.
• Parenteral Nutrition (PN).
• Cutting-edge treatments for both gene therapy and clinical trials.

Group of workers in protective clothing in clean room in pharmaceutical industry

What are NHS Technical Services

Technical services within the NHS are made up of the following services:

  • Aseptic Units: Carry out preparation and dispensing of patient-specific sterile medicines, including chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition (PN), central intravenous additive services (CIVAS) and clinical trials.
  • Production / Manufacturing Units: Carry out the manufacture of batches of medicines, including but not limited to chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition (PN) and central intravenous additive services (CIVAS), clinical trials and gene therapy.
  • Radiopharmacy: Carry out manufacturing and supplying radioactive substances used in nuclear medicine.
  • Quality Assurance (QA): Are responsible for ensuring that the final products conform to the appropriate quality. They are responsible for the creation and maintenance of the quality system used within technical services and are involved with the assessment of the quality of unlicensed medicines.
  • Quality Control (QC): Carry out a range of chemical and microbiological tests on medicines and materials to ensure they are safe to use.

Section 10 Aseptic Units vs MS Licenced Production Facilities

NHS facilities are mostly operated via, Section 10 exemption of the Medicines Act 1968 or a Manufactures Specials (MS) licence granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Aseptic Units prepare and dispense sterile patient-specific medicines under the supervision of an Accountable Pharmacist.

Production Units manufacture or assemble batches under the responsibility of a Head of Production and a Head of Quality.

What is the Role?

As a Team Leader, you will work within an NHS facility working in either a hospital or an NHS offsite location. You would not be expected to work on wards, oncology units or other patient-facing areas.

What would you do in the role?

The Team Leader role is a senior operative post within an aseptic or production facility. This person carries out day-to-day supervision of staff within the cleanrooms, over labelling areas, warehouse and admin areas.

Within a Production Unit, it is most likely that the manufacture of products such as Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatments (SACT) including chemotherapy, Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) and Ready to Administer (RtAs) products is carried out by a Manufacturing Operative. To ensure the quality and sterility of these products these activities, and manufacture would be carried out within pharmaceutical-grade cleanrooms, isolators, and laminar flow systems.  As a Team Leader, you would be responsible for the supervision of these staff within the cleanrooms ensuring that they maintain good manufacturing practices and departmental procedures at all times.

Also, within a Production Unit, over labelling of licenced medicines is also carried out, these products are used onwards as pre-labelled boxes of medication for patients. As a Team Leader, you may also have to organise and supervise activities carried out within the overlabelling area.

There may also be the opportunity to work within other departments within a facility depending on the size of the organisation. There will likely be team leaders supervising staff within procurement, admin, warehouse, logistic and domestic teams.

Products are manufactured within Production Units for several reasons such as:

  • Ensures the quality of the products are fit for purpose.
  • Safe for the nursing teams as some products are hazardous to their health.
  • Reduce the risk of infection in patients.
  • The use of automated and semi-automated technologies can increase the output of products.
  • Products can be manufactured within small-scale batch sizes to realise manufacturing efficiencies.

Within a Production Unit, the team may consist of Pharmacy Assistants, Manufacturing Operatives, Manufacturing Technicians (including both Pharmacy Technicians and Science Manufacturing Technicians), Pharmacists and Scientists.

Working within cleanrooms requires staff to wear cleanroom clothing, hair nets, beard nets, gloves and occasionally masks. Staff are not allowed to wear makeup, false nails, false eyelashes, jewellery when working within the cleanrooms to maintain the strictly controlled environment to project the products and patients. As a Team Leader, you will be responsible for ensuring that staff follow these rules at all times.

This sector is vital to providing care to some of the most complicated and clinically unwell patients and it is this that makes the job so worthwhile.

If you want to make an impact on patients’ lives but do not want to engage in patient contact this role is for you.

Technical services roles are great for those who like challenge and variety.

This role is suited to someone who is looking to take on additional responsibility within their career. This is the perfect role to learn supervisory skills in a supported environment.

Responsibilities

  • You will be required to supervise the preparation and manufacture of a range of products, working in isolators, laminar flow cabinets or cleanrooms.
  • You will carry out staff 1-2-1s, sickness reviews and other supportive meetings.
  • Along with all other staff, responsible for maintaining the integrity of the cleanroom environment.
  • Witness the day-to-day technique of staff carrying out the transfer of materials into the cleanrooms (using wipe and spray techniques, or gassing methods)
  • Train staff on the visual inspection of final products.
  • Training and supervision of operatives on the dispatch of the final products to customers or wards.
  • Training and supervision of stock management, including receipt of goods and stock checks.

Skills

  • Honesty and transparency: You need to be confident to report issues and mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes but it is critical to patient’s health and wellbeing that mistakes are reported immediately. This is the case for pharmacy, manufacturing and laboratory roles, it is an attribute you will certainly need.
  • You need to have strong leadership qualities and not be afraid to have difficult conversations with staff.
  • Appetite for learning, you will be required to carry out a leadership qualification to level 3, so it is essential that you remain committed to continued learning.

Salary

A Team Leader within the NHS is generally a senior operative role therefore they are Band 4 employees, but this is dependent on the NHS Trust.

Band 4: £25,147 – £27,596

(Based on 2023/2024 pay scales)

There have been occasions whereby someone has started within the NHS at a band 2 level and has reached career grades such as 8D and higher.

More information on the pay, pensions and rewards, can be found on the NHS Employers website.

Working hours

A Team Leader working in the NHS will generally work 37.5 a week.

The working models of each NHS organisation may vary therefore you may have to work the following models:

  • 9-5 Monday to Friday
  • Shift working
  • 7-day working

Employers

This role in the format explained is based within an NHS organisation.

However, there are similar roles available outside of the NHS within the pharmaceutical industry.

Work experience

This is a senior operative role within a facility, if you are considering these roles, it is suggested that you speak to a current Team Leader or Production Manager to see if you can shadow for a day or two. They might also allow you to take on extra responsibility within your current role to allow you to have more experience for when a job does become available in the future.

What to expect

This is a supervisor role therefore you have responsibility for staff on a day-to-day basis. You will generally be working in a very different environment, staff are required to wear cleanroom clothing, hair nets, beard nets, gloves and occasionally masks. Staff are not allowed to wear makeup, false nails, false eyelashes, jewellery when working within the cleanrooms to maintain the strictly controlled environment to project the products and patients.

A cleanroom lab

An isolator

An example of an isolator used within Aseptic Units and Production Units – see opposite.

Isolator aseptic system

Career Progression

There are several career opportunities such as:

  • Manufacturing Technician
  • Production or Quality Manager
  • Production Lead
  • Releasing Officer
  • QA Officer

Further training could also be gained in the form of:

  • Level 3 qualification to become a Pharmacy Technician or Science Manufacturing Technician

There have been occasions whereby someone has started within the NHS at a band 2 level and has reached career grades such as 8D and higher.

A full range of roles can be found within the career escalator tool.

Routes to become a Team Leader

To become a Team Leader requires staff to have a relevant level 2 qualification and experience of working within a cleanroom facility to good manufacturing standards. It is preferable to have a leadership qualification to level 3, however, this can be gained while employed within the role within certain NHS Trusts.

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