Pharma Manufacturing

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is the industry that produces the drugs and medicines that we rely on to maintain our health.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is the industry that produces the drugs and medicines that we rely on to maintain our health. Careers in pharmaceutical manufacturing involve the production, development, and distribution of drugs and other pharmaceutical products.

The North East has an established pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. Large global pharmaceutical manufacturers located in the region include GSK, MSD, Accord Healthcare, Recipharm, Arcinova, Sterling Pharma Solutions, Fujifilm Diosynth and Piramal. The North East is also home to two of the UK’s largest specials manufactures – Quantum Pharma and The Specials Laboratory.

One of the most popular careers in pharmaceutical manufacturing is Production Technician. These work in plants where drugs are produced and are responsible for running equipment used in drug manufacture. This is one of many roles in the production of medicine and drugs. Pharmaceutical manufacturing requires strong scientific and technical skills. Scientists and engineers in this field are responsible for researching and developing new drugs, designing and ensuring seamless manufacturing processes, or providing technical support to production teams.

In addition to these roles, there are many other opportunities in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry for people with business, marketing, and administrative skills. Sales and marketing professionals are responsible for promoting and selling drugs to healthcare professionals and consumers, while managers and administration staff are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of a manufacturing plant.

Alternative Pathways

Primary Healthcare

Primary Healthcare services provide the first point of contact in the healthcare system, acting as the ‘front door’ of the NHS.

These are services that you can access without the need for a referral from another professional. It includes general practice, which you will know as your local GP Surgery. A number of other roles are now within Primary Healthcare – Podiatrists, Dietitians, Mental Health Practitioners, Occupational Therapists, Care Coordinators, Social Prescribing Link Workers and Health and Well-being Coaches.

Care Coordinators, Social Prescribing Link Workers and Health and Well-being Coaches are emerging roles whereas some of the others’ listed are existing NHS roles which have been brought out of hospitals (secondary care) and into primary care networks.

The community setting is what brings all these jobs together ‘under one roof’ and this allows professionals to work together to provide a faster and more effective response to peoples’ health and social care needs. 

We are seeing the growth of multi-disciplinary teams within our primary care services. In these teams there are professionals who previously could only be accessed in the NHS via referral, and there are also emerging new personalised care professionals, so people get support quickly without increasing the burden further up the system. 

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Secondary Healthcare

Secondary Healthcare, also known as secondary care, refers to medical services provided by healthcare professionals who specialise in a particular field or area of medicine.

This can include working in hospitals, clinics, or private practices, involving diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with complex medical conditions. One of the most common careers in secondary healthcare is that of a Physician/Consultant. These are medical professionals (Doctors) who are trained to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness and injury. They may specialise in a particular field, such as surgery, paediatrics, or neurology.

Another important secondary healthcare role is that of a Nurse. Nurses provide direct care to patients, working closely with Doctors and other healthcare professionals to assess patients, administer medications, and provide education and support to patients and their families. They can also be involved in the management and coordination of care. 

Other secondary healthcare roles include Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Radiographers, Dietitians and Speech Therapists. Further opportunities in secondary healthcare include healthcare administration and management, working in hospital administration, health informatics, or health policy. These professionals are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a healthcare facility, managing budgets and resources, or developing and implementing policies and procedures.

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Healthcare Science

Healthcare Science includes Audiology, Cardiac Physiology and Life Sciences.

Audiologists are health care professionals who identify, assess, and manage disorders of hearing and balance. There are several different jobs within the field of Audiology – ranging from Assistants, Associate and Practitioner roles to Clinical and Consultant Scientists. The higher bands are registered with either the RCCP (Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists), AHCS (The Academy of Healthcare Science) or HCPC (Health & Care Professions Council). Audiologists can be employed in either the NHS or the private sector.

This area of practice is mostly patient facing across all age groups. Depending on your training, experience and area of employment, the role might include assessing patient’s hearing levels, hearing aid fittings, repairs, and reassessment. The role might also include children’s hearing assessment and management (including surgical referral), complex hearing assessment, and balance assessment and rehabilitation.

It’s a role that requires working closely with patients and other clinicians, such as Ear Nose & Throat Consultants, Speech & Language Therapists, Newborn Hearing Screeners, and GP’s.

To become an Audiology Practitioner, you need to complete either a degree or Level 6 degree apprenticeship in Healthcare Science (Audiology), which includes a placement in an Audiology Department. This allows you to develop your clinical skills.

To apply for place on a degree or Level 6 degree apprenticeship in Healthcare Science (Audiology) programme you need to have 3 or more passes at GCSE grade C or above (including Maths and English Language) and at least 2 A-Levels or equivalent including either Biology or Chemistry.

A cardiac physiologist will undertake tests on the heart, including echocardiograms, ECGs, Holter monitors (24-hour ECG). They also take blood pressure measurement, and tilt-table tests. In this role you could find yourself working in the catheter lab assisting with angiogram and angioplasty procedures, or even pacemaker/ ICD implantation. You will be involved with follow up clinics for patients who have a pacemaker and/ or ICD. Some cardiac physiologists run chest pain clinics and are responsible for the long-term monitoring of patients with heart valve disease or replacement valves.

Training for the role is usually, a four-year vocational degree in clinical physiology (cardiology), including on the job training. You would also have the opportunity to gain additional qualifications and/ or specialise in a particular area.

Within Life Sciences there are many specialisms which work together to test and analyse patient clinical samples. They help determine a diagnosis of disease or monitor disease progression in patients, to guide clinical staff on best approaches to treat and manage the patient. The most common specialisms within Life Sciences are Biochemistry, Haematology, Microbiology and Cellular pathology. Pathology departments are usually based within a hospital. Pathology departments can be part of either an NHS hospital or private healthcare provider. There are many different job roles within Pathology, both qualified and non qualified positions so can be accessed at any level. A school leaver with GCSE’s can work in Pathology at a Laboratory Assistant level and train on the job. A Biomedical Scientist is the professional job role within the laboratory which is suitable for graduates with a Biomedical Science degree. There are many opportunities to progress you career and continually develop your skills and qualifications to access higher level roles within the profession. A Biomedical Scientist will complete manual, practical methods of sample analysis, and also use innovative pieces of technology and robotics to do their job. Also with the profession there are specialist jobs in IT, quality and training for example. It is a very rewarding job, always interesting, no day is the same.

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NHS Technical Services

Technical services within the NHS are made up of the following services: Aseptic Units, Production / Manufacturing Units, Radiopharmacy, Quality Assurance and Quality Control.

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.

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