My name is Andrea; I have worked in pharmacy since 1982. My career journey started at the age of 19 when I left a post at Kimberley Clarke working in their QC lab (testing loo roll) on a 6 month government scheme called YOPS aimed at helping young people get jobs, I received an allowance of £25 a week. I desperately wanted to work in a hospital and saw the advert for a post I liked the look of.
I was recruited as a Student Pharmacy technician at Joyce Green Hospital by the Chief Pharmacist in December, I rotated around all the sites - West Hill, Stone House, Darenth Park and Gravesend and North Kent hospitals getting experience and completing the underpinning knowledge to gain my NVQ level 3 in pharmaceutical Services. I attended college at Kings Cross one day a week and in 1984 graduated as a qualified Pharmacy Technician.
I continued to work across all sites in the dispensaries and in the small manufacturing unit at Joyce Green, making many weird and wonderful things such as Stericol disinfectant, Diprobase Gauze and Analgesic Mixture. We had a small cupboard in the middle of the department with a table top laminar flow cabinet where we made TPN from scratch. I worked in our QC department in the early 90’s with a pharmacist who had a passion for IT, between us we built the data base and rolled out the Dispensing and Stock Control Software called JAC, a new era for Pharmacy, we couldn’t however bring ourselves to throw away the typewriters we used for labelling until a good few years later!
I learnt the trade of a QCMGPS (Quality Controller for Medical Gas Pipeline Systems) under the tuition of our QC pharmacist. We visited hospitals all across Kent performing this as a service as QCMGPS’s were in short supply. Our QC pharmacist left 2011 and I quickly stepped up to do the training to take over the role. I was the first technician to qualify and register for this role and this led to my first promotion to Senior Technician. As a QCMGPS, one of my proudest moments was the commissioning of the then new Darent Valley Hospital medical gas installation before its opening in 2000. I certified it as fit for use and signed off the paperwork just before the handover, a whole 3 months after I started! Similarly I was equally honoured to test and sign off the permit for our brand new second VIE in the middle of the Covid pandemic.
At Darent Valley Hospital, I have gradually worked my way up from a Senior Technician managing the pharmacy-purchasing department to a Principal Technician when I also took on the management of the store and our team of assistants who keep the wards stocked with medicines. I have been the Chair for the Regional Purchasing Group for the past year and my final hat and promotion was the Deputy Operations Manager!
I have been around a long time (39 years to be exact) I did retire and return in March last year but Covid came along and scuppered the plan to celebrate and have a nice break. I enjoy working away in the background; I like to think of myself as the small cog that keeps the big ones turning! I know some of my colleagues will recognise and laugh at that description, we really do have a fantastic bunch of people in Pharmacy and it is a real pleasure to come to work.
My name is Julie and I guess you could say my career journey started on the flip side of my role now within the NHS.
My career started at the age of 18, I was employed by the then Wellcome Foundation (now GlaxoSmithKline - GSK) as a Production Operative. I worked within teams on both the manual packing lines and specialised mechanical packaging lines, assembling orders against production requirements.
I spent near to 20 years with the Wellcome Foundation, in various roles, Production Chargehand of four mechanised lines, Process Manufacturing Operative, manufacturing some products you may recognise Zovirax cream, Calpol Suspension, Drapolene Cream and Actifed Linctus to name few.
My final role was within Production Planning not so much hands on, but planning the production for twelve mechanised lines, ensuring raw materials, packing materials and capacity was available to meet the demand.
I can honestly say that whilst working at GSK I learnt a lot especially my love of Excel spreadsheets (which I still have a fondest for). Lean Sigma, I contributed to various continuous improvement projects and Class A (no not drugs) a methodology for producing products of the highest standard and quality. I was also involved in the closure production plan for the site at Dartford.
After being made redundant I briefly worked for United Parcel Service (UPS), reporting and maintaining Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), spreadsheets, data and numbers my favourite subjects!
My next role was with Abbott Diagnostics as a Materials Requirement Planner, similar to my role at GSK. However, Abbott manufactured Rare Reagents which are used for diagnostic analysis, for numerous diseases Hepatitis B, HIV, Human Lymphotropic virus (HTLV). I stayed with Abbott for nearly ten years and again my final role being Production Planner contributing to another closure production plan for the site at Dartford.
Whilst at Abbot at the age of 40 I gained certification in Planning and Inventory Control (degree level) studying for two years. Along with receiving the Vice President’s award for my role in the Supply Mitigation Team. Both of which I am very proud of.
Finally, I enter the NHS arena, spending a few months in the staff Bank Office at Gravesend Community Hospital ensuring sufficient staff to cover shifts within the local hospitals.
I joined the Pharmacy Department at Darent Valley Hospital as an Assistant Technical Officer just over five years ago, working in the Purchasing Team within the hospital Pharmacy. My role is to maintain NHS contracts within our system, deviation against contracts and investigation and progression of off contract claims, alongside with my colleague ordering all the medication used in the hospital!
I’m super proud to work for the NHS and even prouder to work within the Purchasing Team and the wider Pharmacy team. I love my job and the people I work with!