Job summary
- Main area
- Microbiology
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 259-6819118ESEL
- Employer
- Barts Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal London Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £29,485 - £31,088 per annum inc
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/12/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Medical Laboratory Assistant
Band 3
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
Barts Health supports the Pregnancy Loss Pledge and commits to supporting their staff through the distress of miscarriage.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen in both the Microbiology Department at the Royal London Hospital, the hub site for the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership. We are a new organisation, jointly owned by Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. We are an arms-length organisation, and we have our own board and governance framework, with each of the three Trusts having an equal voice and vote in the running of the Pathology Partnership. We are one of the largest pathology providers in the NHS, and we bring together the strengths of teams from each of the three trusts into a single organisation, dedicated to the provision of high quality and cost-effective pathology services.
Our vision for Pathology services is to be renowned for excellence and innovation, providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient care and consistently delivering high standards of pathology diagnostics with timely and accurate results. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
Main duties of the job
A complex transformation programme has been completed to develop a single, integrated pathology network between 7 hospital laboratories. The ‘hub and spoke’ operating model is centred at The Royal London Hospital and connects to Essential Service Laboratories (ESL’s) supporting various clinical specialities at our partnered hospital sites.
The Microbiology laboratory provides a comprehensive clinical and diagnostic Microbiology service using a full range of methodologies including automated, manual and molecular-based diagnostics. The service continues to develop and expand to provide a wide range of diagnostic assays to meet the demands of the network and our diverse patient populations.
We are a UKAS ISO15189 accredited laboratory and we actively promote staff training and continuous professional development.
We are looking for some enthusiastic Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) staff to work a range of shifts including night shifts within the department. Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs) will be required to work as part of a team within all sections of the laboratory including within the Specimen Reception and within the Containment Level 2 and 3 facilities in the microbiology laboratory.
Working for our organisation
The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership is an arms-length organisation providing pathology services to Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The Pathology Partnership is hosted by Barts Health.
The Pathology Partnership is based on well-established models for pathology networks, with the Royal London Hospital becoming the main hub laboratory for the network and Essential Service Laboratories (ESL) as a minimum at all other Hospital sites.
Pathology is made up of the following services - Blood Sciences including Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry; Infectious Diseases including Microbiology and Virology; Cellular Pathology including Histopathology, non-gynae Cytology and mortuary services; Immunology; Cytogenetics and Molecular Haematology; Immunophenotyping; Clinical Transplantation and Retinoblastoma.
The 2020/21 total operating costs across the Partnership were c. £126m per annum with a workforce establishment of circa. 822 WTE. We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Do you want to help with the critical diagnosis of infections?
Do you want to use the latest laboratory technology and diagnostics?
Do you want to continually develop and learn something new every day?
Then working for the NHS East and South East London Pathology partnership is for you!
Duties will include registration and processing of Microbiology samples and undertaking their culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing. MLAs will also be required to operate several laboratory analysers including the DS2, Wasp, BD Max, UF5000, Mast Uri System, various serology /molecular diagnostic analysers and the Virtuos and BD FX blood culture analysers. In addition there will be a requirement to perform autoclaving, stock control and general admin /clerical / pathology reception team duties.
The successful candidate will ideally have previous laboratory work experience and they will be able to demonstrate attention to detail and be able to work as part of a team. Successful candidates will be required to participate in 24/7 shift rotas alongside a team of Biomedical Scientists, Associate Practitioners and Medical Laboratory Assistants. Night teams consist of a minimum of 3 MLA and 2 BMS staff.
The successful candidate will be required to participate in all shift rotas including night shifts and there are a team of staff working at all times. Typical shift working hours are 9am-5:30pm and shifts include starting at 8am, 9am, 11:30am and 8pm, 7 days a week including weekends and bank holidays. Shift patterns are fully compliant with the Working Time Regulations. All weekend, bank holiday and night work will form part of your contracted 37.5 hour week with appropriate rest breaks being rostered and Agenda for Change shift work payment enhancements will be applied.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
*PLEASE NOTE – WE ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE*
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click on the link to check your eligibility before applying for this post - Impacts of the changes to the UK immigration policy | NHS Employers
Informal visits to the department and enquiries about this job opportunity and about working for the partnership are welcome. If you would like to find out more about this vacancy then please contact via email Senior Biomedical Scientist Fatima Ahmad [email protected] or Susan Benson Microbiology Scientific Lead [email protected].
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Grade C or higher GCSE passes in English and Maths or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- Grade C or higher GCSE in science subjects or equivalent
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of undertaking computer workstation work.
- Experience in answering and dealing with telephone enquiries.
- Experience of working in a team.
- Experience of working in Healthcare laboratory setting
Desirable criteria
- Work experience in NHS.
- Experience in using laboratory equipment.
- Previous Microbiology work experience.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Good literacy and numeracy.
- Awareness of Pathology laboratory diagnostics.
- Awareness of laboratory health and safety.
Desirable criteria
- Awareness of medical microbiology.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Able to follow instructions and standard operating procedures.
- Methodical, organised and efficient.
- Manual dexterity.
- Ability to work on own initiative.
- Helpful and confident manner.
- Attention to detail.
- Good keyboard skills.
Desirable criteria
- Able to troubleshoot equipment issues.
- Able to prioritise tasks following an agreed protocol.
- Ability to multitask.
Other
Essential criteria
- Reliable, responsible person.
- Hold no reservations in handling human body fluids, faeces, tissue, organs, or infected material in accordance with Health & Safety policies.
- The post holder must be willing to have appropriate vaccinations e,g. Hepatitis B
- Must be able to participate in night shifts.
- Must be able to participate in early, late, weekend and Bank Holiday shifts.
- Adaptable and flexible.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Susan Benson
- Job title
- Microbiology Scientific Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
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