Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Technical

• Receive, sort, identify and label specimens as per Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs).
• Identify to Senior/Qualified staff any specimens and/or requests, which may cause problems (e.g. Health and Safety, inadequate identification and/or sample quality).
• Prepare specimens for dispatch to other laboratories; when appropriate complete request forms and / or organise transport as required.
• Report to a senior BMS any instance or event which may cause a service delivery failure.
• Undertake routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments.
• Ensure all clinical material is stored according to departmental policies.
• Ensure all clinical material is disposed of according to departmental policies.
• Assist in clinical and non-clinical audits, trials and research projects as directed by department management.
• Undertake simple manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations on a rotational basis through all sections within the department as required.
• Use equipment in accordance with departmental policies and suppliers’ instructions.
• Plan and organise a workload which can be varied and complex. This involves completion of ongoing work, together with new work, which can be interspersed with urgent specimens. These activities are required to meet the demands of the department.
• Measure and monitor the accuracy and precision of laboratory investigations using appropriate quality control procedures.
• Carry out corrective action or inform senior staff when the quality control procedures indicate loss of performance.
• Prepare reagents required for analysers and manual laboratory investigations and to record reagent batch numbers and maintain a reagent audit trail.
• Record and monitor data from non-analytical equipment e.g., water purity from water systems, decontamination records for centrifuges, fridge and freezer temperatures etc.
• Follow protocols to process departmental workload including:
• MRSA Testing.
• Sensitivity Testing
• Performing Molecular Diagnostic Tests.
• Work in a safe manner.

Communication

• Receive telephone calls and action as appropriate.
• Contact service users in case of any problems with received samples.
• Communicate results verbally to persons authorised to receive them in a clear and concise manner following appropriate policies and procedures.
• Provide advice and information to laboratory, ward, GP staff and patients regarding samples and sample handling.
• Book patients for Infertility Investigations, requiring tact and sensitivity.
• Communicate any relevant information to laboratory colleagues within the section and inform effectively at hand over.
• Actively participate in departmental meetings, team briefings, educational and audit meetings as appropriate.

Other Duties

• Maintain appropriate stock levels within the section following appropriate policies and procedures under the direction of the section leader.
• Ensure that equipment is used in accordance with departmental policies and suppliers instructions and is maintained correctly. Notify equipment/general building fitting failures to the appropriate senior person.
• The job will involve frequent exposure to unpleasant body fluids and tissue including faeces, blood, urine and samples that are potentially infective with pathogenic micro-organisms (including infections such as Hepatitis, HIV, TB).
• Ability to concentrate on technically demanding procedures.
• The job will involve exposure to moving mechanical equipment and harmful chemicals, including acids and carcinogens, which should be dealt with under COSHH regulations and by following and understanding the departments risk assessments.
• Understand and be aware of and act in accordance with all appropriate National and Trust Health & Safety policies, COSHH regulations and should be aware of the trained first aiders within the department.
• Observe the immunisation policy of the Laboratory/Trust.
• Participate in the internal and external safety audits as appropriate.
• Take appropriate action if there is a spillage of body fluids or hazardous chemicals in order to minimise the risk to staff and public.
• All staff have a responsibility to report any risks, clinical and non-clinical accidents and incidents/potential incidents promptly and to co-operate with any investigations undertaken.
• The Trust is positively committed to the promotion and management of diversity and equality of opportunity.
• The Trust is responsible for ensuring the service provided for patients in its care meets the highest standards. Equally, it is responsible for ensuring that staff do not abuse their official position for personal gain or to benefit their family or friends. The Trust Standing Orders require employees to declare any interest, direct or indirect, with contracts involving the Local Health Community. Staff are not allowed to further their private interests in the course of their NHS duties.
• The job will involve frequent exposure to unpleasant body fluids and tissue including sputum, faeces, blood, urine and samples that are potentially infective with pathogenic micro-organisms (including infections such as Hepatitis, HIV,nvCJD, TB).
• Due to the nature and pressure and variety of work there is a need for the ability to multi-task both physically, mentally and be expected to communicate with all grades of staff. Transport of chemicals, reagents and solutions together with disposal of clinical waste requires some physical effort.
• The job will involve exposure to harmful chemicals. Including acids and carcinogens, which should be dealt with under COSHH regulations.
• The job may involve visits to clinical areas in order to maintain and control point of care testing equipment, blood fridges or other systems.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Keep the workplace and work benches clean and tidy.
• Maintain good working relations with all members or staff and to promote effective teamwork.
• Maintain and promote the professional image of the Department of Pathology, St. Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (STHK) and Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust (SOHT).

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good working practices required by UKAS ISO: 15189.
• Comply with good laboratory practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO:15189 including Health and Safety.
• Organise workload to ensure that reporting of results is carried out in a timely fashion.
• Advise the Senior Biomedical Scientists when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels or take appropriate action.
• Enter details from request forms into the pathology computer as required according to departmental SOPs.
• Comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information.
• Use the Pathology Computer System according to the SOPs.
• Enter own results and those obtained by others into Pathology Computer System.
• Maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases.
• Use Trust wide I.T. systems as appropriate following Trust policies, guidelines and procedures.
• Assist in the audit of data held on the pathology laboratory information system.

RESEARCH & AUDIT

• Participate in departmental clinical trials, audit, research and development programmes.
• Participate in internal and external safety audits as appropriate.