Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Medical Laboratory Assistant

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Berkshire & Surrey Pathology Services(A joint venture with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust , Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Ashford & St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust and Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust)Are you looking for a MLA position with a desire to work as part of the largest NHS led Pathology Services in the UK? You will be based at Wexham Park Hospital.We are looking for an energetic, enthusiastic and well-motivated individual with good scientific background to complement our existing MLA team. We need someone who is proactive and shows initiative in working with the team and helps maintain our UKAS accreditation.

Our laboratory is fully accredited with UKAS, MHRA and HCPC training status. You will be expected to work according to our working time compliant shift system (7-15:15, 9-17:15 and 12:00-20:00hrs), weekends and on rare occasions may be required to work at the Frimley Park Hospital site to maintain quality, training and service requirements.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will assist in the preparation of analytical work for the Bacteriology Department across a range of department work areas under the supervision of a Registered Biomedical Scientist. The postholder is required to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at all times for any tasks carried out. There is a requirement to communicate with pathology staff, hospital staff, porters, drivers and couriers.

The postholder will provide support to the BMS staff through sorting, numbering and entering onto Laboratory Information Management System. The postholder will be required to operate the department waste disposal systems including use of autoclaves in a safe manner.

The diagnostic work of the department includes processing, for example, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, faeces, sputum, tissues and diverse secretions. Processed samples are then interpreted for the presence of pathogens, these could be bacterial, fungal or parasitic.

Essential qualities expected are efficiency, being well organised, having good communication skills and attention to detail. Good keyboard skills are desirable. In addition, you should be a reliable individual who is able to demonstrate good practical skills and work as part of a team.You must be keen to embrace new ways of working and develop your knowledge and skills and able to participate in the shift system.

About us

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust provides NHS hospital services for around 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and south Buckinghamshire.

As well as delivering excellent general hospital services to local people, we provide specialist heart attack, vascular, stroke, spinal, cystic fibrosis and plastic surgery services across a much wider area.

We have three main hospitals - Frimley Park in Frimley near Camberley, Heatherwood in Ascot and Wexham Park near Slough.

Our three core values, and the behaviours that support them, guide everything we do and set out what we expect of our staff in the way they treat patients, visitors, service users and each other, Committed to Excellence, Working Together and Facing the Future.

We are also proud to host the Defence Medical Group South East at Frimley Park with military surgical, medical and nursing personnel working alongside the hospital's NHS staff providing care to patients in all specialties.

Details

Date posted

11 October 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£23,575 a year per annum INCL HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

151-SL0159

Job locations

Wexham Park Hospital

Wexham lane

Slough

SL2 4HL


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To keep the laboratory manager informed of all matters regarding laboratory procedures and help with the smooth running of the department
  • To assist in monitoring stock control of consumables held in storesTo ensure the cleaning and defrosting of equipment, such as fridges, freezers and incubators
  • To inform a team leader, section head or Biomedical Scientist of any refrigerator/freezer temperatures that are out of range on a daily basis
  • Works in cooperation with BMS staff to ensure workload is processed in a timely and efficient manner
  • Displays and maintains an appropriate level of IT skills. Is able to input patient and request data, maintain and amend patient records, interrogate the laboratory and hospital databases and perform basic word processing and spreadsheet work
  • Performs a range of administrative tasks in all sections of the laboratory as required. This includes archiving and retrieval of specimens and data, maintenance of archived material and audit trails
  • Ensures efficient use of resources and is aware of stock levels and rotation, storage conditions, batch numbers and expiry dates, thus ensuring the viability of reagents and/or blood products used

Refer to attached JD and Person Specification for further information.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To keep the laboratory manager informed of all matters regarding laboratory procedures and help with the smooth running of the department
  • To assist in monitoring stock control of consumables held in storesTo ensure the cleaning and defrosting of equipment, such as fridges, freezers and incubators
  • To inform a team leader, section head or Biomedical Scientist of any refrigerator/freezer temperatures that are out of range on a daily basis
  • Works in cooperation with BMS staff to ensure workload is processed in a timely and efficient manner
  • Displays and maintains an appropriate level of IT skills. Is able to input patient and request data, maintain and amend patient records, interrogate the laboratory and hospital databases and perform basic word processing and spreadsheet work
  • Performs a range of administrative tasks in all sections of the laboratory as required. This includes archiving and retrieval of specimens and data, maintenance of archived material and audit trails
  • Ensures efficient use of resources and is aware of stock levels and rotation, storage conditions, batch numbers and expiry dates, thus ensuring the viability of reagents and/or blood products used

Refer to attached JD and Person Specification for further information.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Good basic education

Desirable

  • GCSE qualification

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

  • Perform basic mathematical calculations
  • Possess basic IT skills
  • Able to perform technically challenging procedures where applicable
  • Ability to develop knowledge and understanding of microbiology techniques sufficient to undertake specimen processing and reception

Desirable

  • Some experience of diagnostic microbiology
  • Experience of working in a relevant routine laboratory
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Good basic education

Desirable

  • GCSE qualification

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

  • Perform basic mathematical calculations
  • Possess basic IT skills
  • Able to perform technically challenging procedures where applicable
  • Ability to develop knowledge and understanding of microbiology techniques sufficient to undertake specimen processing and reception

Desirable

  • Some experience of diagnostic microbiology
  • Experience of working in a relevant routine laboratory

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wexham Park Hospital

Wexham lane

Slough

SL2 4HL


Employer's website

https://www.fhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wexham Park Hospital

Wexham lane

Slough

SL2 4HL


Employer's website

https://www.fhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Site Lead BMS

Suneela Ramnarayan

Suneela.ramnarayan@nhs.net

03006159413

Details

Date posted

11 October 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£23,575 a year per annum INCL HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

151-SL0159

Job locations

Wexham Park Hospital

Wexham lane

Slough

SL2 4HL


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)