Medical Laboratory Assistant, Band 2

Job description

Job responsibilities

1) Technical Role

- To work within the Chemical Pathology laboratory to support scientific and clinical colleagues associated with the diagnostic service.

- Performing all routine and non-routine tasks required prior to sample analysis (to include; set up and routine operation of Roche 8100 and SRM, bar code labelling, centrifugation, aliquot preparation, measurement of timed urines etc) to ensure an efficient and accurate response to requests from service users.

- Undertake laboratory-based work such as the pre-analytical processing of patient samples using various technologies.

- Undertake routine maintenance and disinfection procedures (e.g. centrifuges) to ensure the section operates safely and according to departmental protocols.

- Identify, file, archive and retrieve samples that require packing for transport to other sites as well as short- and long-term storage to ensure sample analysis can proceed within agreed time frames.

- To liaise directly with all service users to ensure there are no unnecessary delays within the results process and to provide information as requested.

- Help to maintain appropriate stocks of consumables and reagents within the department. Checking and ensuring correct storage of deliveries.

- Perform a limited range of analyses in the laboratory, ensuring qualified staff authorise the work.

- Perform clerical tasks including, monitoring and querying sample processing requests made by the clinical team, completing sample tracking logs, equipment maintenance logs, and other documentations appropriate for the role.

- To prepare reagents as required on a daily basis.

- Perform daily temperature checks on fridges & freezers

- To assist in the management of waste within the department.

- Ensure the quality of the analytical service is maintained to UKAS ISO 15189:2022 standards.

2) Clerical Role

- Input request details accurately into the laboratory computer system to ensure sample analysis can proceed within appropriate time frames.

-Handle telephone enquiries, passing on enquiries to senior staff as appropriate and giving out fully authorised results to medical/qualified nursing staff.

- Packing and posting specimens, reports and containers as required.

3) Miscellaneous Role

- To assist in the training and monitoring of new or less experienced Medical Laboratory Assistants and to act as a mentor when required.

- To be responsible for maintaining own personal portfolio ensuring appropriate competencies are maintained and are kept up to date.

- Participation in the duty rota to cover weekends and Bank Holidays will be required.

- Ensure Health and Safety (including Clinical Governance and Management of Risk) standards are maintained in order to create a safe environment for staff to work in.

- To comply with the Trust no smoking policy.

- To comply with all Trust policies including kindness and respect.

- To assist with the induction of new staff.

- To act as mentor for new Medical Laboratory Assistants.

- Perform general house-keeping duties including safe disposal of waste, general cleaning and tidying and laundry management

- Distribute request forms, sample bottles and other consumables to users.

4) IT Role

Information Governance

All staff have an individual responsibility for creating accurate records of their work and for making entries into and managing all NHS records effectively in line with the Health Record Keeping Policy and other Health Records and Corporate Records Management policies and procedures in order to meet the Trusts legal, regulatory and accountability requirements.

All employees are subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act and must maintain strict confidentiality in respect of patients and staffs records.

Communications & Working Relationships

The post holder will be required to communicate face-to-face and by telephone, e-mail and in writing to a wide range of health professionals and non-health professionals, including but not exclusively;

- All members of the Chemical Pathology staff across both sites

- Members of other pathology departments

- Clinicians, GPs, Nurses and other hospital and primary care staff

- Patients

- Supplier representatives and engineers

- Participate in Annual Personal Development Review with line manager.

- All employees must comply with the Trusts equality and diversity policies and must not discriminate, against individuals or groups on the basis of their age, disability, gender, marital status, membership or non-membership of a trade union, race, religion, domestic circumstances, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin, social and employment status, HIV status, or people who are undergoing or have undergone gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity or any other grounds which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

Physical, Mental & Emotional Effort & Working Conditions

- Daily pressures and stresses of processing a high workload with frequent interruptions using sophisticated equipment to obtain accurate timely results.

- Requirement to work with absolute accuracy and speed during periods of prolonged concentration.

- Handle potentially infectious blood and body fluids, faeces etc with unpleasant smells/odours together with the risk associated in handling hazardous chemicals.

- Working on contaminated equipment or work areas.

- Potential of sharps injury.

- Working in hot conditions with protective clothing, coats, gloves and goggles.

- Constant background noise from equipment.

- Make frequent repetitive movements.

- Requirement for a considerable amount of manual dexterity in processing paediatric samples and maintaining equipment. Maintenance often involves use of delicate instruments whilst working on highly sensitive and complex analytical equipment where accuracy of setup is crucial to the delivery of correct results.

- Limited amount of lifting, bending but a considerable amount of standing.

- Frequent long periods of use of a VDU

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Good basic education including numeracy skills.
• Demonstrates a commitment to ongoing education and training

Desirable

• Any advanced scientific training e.g. Science Degree

Knowledge / Skills

Essential

• Demonstrate IT literacy, e.g. Microsoft Office, Outlook, familiar with internet searches
• Demonstrate good communication skills
• Able to transcribe data accurately and quickly Demonstrate an ability to work accurately and with precision
• Able to participate in out of hours roster and/or other flexible working arrangements
• Demonstrate well rounded personality, calm disposition and good attitude to work. Ability to problem solve and work using own initiative

Desirable

• To be able to interpret and critically assess detailed information.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working a modern pathology department within the NHS

Desirable

• Experience of working in Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

Great Western Road

Gloucester

GL1 3NN

Employer's website

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