Biomedical Laboratory Assistant (known as HHTO)

Job summary

The Cellular and Molecular Therapies (CMT) function of NHSBT comprises 8 laboratories throughout the country, developing and delivering a range of life saving therapies.

Our SCI laboratories support over half of all haemopoietic stem cell transplants performed in England each year through a network of GMP grade laboratories in 7 specialist facilities across the country. Working with academic partners in Centres of Excellence, we aim to be at the forefront of clinical improvements related to these transplants and to use our expertise in GMP, quality and regulatory matters to promote other areas of research.

The laboratory also incorporates an Advanced Therapies Unit (ATU) where we work with academic and commercial partners to develop and produce novel cellular investigational medicinal products for use in clinical trials.

You will be working as part of a laboratory team, including biomedical scientists and external clinical staff together with other health care professionals, providing support as part of a team of existing support staff shared across CMT.

Main duties of the job

You will learn hands-on skills and take your first steps into a professional career within the NHS. And although previous laboratory experience would be desirable its not a requirement. We are ideally looking for a responsible candidate with a willingness to learn, good attention to detail and communication skills. Your responsibilities will include:-

• Provide support for the GMP MHRA and HTA regulated laboratories to a high specification and carry out weekly and monthly environmental monitoring
• Participate in receipt of goods and related stock management activities such as checking stock levels and expiry, carry out weekly/monthly stock checks and re-stocking the laboratory areas with consumables and reagents where needed.
• Reading of plates, reporting any environmental monitoring out of specification results and sending the plates off for further analysis according to standard operational procedures.
• Participate in the receipt and send off clean room garments and topping up of stock within the change room areas.
• Responsible for the daily and weekly cleaning of the laboratory areas, filling out the required documentation as well as quarterly clean of laboratory equipment according to existing time schedule.
• Once you are fully trained you may also be required to share your knowledge by supporting and training new and less experienced members of staff within the team.

About us

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you'll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.

Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do. By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.

You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.