Job summary
Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Please note - Entry banding for this role is Band 2, with progression to Band 3 following full in-house training and successful competency assessment.
Biomedical Support Workers (BSW) are a key staff group within the Pathology laboratory carrying out routine laboratory duties within the Cellular Pathology Department under the direction of Biomedical Scientist staff, providing mutual support at all times to ensure that work is completed.
Candidates will need to be enthusiastic, well-motivated and innovative, with good organisational and practical abilities. Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to support individual and team working is essential.
The list below outlines the main duties involved; however this is subject to change and will vary within the given role. We ask all employees to be flexible in their role, to always ensure we are delivering Safe, Kind and Effective care.
Main duties of the job
- Assistance for Consultant Histopathologists and Biomedical Scientists in the preparation of and completion of specimen dissection.
- Disposal of tissue samples according to local procedures, taking due precaution with respect to hazards involved.
- Preparation of paraffin tissue blocks for microtomy.
- Microtomy of tissue blocks.
- Routine maintenance of equipment such as tissue processors and staining machines.
- Solution preparation.
- Glass washing and cleaning down of equipment.
- Receipt of deliveries to the lab and accurate recording of reagents and consumables.
- Filing and/or retrieval of slides, blocks and reports for Consultants, multi-disciplinary team meetings and send away testing.
- Digital scanning of slides to produce whole slide images for reporting.
- Clerical duties relating to record keeping.
About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 5 GCSE's Grade C or above or equivalent including English language
Knowledge and experience
Essential
Desirable
- Use of Cerner
- Experience working within a laboratory environment
Skills and abilities
Essential
- Ability to prioritise and manage a workload
- Ability to work both on own initiative and as a part of a team
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to relate effectively, clearly and professionally at all times.
- Adaptable and able to cope well with change
- High level of accuracy and attention to detail
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 5 GCSE's Grade C or above or equivalent including English language
Knowledge and experience
Essential
Desirable
- Use of Cerner
- Experience working within a laboratory environment
Skills and abilities
Essential
- Ability to prioritise and manage a workload
- Ability to work both on own initiative and as a part of a team
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to relate effectively, clearly and professionally at all times.
- Adaptable and able to cope well with change
- High level of accuracy and attention to detail
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.
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.
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).
