Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Medical Laboratory Assistant - Histopathology

The closing date is 01 February 2026

Job summary

Join a team where your work directly supports high-quality patient care. We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic, highly motivated Medical Laboratory Assistant to join our Histopathology team within the Pathology Department at King's Mill Hospital.

The Histopathology service provides a wide range of tissue analyses that support accurate diagnosis for patients across the Trust, General Practice and private clinics. This includes essential work within national cancer screening programmes. Your role will contribute to the smooth delivery of sample analysis and the continuous improvement of our service.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Assisting in the delivery of a high-quality laboratory service

  • Following Standard Operating Procedures to ensure safe and consistent practice

  • Adhering to departmental Health & Safety policies, including safe use of equipment

  • Applying infection control principles in line with the Infection Control Manual

  • Undertaking additional duties appropriate to the role, with training provided where required

  • Participating in departmental appraisal objectives and contributing to ongoing service improvement

If you're looking for a role where your contribution truly matters and want to be part of a supportive, dedicated team, we'd be delighted to hear from you

Main duties of the job

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

About us

We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.

We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as 'outstanding' for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only 'outstanding' NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.

Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:

Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK

Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.

Details

Date posted

16 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£24,465 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

214-CSTO-7671567

Job locations

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton-In-Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Job description

Job responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Knowledge requirements

Essential

  • Understands Basic laboratory Practice

Desirable

  • Histology specific terminology
  • Scientific Terminology
  • Understands functions and environment of a histopathology laboratory/mortuary

Qualifications

Essential

  • Min 4 GCSE or equivalent to grade C or above

Skills/Attributes

Essential

  • Data input skills
  • High levels of accuracy
  • Ability to organise own work to meet required deadlines
  • Good communication skills (written and verbal)
  • Ability to contribute to effective team working
  • Manual Handling capability

Experience

Essential

  • Work experience within the NHS or a laboratory work environment

Further Training

Desirable

  • NVQ 2 (Clinical Laboratory Support) or equivalent work-based portfolio

Contractual Requirements

Essential

  • Full time working 37.5 hours per week to work 5 out of 7 days (equivalent if working part time hours)
  • Work in a flexible manner

Desirable

  • Participate in the mortuary out-of-hours rota (if required)
Person Specification

Knowledge requirements

Essential

  • Understands Basic laboratory Practice

Desirable

  • Histology specific terminology
  • Scientific Terminology
  • Understands functions and environment of a histopathology laboratory/mortuary

Qualifications

Essential

  • Min 4 GCSE or equivalent to grade C or above

Skills/Attributes

Essential

  • Data input skills
  • High levels of accuracy
  • Ability to organise own work to meet required deadlines
  • Good communication skills (written and verbal)
  • Ability to contribute to effective team working
  • Manual Handling capability

Experience

Essential

  • Work experience within the NHS or a laboratory work environment

Further Training

Desirable

  • NVQ 2 (Clinical Laboratory Support) or equivalent work-based portfolio

Contractual Requirements

Essential

  • Full time working 37.5 hours per week to work 5 out of 7 days (equivalent if working part time hours)
  • Work in a flexible manner

Desirable

  • Participate in the mortuary out-of-hours rota (if required)

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

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton-In-Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Employer's website

https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton-In-Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Employer's website

https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Cellular Pathology Training Officer

Leanne Ward

leanne.ward25@nhs.net

01623622515

Details

Date posted

16 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£24,465 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

214-CSTO-7671567

Job locations

King's Mill Hospital

Mansfield Road

Sutton-In-Ashfield

NG17 4JL


Supporting documents

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