Job summary
The Eastern Pathology Alliance (EPA) Microbiology Department is based at the Norfolk at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital. Providing the sole Microbiology service for Norfolk, we provide diagnostic and clinical services across three busy hospital sites at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and James Paget Hospital, along with the Clinical Commissioning Group. We deliver high-performing, ISO15189 accredited pathology services across Bacteriology, Mycology, Virology, Serology and molecular diagnostics.
Working for EPA provides exciting opportunities for development, research, education, and training, helping staff to experience a wide and varied career within our organization. We are committed to attracting and retaining pathology staff, valuing both skills and ideas, whilst supporting you in developing you full potential. Along with being IBMS accredited training laboratory, we also offer a variety of training opportunities for all staff.
Main duties of the job
Healthcare Scientist specialising in Microbiology required to perform a range of tests in Bacteriology, Virology and Serology. Good communication and interpersonal skills are required as well as the ability to produce accurate and precise work.
Preference will be given to candidates with an extensive Virology/Serology or Molecular background.
About us
Join us at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and be part of a workforce of over 10,000 staff!
The NNUH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing first-class acute care for around one million people, living in Norfolk and surrounding areas. We are a teaching and research hospital, at the forefront of innovation, home to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Quadram Institute. We are pleased to work closely with the University of East Anglia, providing teaching opportunities for our staff and placement opportunities for their students. We attract some of the best and leading professionals from across the country and are proud that our workforce represents 94 countries from across the world.
We are a friendly, collaborative hospital, working with local services and home to N&N Hospitals Charity
We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:
- Flexible working hours
- Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
- Multi Faith prayer room
- Discounted gym memberships
- Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
- Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
- Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH site
- Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
- On-site Nursery
- On-site cafes offering staff discounts
- Support in career development
- Flexible staff bank
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main duties of job:
Clinical Scientific & Management Responsibilities
- Handles dangerous pathogens on a daily basis including containment level 3 organisms.
- Communicates complex clinical technical service-related test information to managers, consultants, nurses and other health care colleagues.
- Answers telephone inquiries from pathology user about test results and provide information about methodologies and service requirements, seeking advice as required.
- Explains results and re-assures the users that information is correct when results do not agree with clinical presentation and investigate and problem solve situations as required, seeking advice as required.
- Manages own work and day-to-day routine work in specialised services. Responsible for processing both urgent and routine work to maintain routine turnaround times in line with Trust and Service policies.
- Maintain complex specialist equipment on a daily basis and assess fitness for clinical use.
- Responsible for the efficient use of expensive tests and high value equipment.
- Run test procedures on all methodologies on a daily basis to include calibration and quality control testing and refer to senior staff to sign off as fit for clinical use.
- Fault find equipment and analyser function after formal in-house training.
- Follows policies in specialised areas and propose changes that will improve and develop the service for users inside and outside the Trust.
- Assist service engineers to repair equipment.
- To assist in the development and maintenance of standards as necessary for continuing UKAS accreditation.
Responsibilities for Laboratory Information Service
- Assisting in managing and maintaining specialised databases in laboratory computer systems and patient storage databases on a daily basis.
- Input patient data and results to include other colleagues work.
- Creates, amends, deletes, process, generate, update, report, request, inquire, clarify and store information on patient databases for users to access both within and outside that Trust.
- Operate and manage software databases on complex clinical equipment.
Research, evaluation & service development
- Use research and development protocols on a daily basis to provide statistical presentations of internal quality control (QC) to assess equipment performance in line with QC rules (e.g. Westgard).
- Assist in the evaluation and development of methods to improve the service and patient care diagnostic tests.
- Investigate abnormal and unusual results by recognised research and development protocols to explain the anomalies, seeking advice as appropriate.
- Assisting in the development of specialised services to include new and emerging technologies and development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Training
- Assist in the training of all grades of staff as required within their specialised area.
- Demonstrate ongoing training and maintain competence to practice by attending courses, lectures and mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Train in all specialised services according to the staff rotation programme.
- Keep up to date with SOPs, Departmental and Trust policies.
- To actively participate in an Annual Personal Development review (PDR).
Health & Safety and Confidentiality
- Assist in safety supervision and training for junior members of staff and actively promote safe working practices in all areas of the laboratory.
- To abide by the Health and Safety Code of Practice for the service.
- To ensure the application of Trust policies where applicable to the Pathology Services.
- To participate in the annual Health and Safety review.
Other
- To ensure the application of Trust policies where applicable to Pathology.
- To participate in annual performance review.
- To ensure all tests are carried out to the required Microbiological and Safety Standards.
- Any other duties as required by the Microbiology Network Manager or Chief Biomedical Scientist.
Please view the attached job description for full details of the role and use your supporting statement to confirm how you meet the essential and desirable criteria on the job specification.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main duties of job:
Clinical Scientific & Management Responsibilities
- Handles dangerous pathogens on a daily basis including containment level 3 organisms.
- Communicates complex clinical technical service-related test information to managers, consultants, nurses and other health care colleagues.
- Answers telephone inquiries from pathology user about test results and provide information about methodologies and service requirements, seeking advice as required.
- Explains results and re-assures the users that information is correct when results do not agree with clinical presentation and investigate and problem solve situations as required, seeking advice as required.
- Manages own work and day-to-day routine work in specialised services. Responsible for processing both urgent and routine work to maintain routine turnaround times in line with Trust and Service policies.
- Maintain complex specialist equipment on a daily basis and assess fitness for clinical use.
- Responsible for the efficient use of expensive tests and high value equipment.
- Run test procedures on all methodologies on a daily basis to include calibration and quality control testing and refer to senior staff to sign off as fit for clinical use.
- Fault find equipment and analyser function after formal in-house training.
- Follows policies in specialised areas and propose changes that will improve and develop the service for users inside and outside the Trust.
- Assist service engineers to repair equipment.
- To assist in the development and maintenance of standards as necessary for continuing UKAS accreditation.
Responsibilities for Laboratory Information Service
- Assisting in managing and maintaining specialised databases in laboratory computer systems and patient storage databases on a daily basis.
- Input patient data and results to include other colleagues work.
- Creates, amends, deletes, process, generate, update, report, request, inquire, clarify and store information on patient databases for users to access both within and outside that Trust.
- Operate and manage software databases on complex clinical equipment.
Research, evaluation & service development
- Use research and development protocols on a daily basis to provide statistical presentations of internal quality control (QC) to assess equipment performance in line with QC rules (e.g. Westgard).
- Assist in the evaluation and development of methods to improve the service and patient care diagnostic tests.
- Investigate abnormal and unusual results by recognised research and development protocols to explain the anomalies, seeking advice as appropriate.
- Assisting in the development of specialised services to include new and emerging technologies and development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Training
- Assist in the training of all grades of staff as required within their specialised area.
- Demonstrate ongoing training and maintain competence to practice by attending courses, lectures and mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Train in all specialised services according to the staff rotation programme.
- Keep up to date with SOPs, Departmental and Trust policies.
- To actively participate in an Annual Personal Development review (PDR).
Health & Safety and Confidentiality
- Assist in safety supervision and training for junior members of staff and actively promote safe working practices in all areas of the laboratory.
- To abide by the Health and Safety Code of Practice for the service.
- To ensure the application of Trust policies where applicable to the Pathology Services.
- To participate in the annual Health and Safety review.
Other
- To ensure the application of Trust policies where applicable to Pathology.
- To participate in annual performance review.
- To ensure all tests are carried out to the required Microbiological and Safety Standards.
- Any other duties as required by the Microbiology Network Manager or Chief Biomedical Scientist.
Please view the attached job description for full details of the role and use your supporting statement to confirm how you meet the essential and desirable criteria on the job specification.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent
- State registration with Health Professions Council (HPC)
Experience
Essential
- Has experience of working in a diverse, high throughput clinical service
Skills
Essential
- Understands how to interpret and respond to internal QA results
- Has a working knowledge of the assays performed within their service
Attitude, aptitude
Essential
- Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH's PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
- Demonstrates understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent
- State registration with Health Professions Council (HPC)
Experience
Essential
- Has experience of working in a diverse, high throughput clinical service
Skills
Essential
- Understands how to interpret and respond to internal QA results
- Has a working knowledge of the assays performed within their service
Attitude, aptitude
Essential
- Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH's PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
- Demonstrates understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
