Pathology Support Worker - Symptomatic FIT

Job summary

The post holder will provide support to the symptomatic FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) service provided by South of Tyne & Wear Clinical Pathology Services which covers the North East region and Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin region.

The symptomatic faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is used as test for hidden blood in the stool, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer. As a Pathology Support Worker in the department, the post holder will contribute to the provision of the clinical laboratory service, as part of a team of support workers, Team Leaders and Biomedical Scientists, performing work activities in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures.

The post holder will provide laboratory support by processing returned completed faecal sample tests, and logging receipt. In addition, the role will provide support with the preparation of symptomatic FIT sample kits, and management of inventory stock levels and supply to GP practices within the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin region. The post holder will also support the North East symptomatic FIT service by labelling kits (following a GP request) for distribution directly to the patient.

The post holder will follow a competency training programme, under the guidance of qualified staff. After suitable training and competence assessment the post holder will use practical skills to perform the tasks described.

Main duties of the job

Please refer to Job overiew and Job Description documentation attached. Please contact for further details if required.

About us

Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronymICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.