Job summary
Applications are invited from enthusiastic individuals to join our team as a full time Healthcare Science Assistant in Cellular Pathology at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastleupon Tyne. The Department provides Histology, Cytology and Mortuary services. It is purpose-built within a prime City-centre location, offering an attractive career opportunity.
A Healthcare Science Assistant (HSA) is part of a clinical support team in a hospital laboratory whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
The HSA will use practical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received, filing of slides/sample blocks and some basic pathological tests under the supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
- Interview Date: 14 August 2023
- 37 hours 30 minutes/week, Monday - Friday, Saturday rot
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
Main duties of the job
Applicants should meet the essential requirements. The laboratory core working hours are from 7am and 6pm, some flexibility in shift patterns may be required to support service needs.
This post will provide a range of duties to support thecellular pathology team across the reception, dissection, slide production, archive, cytology, neuropathology and immunohistochemistrysections of the department.
The post offers excellent, progressive opportunities for both skills development and career enhancement, particularly for those wishing to gain some experience of laboratory work within a busy NHS environment.
We pride ourselves in meeting service needs effectively, with quality and service innovation central to our delivery.
- Receipt and processing of patient samples, which include anatomically identifiable body tissues and fluids
- Assisting Biomedical Scientists and Pathologist during specimen dissection
- Slides from patient samples for issue, Sorting, transport and filing of blocks and slides from patient sample
- Inputting data into Laboratory Information Systems (APEX), machine maintenance
- Restocking of laboratory consumables and reagents
- Discard of laboratory waste
- Other general laboratory duties supporting Biomedical Scientists and Medical Staff in preparing patient samples for diagnosis.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with over 18,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.
Rated 'Outstanding' by theCQC for the second consecutive time in 2019, we have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- A Healthcare Science Assistant (HSA) is part of a clinical support team whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
- The HSA will use practical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received and some basic pathological tests under the supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
- To assist in the preparation of specimens for analysis, including booking in patient and specimen details, storing, retrieving and disposing of specimens.
- To carry out, under supervision, some laboratory procedures (e.g. embedding, microtomy of simple cases,) and the operation of laboratory equipment e.g.microtome, Faxitron X ray machine, cassette labelling machine, slide staining machine.
- Label stained microscope slides and match them to correct request form
- Match labelled tissue cassettes with request form.
- Filing and retrieval of slides and tissue blocks both in the laboratory and at the offsite archive.
- Record on request form dictated specimen details during the dissection of tissue samples by medical and scientific staff.
- To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors.
- To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any noncompliances to a senior member of staff.
Ensure the risk of infection to yourself, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:o being familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance oninfection prevention and controlo attending Trust Induction Programme(s) and statutory educationprogrammes in infection prevention and controlo including infection prevention and control as an integral part of yourcontinuous personal/professional developmento taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care acquired infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently byyou and your colleagues
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- A Healthcare Science Assistant (HSA) is part of a clinical support team whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
- The HSA will use practical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received and some basic pathological tests under the supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
- To assist in the preparation of specimens for analysis, including booking in patient and specimen details, storing, retrieving and disposing of specimens.
- To carry out, under supervision, some laboratory procedures (e.g. embedding, microtomy of simple cases,) and the operation of laboratory equipment e.g.microtome, Faxitron X ray machine, cassette labelling machine, slide staining machine.
- Label stained microscope slides and match them to correct request form
- Match labelled tissue cassettes with request form.
- Filing and retrieval of slides and tissue blocks both in the laboratory and at the offsite archive.
- Record on request form dictated specimen details during the dissection of tissue samples by medical and scientific staff.
- To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors.
- To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any noncompliances to a senior member of staff.
Ensure the risk of infection to yourself, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:o being familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance oninfection prevention and controlo attending Trust Induction Programme(s) and statutory educationprogrammes in infection prevention and controlo including infection prevention and control as an integral part of yourcontinuous personal/professional developmento taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care acquired infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently byyou and your colleagues
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Educated to a minimum level of five GCSE at grade C to include English, Maths and Science or equivalent.
Desirable
Knowledge & Experience
Desirable
- Basic understanding of human biology
- Previous NHS Laboratory experience
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Good communication skills
- Good keyboard skills
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Educated to a minimum level of five GCSE at grade C to include English, Maths and Science or equivalent.
Desirable
Knowledge & Experience
Desirable
- Basic understanding of human biology
- Previous NHS Laboratory experience
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Good communication skills
- Good keyboard skills
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).
