Medical Laboratory Assistant

Job summary

Maidstone Hospital, situated in the heart of the Kent countryside, covers a large population and includes the regional Oncology centre which is expanding in support of the Kent cancer network.The Histology department provides services for Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trusts, Medway NHS Foundation Trust and Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust. Consequently there is a combined Histology workload of around 83,000 cases per year. The department carries out a wide range of investigations including various specialist resections from hospitals within the Kent & Medway.

The department moved to a custom built new facility in May 2011. It is computerised and well equipped. Career development and participation in CPD are actively encouraged.

Applications are invited for the post of Medical Laboratory Assistant . This post would suit an enthusiastic and self-motivated person with good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Good hand eye coordination and attention to detail are essential requirements.

This post would suit candidates with an interest in laboratory diagnostics, particularly those looking to start a career in Biomedical Sciences within the NHS.

Please note that this role may often attract a high level of applications. Please note this role may close earlier than the original closing date so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible.

Main duties of the job

Kent and Medway Pathology Network

Working for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust you will be part of the Kent and Medway Pathology Network (South 8 network). Kent and Medway Pathology Network is made up of seven laboratories across three pathology services in four acute Trusts - East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and North Kent Pathology Services (hosted by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and providing services to Medway Foundation Trust).

The network provides services across the health sector to a population of nearly 2 million.

The network vision is based around:

• A single laboratory information management system (LIMS) and managed services contract (MSC);
• A Director of Pathology Transformation who will work closely with teams and services to design and implement service changes which benefit the whole network;
• A commitment to consider a single management structure at a point in the future; and,
• A general agreement to collaborate, and to align processes and Standard Operating Procedures where it makes sense to do so.

You will not be expected to work at sites outside of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. However, there will be opportunities for collaborative working within this network

About us

MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England.

We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre.

In the 2024 NHS staff survey, our employees ranked MTW among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and the second-best Trust to work for in the South East.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.