Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Associate Practitioner

The closing date is 19 August 2025

Job summary

The Department of Blood Sciences is looking to recruit two suitably qualified Associate Practitioners to join our busy team . One post will be based in the Haematology Laboratory and one post will be mainly based in the Biochemistry Laboratory but will also rotate into Haematology.

The roles will be based at our Arrowe Park Hospital site, working 37.5 hours between the hours of 09:00 and 17:30, Monday to Friday,

The laboratory is an accredited training laboratory, offering CPD, training and development opportunities to all staff.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for candidates who are able to plan their time efficiently, work under minimal supervision and take responsibility for organising and completing projects for sign off by BMS staff, eg reagent verifications and batch acceptance testing. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are vital, as is the ability to use software packages to produce reports.

The successful candidates will also be preparing, prioritising and processing patient specimens, so being able to follow protocols and work as part of a team is essential.

About us

All new colleagues can expect to receive a warm and friendly Wirral welcome from the very first time they make contact with us. We are described as "competent and caring staff" by our patients.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is situated on The Wirral peninsula which has a stunning coastline and beautiful countryside surroundings, with great activities for its residents.

We are one of the largest and busiest acute Trusts in the North West of England, comprising of the Wirral's only Emergency Department. We provide a high quality range of acute care services and employ over 6,000 staff, who serve a population of approximately 400,000 people across Wirral, Ellesmere Port, Neston, North Wales and the wider North West footprint.

We have approximately 855 beds trust-wide and our financial turnover is in excess of £337m.

The Wirral is easily accessible with excellent transport links including motorway, train, bus or ferry and within easy reach to the major cities of Liverpool, Chester and Manchester as well as neighbouring North Wales.

Details

Date posted

07 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£26,530 to £29,114 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

408-25-675

Job locations

Arrowe Park Hospital

Arrowe Park Road

Upton

CH49 5PE


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for further information about the Associate Practitioner position available at WUTH.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for further information about the Associate Practitioner position available at WUTH.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

  • IT literate with good keyboard skills
  • Manual dexterity, with ability to safely operate laboratory equipment, ranging from small pipettes to large, automated analysers
  • Ability to plan and prioritise allocated work
  • Ability to follow set protocols and procedures without deviation
  • Ability to work under pressure

Desirable

  • Experience or knowledge of assay performance troubleshooting techniques
  • Experience of carrying out audits

Qualifications, Specific Experience & Training

Essential

  • 5 GCSE's or equivalent including English and Mathematics
  • A level or equivalent in Biology, Chemistry, Physics or other appropriate science subjects
  • An Institute of Biomedical Science Support Staff Certificate of Achievement Level 2 (equivalent to an NVQ Level 3) Or a Foundation degree (or higher) in a relevant Healthcare Science, or equivalent
  • Experience in a modern Blood Sciences laboratory
  • Basic understanding of good laboratory practice and health and safety

Desirable

  • Experience of using a laboratory information management system
  • Experience of using large automated Blood Sciences analysers
  • Experience of performing manual / semi-automated assays e.g. electrophoresis

Personal Attributes

Essential

  • Good standard of written English with ability to convey all relevant information concisely
  • Good standard of spoken English, with ability to communicate effectively, and an understanding of barriers to communication
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Willingness to undertake further training as required by the role, and to keep a written record of personal development
Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

  • IT literate with good keyboard skills
  • Manual dexterity, with ability to safely operate laboratory equipment, ranging from small pipettes to large, automated analysers
  • Ability to plan and prioritise allocated work
  • Ability to follow set protocols and procedures without deviation
  • Ability to work under pressure

Desirable

  • Experience or knowledge of assay performance troubleshooting techniques
  • Experience of carrying out audits

Qualifications, Specific Experience & Training

Essential

  • 5 GCSE's or equivalent including English and Mathematics
  • A level or equivalent in Biology, Chemistry, Physics or other appropriate science subjects
  • An Institute of Biomedical Science Support Staff Certificate of Achievement Level 2 (equivalent to an NVQ Level 3) Or a Foundation degree (or higher) in a relevant Healthcare Science, or equivalent
  • Experience in a modern Blood Sciences laboratory
  • Basic understanding of good laboratory practice and health and safety

Desirable

  • Experience of using a laboratory information management system
  • Experience of using large automated Blood Sciences analysers
  • Experience of performing manual / semi-automated assays e.g. electrophoresis

Personal Attributes

Essential

  • Good standard of written English with ability to convey all relevant information concisely
  • Good standard of spoken English, with ability to communicate effectively, and an understanding of barriers to communication
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Willingness to undertake further training as required by the role, and to keep a written record of personal development

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Arrowe Park Hospital

Arrowe Park Road

Upton

CH49 5PE


Employer's website

https://www.wuth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Arrowe Park Hospital

Arrowe Park Road

Upton

CH49 5PE


Employer's website

https://www.wuth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Haematology Operations Manager

Malinie Naidoo

m.naidoo@nhs.net

01515521853

Details

Date posted

07 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£26,530 to £29,114 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

408-25-675

Job locations

Arrowe Park Hospital

Arrowe Park Road

Upton

CH49 5PE


Supporting documents

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