Job summary
2 x 6 hours per week (0.16 FTE) - hours will be 9am - 3pm/ 12pm - 6pm rotational each week
1 x 32.5 hours per week (0.87 FTE) - hours will be Monday - Friday 5:30pm - 12am/ 2:30pm - 9pm alternate weeks
1 x 37.5 hours per week (1 FTE) - full time hours
Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the leading acute Trusts in the Northwest of England. An independent assessment by the HSJ supported by NHS Employers has rated MWL Trust in the top 100 places to work in the country. Our Pathology Directorate provides a comprehensive service to the community and our acute hospitals serving a population in excess of 600,000.
Applications are sought from candidates with NVQ2 in Health Sciences or equivalent experience. You will join our friendly and enthusiastic team working in the busy Blood Science Laboratory as a Medical Laboratory assistant within the Haematology & Transfusion section of the department. You will be heavily involved in the daily running and maintenance of the analysers within the department, as well as assisting the Biomedical Scientists in ensuring results for a number of diagnostic tests are processed within a timely manner.
The post is based at Whiston Hospital although the Laboratory provides services at Southport, Ormskirk and St Helens Hospitals. There are Emergency Departments at both Whiston and Southport Hospitals together with the Regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport.
Main duties of the job
The Haematology and Blood Transfusion department is fully equipped with Telepath (DXC) and Sysmex EPU middleware. At the Whiston site, Haematology is equipped with the tracked Sysmex XN9100 Full blood count analysers, SP-50, DI-60 Digital Morphology analyser, Interrliner and Auto-compact ESR machines, tracked Sysmex CN6000 and CN6500 Coagulometers and Sebia Capillary Electrophoresis. The department utilises the PFA200 for platelet aggregometry screening, and the Cephied Genexpert for Factor V Leiden and Prothrombin Gene mutation screening. Additionally, the Phadia 250 platform is used for the running of Anticardiolipin and Beta-2GPI Antibodies. Southport, Ormskirk, and St Helens Hospitals Haematology section is equipped with Sysmex XN Full blood count analysers and the Sysmex CN3000 Coagulometer. The Transfusion Department has Grifols blood grouping analysers on both sites and EVM middleware.
The successful applicant will be a flexible, highly motivated individual and strong team player who is fully committed to patient care. The post holder will require excellent communication, clerical and IT skills. Experience of working in a clinical laboratory will be a distinct advantage.
About us
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
- CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
- SAFETY that is of the highest standards
- COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
- SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
- PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- SPECIMEN RECEPTION
- Checking patient identification details and numbering of samples for analysis.
- Making reference on request form to any missing samples.
- Returning pods to wards.
- Delivering samples to the appropriate department.
- Receiving visitors to pathology and informing relevant member of staff.
- Receiving deliveries, notifying the correct department at arrival of each delivery.
- Assist in the cleaning and disinfecting of work areas and equipment.
- Disposal of waste.
- TECHNICAL
- To follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- To undertake routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments, change reagents and log actions.
- To prepare reagents required for laboratory investigations.
- To report any instance or event to BMS staff which may cause a service delivery failure.
- Perform analysis of specified diagnostic tests under indirect qualified supervision.
- Filing of completed samples and request forms for storage.
- Monitor and record fridge temperatures daily at Whiston Hospital and weekly at St Helens and Fairfield Return unused blood to stock and replace emergency O Neg stock in satellite fridges on both sites as required.
- During sample preparation visual examination of samples such as underfilled, haemolysed, lipaemic, must be recorded as directed by departmental SOPs.
- To load, sample and remove samples from main line analysers.
- To perform routine quality control on the analysers, reporting any out-of-range results to qualified staff.
- To assist in clinical audits, trials and research projects as directed by departmental management.
- LABORATORY INFORMATICS
- Enter specimen and patient details into the pathology computer according to departmental SOPs. Check and correct, if necessary, information input by other laboratory staff.
- To comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information.
- To use the Pathology Computer Systems according to the SOPs.
- To enter their own results and those obtained by others into Telepath.
- To maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases.
- To use Trust wide I.T. systems as appropriate following trust polices, guidelines and procedures.
- To participate in sample receipt and checking previous computer record.
- Preparation of outstanding lists from the Laboratory Information System and locating appropriate samples, ensuring correct labelling of samples.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189.
- To comply with good laboratory practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189 including Health and Safety.
- To undertake work file management to ensure that reporting of results are carried out in a timely fashion.
- To advise the Senior Biomedical Scientists when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.
COMMUNICATION
- To telephone patient results to clinical users following appropriate policies and procedures.
- To contact service users in case of any problems with received samples.
- To communicate any relevant information to laboratory colleagues within the section.
To actively participate in team meetings and to inform effectively at hand over.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- SPECIMEN RECEPTION
- Checking patient identification details and numbering of samples for analysis.
- Making reference on request form to any missing samples.
- Returning pods to wards.
- Delivering samples to the appropriate department.
- Receiving visitors to pathology and informing relevant member of staff.
- Receiving deliveries, notifying the correct department at arrival of each delivery.
- Assist in the cleaning and disinfecting of work areas and equipment.
- Disposal of waste.
- TECHNICAL
- To follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- To undertake routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments, change reagents and log actions.
- To prepare reagents required for laboratory investigations.
- To report any instance or event to BMS staff which may cause a service delivery failure.
- Perform analysis of specified diagnostic tests under indirect qualified supervision.
- Filing of completed samples and request forms for storage.
- Monitor and record fridge temperatures daily at Whiston Hospital and weekly at St Helens and Fairfield Return unused blood to stock and replace emergency O Neg stock in satellite fridges on both sites as required.
- During sample preparation visual examination of samples such as underfilled, haemolysed, lipaemic, must be recorded as directed by departmental SOPs.
- To load, sample and remove samples from main line analysers.
- To perform routine quality control on the analysers, reporting any out-of-range results to qualified staff.
- To assist in clinical audits, trials and research projects as directed by departmental management.
- LABORATORY INFORMATICS
- Enter specimen and patient details into the pathology computer according to departmental SOPs. Check and correct, if necessary, information input by other laboratory staff.
- To comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information.
- To use the Pathology Computer Systems according to the SOPs.
- To enter their own results and those obtained by others into Telepath.
- To maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases.
- To use Trust wide I.T. systems as appropriate following trust polices, guidelines and procedures.
- To participate in sample receipt and checking previous computer record.
- Preparation of outstanding lists from the Laboratory Information System and locating appropriate samples, ensuring correct labelling of samples.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189.
- To comply with good laboratory practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189 including Health and Safety.
- To undertake work file management to ensure that reporting of results are carried out in a timely fashion.
- To advise the Senior Biomedical Scientists when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.
COMMUNICATION
- To telephone patient results to clinical users following appropriate policies and procedures.
- To contact service users in case of any problems with received samples.
- To communicate any relevant information to laboratory colleagues within the section.
To actively participate in team meetings and to inform effectively at hand over.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Basic typing qualifications or NVQ2 in Health Sciences and / or equivalent experience
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent qualification and / or equivalent experience
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Understanding of a working laboratory
Desirable
- Laboratory/Pathology experience
Skills
Essential
- Basic computer skills
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- Well organised
- Willing to work flexibly
- Willing and able to learn new skills
- Team working skills
- Ability to use own initiative
Desirable
- Good telephone manner
- Ability to work with minimum supervision
Other
Essential
- Personable, friendly demeanour
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Basic typing qualifications or NVQ2 in Health Sciences and / or equivalent experience
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent qualification and / or equivalent experience
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Understanding of a working laboratory
Desirable
- Laboratory/Pathology experience
Skills
Essential
- Basic computer skills
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- Well organised
- Willing to work flexibly
- Willing and able to learn new skills
- Team working skills
- Ability to use own initiative
Desirable
- Good telephone manner
- Ability to work with minimum supervision
Other
Essential
- Personable, friendly demeanour
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).
