Job summary
We are seeking an Associate Practitioner in our Department
of Blood Sciences, Haematology and Blood Transfusion. The AP role involves
working alongside the Biomedical Scientists and working closely with colleagues
in Pathology Reception as part of the Blood Sciences team. Blood Sciences at DMH is a very busy
department receiving a large number of samples from AE, acute hospital wards,
community hospitals and outpatient clinics and GP surgeries. Many tests are
performed in the laboratory at DMH or at our other Trust site, UHND, and some
tests are referred to other testing centres elsewhere in the region and the
country.
The role involves technical and clerical tasks and training
other staff. Please refer to the Job Description and Personal Specification for
full details.
You should be able to demonstrate good keyboard
skills and be computer literate and have experience of working in an NHS
pathology laboratory. Experience in a different laboratory environment will be
considered alongside experience and skills. If you are a good communicator,
team player, are conscientious and flexible this job may suit you.
Participation in the 24/7 shift rota may be
required.
Main duties of the job
Main tasks include:
Maintaining and running automated analysers in accordance
with laboratory protocols, loading QC material as required.
Performing some manual tests and recording the results
Manually staining blood smears
Booking patient samples on to the Laboratory Computer System
and ensuring the correct test requests are inputted. There are thousands of
different test codes and you must have excellent attention to detail to select
the correct codes.
Centrifuging samples and correctly loading the samples on to
the relevant laboratory analysers.
Assisting the BMS staff by managing pending test lists
Organising referral, packaging and sending of samples to
other Trust sites and to other Trusts nationwide.
Answering reception and telephone queries and liaising with
other Trust staff and the general public.
Stock control including ordering, receiving and receipting
deliveries, documenting and organising batches of reagents and performing
verification tasks
Assist in the training and competency assessment of new Band
3 staff and ward staff
Deputising for the Pathology reception Team Leader
Please refer to the Job Description and Personal
Specification for full details.
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented
From April 1 2024 we are unable to offer sponsorship for healthcare roles that do not meet the minimum salary £23,200, to apply you must have Right to Work in the United Kingdom. If you are in the UK on a VISA please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents
Job description
Job responsibilities
This Associate Practitioner role involves working closely
alongside Biomedical Scientists and also the Pathology reception Team Leader
and reception team. They follow the laboratory Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) and complete the relevant quality documentation as required.
Samples are received into Pathology reception from wards and
clinics within the hospital and from community hospitals and GP surgeries. They
are registered in Pathology Reception and placed on analysers in the
laboratories. The AP will monitor the analysers in the department, dealing with
errors on samples, maintainance on the analysers, replenishing reagents and
consumables and basic troubleshooting/fault finding. The AP will complete all
the required documentation for the maintenance and error logging.
Stock is managed by the AP and BMS staff, stock takes are
performed, ordering of reagents and consumables via the Cardea ordering system,
signing for deliveries, receipting goods delivered, unpacking, verifying if
appropriate and ensuring paperwork is complete before placing in appropriate
storage area in an orderly organised manner.
Temperature monitoring is a daily task, all grades Band3
upwards may be involved and the AP may be required to assist, trroubleshoot and
train other staff in the process.
The Haematology AP staff may need to travel to Bishop
Auckland Hospital where they process clinic samples on an analyser on site,
performing the necessary quality control, maintenance and stock management.
Ward staff are also trained to use the analyser and training and assistance is
given by the AP and fully documented for each member of staff.
The AP staff register samples in Blood Transfusion, a task
which requires careful checks and excellent attention to detail. They load the
analysers, run QC, perform maintenance and complete stock management. AP
staff also receive Blood and products
into the laboratory, enter on to the computer system, complete necessary
paperwork and place in the appropriate storage area. They also package Blood
and Blood products for transport to other hospital sites, completing paperwork
for cold chain purposes. The AP performs stock management in Blood Transfusion
and orders and receipts goods as needed.
The AP staff issue certain batch blood products for named
patients and place in the storage unit to await collection.
The AP will deal with reports from referral laboratories, entering
results to the lab computer system, identified overdue reports and chasing up
with other labs.
Generally the AP staff assist the Biomedical Scientists with
tasks in the laboratory in which they have been trained and are within their
scope of practice. They may be asked to deputise for the Reception Team Leader
as required so some supervisory experience is beneficial.
This role requires someone who is conscientious,
can work independently within their scope of practice, is an excellent
confident communicator to liase with staff from many wards, departments and
other laboratories as well as Trust drivers, porters, Blood Bikers as well as
their own Blood Sciences Team. Attention to detail is a key skill required so
that errors can be picked up and appropriately recorded and so that patient
samples can be accurately identified and tested and results recorded or
transcribed. The AP may need to focus for long periods and also be flexible to
organise tasks in priority order. Computer literacy is essential and the AP
will also be expected to write SOPs and perform audits as needed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This Associate Practitioner role involves working closely
alongside Biomedical Scientists and also the Pathology reception Team Leader
and reception team. They follow the laboratory Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) and complete the relevant quality documentation as required.
Samples are received into Pathology reception from wards and
clinics within the hospital and from community hospitals and GP surgeries. They
are registered in Pathology Reception and placed on analysers in the
laboratories. The AP will monitor the analysers in the department, dealing with
errors on samples, maintainance on the analysers, replenishing reagents and
consumables and basic troubleshooting/fault finding. The AP will complete all
the required documentation for the maintenance and error logging.
Stock is managed by the AP and BMS staff, stock takes are
performed, ordering of reagents and consumables via the Cardea ordering system,
signing for deliveries, receipting goods delivered, unpacking, verifying if
appropriate and ensuring paperwork is complete before placing in appropriate
storage area in an orderly organised manner.
Temperature monitoring is a daily task, all grades Band3
upwards may be involved and the AP may be required to assist, trroubleshoot and
train other staff in the process.
The Haematology AP staff may need to travel to Bishop
Auckland Hospital where they process clinic samples on an analyser on site,
performing the necessary quality control, maintenance and stock management.
Ward staff are also trained to use the analyser and training and assistance is
given by the AP and fully documented for each member of staff.
The AP staff register samples in Blood Transfusion, a task
which requires careful checks and excellent attention to detail. They load the
analysers, run QC, perform maintenance and complete stock management. AP
staff also receive Blood and products
into the laboratory, enter on to the computer system, complete necessary
paperwork and place in the appropriate storage area. They also package Blood
and Blood products for transport to other hospital sites, completing paperwork
for cold chain purposes. The AP performs stock management in Blood Transfusion
and orders and receipts goods as needed.
The AP staff issue certain batch blood products for named
patients and place in the storage unit to await collection.
The AP will deal with reports from referral laboratories, entering
results to the lab computer system, identified overdue reports and chasing up
with other labs.
Generally the AP staff assist the Biomedical Scientists with
tasks in the laboratory in which they have been trained and are within their
scope of practice. They may be asked to deputise for the Reception Team Leader
as required so some supervisory experience is beneficial.
This role requires someone who is conscientious,
can work independently within their scope of practice, is an excellent
confident communicator to liase with staff from many wards, departments and
other laboratories as well as Trust drivers, porters, Blood Bikers as well as
their own Blood Sciences Team. Attention to detail is a key skill required so
that errors can be picked up and appropriately recorded and so that patient
samples can be accurately identified and tested and results recorded or
transcribed. The AP may need to focus for long periods and also be flexible to
organise tasks in priority order. Computer literacy is essential and the AP
will also be expected to write SOPs and perform audits as needed.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Previous laboratory experience
Desirable
Special Requirements
Essential
- Able to handle blood and body samples
- Able to lift and move multiple boxes/cartons of up to 20kg
- Able to work flexibly
- Able to participate in 24/7 shift working,
- weekend working and bank holidays
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Follow protocols and instructions accurately
- Communication, verbal and written
- Computer literate
- Medical / Scientific terminology
Desirable
- Microsoft Office applications
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ 3 in Health (pathology stream) or equivalent
- IBMS Certificate of Achievement Part 2 or demonstrate equivalent competency.
- Foundation degree in Healthcare Practice
- Science and/or maths GCSE or above
Desirable
- CPD
- Equivalent science qualifications
- Science ALevels
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Previous laboratory experience
Desirable
Special Requirements
Essential
- Able to handle blood and body samples
- Able to lift and move multiple boxes/cartons of up to 20kg
- Able to work flexibly
- Able to participate in 24/7 shift working,
- weekend working and bank holidays
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Follow protocols and instructions accurately
- Communication, verbal and written
- Computer literate
- Medical / Scientific terminology
Desirable
- Microsoft Office applications
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ 3 in Health (pathology stream) or equivalent
- IBMS Certificate of Achievement Part 2 or demonstrate equivalent competency.
- Foundation degree in Healthcare Practice
- Science and/or maths GCSE or above
Desirable
- CPD
- Equivalent science qualifications
- Science ALevels
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.
Employer details
Employer name
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust
Hollyhurst Road
Darlington
County Durham
DL3 6HX
Employer's website
https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
