Job summary
We are seeking an Associate Practitioner to work in our
Department of Blood Sciences. 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 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 UHND or
DMH, and some tests are referred to other testing centres elsewhere in the
region and the country.
The role involves technical and clerical tasks. 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 will be
required as part of this role.
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
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
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
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents
Over reliance on
AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of
success
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two years
of experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to consider
sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and
have a current visa expiring within 3 months)
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 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 will also be required to assist in clerical tasks in
specimen reception.
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.
Please note that this is a temporary role, and IBMS
certificate of competence training cannot be offered to the succesful
candidate.
You will be required to travel to other hospital
sites for weekly clinics and maintain, QC and run analysers on remote sites and
monitor Blood Banks on remote sites..
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 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 will also be required to assist in clerical tasks in
specimen reception.
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.
Please note that this is a temporary role, and IBMS
certificate of competence training cannot be offered to the succesful
candidate.
You will be required to travel to other hospital
sites for weekly clinics and maintain, QC and run analysers on remote sites and
monitor Blood Banks on remote sites..
Person Specification
Statutory Registration
Desirable
- Membership of any other professional body e.g. IBMS
Special Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Follow protocols and instructions accurately
- Communication, verbal and written
- Computer literate
- Medical / Scientific terminology
Experience
Essential
- Previous laboratory experience
Desirable
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 A'Levels
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
Person Specification
Statutory Registration
Desirable
- Membership of any other professional body e.g. IBMS
Special Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Follow protocols and instructions accurately
- Communication, verbal and written
- Computer literate
- Medical / Scientific terminology
Experience
Essential
- Previous laboratory experience
Desirable
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 A'Levels
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
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.
