Biomedical Scientist

Job description

Job responsibilities

At Synnovis, we are currently shaping the future of pathology services by creating a world-leading Hub and Spoke pathology network with our NHS partners. A large part of this modernisation will involve moving 70% of our services to a purpose built, state of the art Hub laboratory in the heart of London. For now, the job you are applying for will be based at one of our hospital sites however, from 1 April 2024 our people and services will start to move to our Hub laboratory in Blackfriars, Southwark, SE1, with some work remaining in refurbished essential services laboratories across our hospital network, focusing on the rapid turnover of urgent tests. Please do ask your recruiting manager if you wish to find out more.

The Immunophenotyping Laboratory at KCH, is a comprehensive haematological malignancy flow cytometry service which provides a spectrum of tests for diagnosing, prognosis and monitoring. The department currently performs approximately 1500 panels per month with an increasing workload year on year and is transitioning to new 13 colour flow cytometers to provide further service improvements. The department also forms part of the national PNH service and is fully UKAS accredited, supported by dedicated quality and clinical teams to ensure the highest standards at all stages of the diagnostic pathway. The laboratory is staffed by specialist scientists with significant expertise in complex next generation flow cytometry. The team supports the staining and sample management for morphological assessment. SE-HMDS is a regional centre for diagnostic services, covering most of SE-England with one of the largest myeloid/transplant practices in Europe. It is expanding yearly and referral centres benefitting from the integrated reporting. The immunophenotyping laboratory is expanding its test repertoire with novel assays to ensure optimal clinical service is provided.

The primary responsibilities of the post holder will be to contribute to the clinical work of the Immunophenotyping laboratory and perform technical and analytical duties to deliver a high-quality Immunophenotyping service. This includes undertaking analyses for the diagnosis and monitoring of haematological malignancies and disorders and performing other duties in the immunophenotyping laboratory as necessary.

The post holder is responsible for pre-analytical quality control and clinical work ensuring proper organisation and functioning of the work areas, directing junior staff and ensuring that the correct procedures are performed. Responsibilities include supervision of work and personnel, performance monitoring and the training and development of scientific and support staff required for the delivery of a fit for purpose clinical service.

The post holder will be expected to hold BSc (Hons) in a relevant discipline, registration with the HCPC as a Biomedical (or Clinical) Scientist and IBMS specialist portfolio or equivalent qualification or experience.

Experience in using Laboratory Information and Quality Manage Systems (LIMS and QMS) and general good IT skills are essential, and experience of stock and document control are also required. The post holder should have experience in staff training, supervision and should have excellent communication skills. The high throughput requirements of the laboratory and fast pace dictates the candidate must be able to multitask, problem solve, be flexible, show effective time management and work well under pressure to meet deadlines ensuring good quality service is maintained. Meticulous attention to detail is required with a commitment to service delivery and patient focus. The successful candidate will show an interest in the haemato-oncology field and be motivated to develop themselves, others and the department. A foundation of flow cytometry experience is essential, with experience with complex immunophenotyping of haematological malignancies and measurable residual disease highly desirable.

The Immunophenotyping Laboratory at KCH, is a comprehensive haematological malignancy flow cytometry service providing a spectrum of tests for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring. The department currently performs approximately 1500 panels per month with an increasing workload year on year. Whilst transitioning to new 13 colour flow cytometers to provide further service improvements, it is also expanding its test repertoire with novel assays to ensure optimal clinical service is provided. The department also forms part of the national PNH service and is fully UKAS accredited, supported by dedicated quality and clinical teams to ensure the highest standards at all stages of the diagnostic pathway. The laboratory is staffed by specialist scientists with significant expertise in complex next generation flow cytometry.

SE-HMDS is a regional centre for diagnostic services working in conjunction with the SE-GLH, covering most of SE-England with one of the largest myeloid/transplant practices in Europe. It is expanding yearly with referral centres benefitting from the integrated haemato-oncology reporting.

There is culture of continuous improvement that applies to both staff and laboratory development and the department offers an abundance of CPD and service development opportunities. As part of a fully-integrated diagnostic service, the post holder will work closely with the clinical teams as well as the other genomics and histopathology laboratories that make up the SE-HMDS.

Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London.

The partnership provides services to 1.7 million people living in South East London, as well as to hundreds of thousands of patients from outside the region who use local healthcare services.

The partnership provides diagnostics, testing and digital pathology for hospital trusts, GP services and other healthcare providers.

Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust is one of the UKs leading NHS Foundation Trusts in specialist teaching. Kings has various divisions including Neurosciences, Haematology, Cancer and Cardiovascular sciences, where there are unlimited opportunities to develop and perfect your career.

Over the last 170 years, Kings has delivered nothing but world class service to all its patients from deprived communities as well as some of the wealthiest in London.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc (Hons) in relevant discipline.
• Registration as a Biomedical Scientist or Clinical Scientists Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• IBMS Specialist Diploma or Diploma of Specialist Practice Specialist practice or equivalent (BMS pre-portfolio registration route).

Desirable

• MSc in relevant discipline

Experience

Essential

• Experience of Laboratory Information Systems.
• Experience of troubleshooting laboratory processes and investigating non-conformances.
• Experience of stock control management.
• Knowledge and understanding of health and safety in a diagnostic laboratory setting.
• Demonstrable broad level of Immunophenotyping experience.

Desirable

• Experience of performing quality audits.
• Experience of document control including writing and updating of standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Experience with complex flow cytometry analysis and interpretation in clinical context of haematological malignancies.
• Experience of measurement of Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) by flow cytometry.
• Experience of assay development and validation to the standards required for UKAS accreditation.

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Good verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Able to organise and manage own and others workload.
• Ability to deal with difficult and high-pressure situations and to meet deadlines through effective time management skills.
• Technical validation and problem solving e.g. assay/equipment failure, quality control failure.
• Basic knowledge of Health & Safety Legislation and procedures, quality Control and assurance, Quality Management and Audit.
• Competent in techniques associated with Flow cytometry and Immunophenotyping.

Desirable

• Competent in the analysis and reporting of complex multiparameter flow cytometry assays.
• Comprehensive Immunophenotyping theory.
• Comprehensive knowledge of blood cancers.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Synnovis Analytics

Address

King’s College Hospital

Denmark Hill

London

SE5 9RS

Employer's website

http://www.synnovis.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)