Associate Practitioner

NHS; Stockton-on-Tees; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job description

The Pathology departments at North Tees and South Tees hospitals are working collaboratively to develop a joint service with services being delivered from all hospital sites via hub and essential services laboratory arrangements. This will require cross site working as appropriate. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a professional, motivated and innovative Associate Practitioner to join our team in Blood Sciences. The post holder will be expected to work closely with other scientific staff across pathology and in support of the development of the Tees Valley Pathology Service in collaboration with South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, to deliver a high quality service to our users. The successful candidate will contribute to the maintenance of departmental UKAS accreditation. The successful applicant must have excellent organisational skills, effective interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work using their own initiative, to meet tight deadlines. The departments provide a 24/7 service and the post holder is expected to work flexibly within these hours.

Main duties of the job

To work as part of a dedicated, multi-skilled and flexible team in order to provide an efficient, high-quality service within the Directorate.

Work on a rotational basis in all sections of the department.

Perform under remote, indirect, or direct supervision an extensive range of automated, semi-automated and manual techniques at a high level of expertise and knowledge.

Participate in the training and development of new staff.

Participate in the audit programme of the department.

Deal with direct enquiries from medical staff, nursing staff and other service users, including telephone enquiries, taking appropriate action.

Assist in the monitoring, organisation and working of the department. It is expected that the post holder:

• Will work autonomously without direct supervision.
• Will participate in a 24/7 shift system, weekend working, extended working day and out of hours cover applicable to the specific needs of the department.

About us

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust our main priority is, and always will be, to provide safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. We want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.

We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development. Staff recognition is very important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Star and Team of the month, colleague recognition - a note of thanks, Managers Awards, Shining Stars and Service Awards.

We support the Making Every Contact Count approach to behaviour change in the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

We recruit for values and "Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool".

Job responsibilities

Reviewing requests highlighting any relevant clinical histories to enable accurate data entry by Support staff.

To reject specimens which do not conform to established protocols and prioritise specimen types as to their perceived urgency.

To process, unsupervised but in accordance with established SOPs, clinical specimens received into the laboratory. Analyse pathology specimens and provide technically accurate results. Be professionally accountable for the interpretation of patients results to enable diagnostic and treatment regimes for clinical colleagues. Provide specialist knowledge and assistance to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients within their area of responsibility.

To communicate directly with the service users (e.g. Consultants, staff nurses, G.P.s) clearly and accurately, such communication may involve the communication of test results or advice regarding the type of specimen required for a particular test. Certain results can have social consequences beyond the medical realm and must be handled sensitively.

To report complaints and anomalies as soon as possible.

To be responsible for the organisation of individual daily workload and liaising with colleagues, senior staff, and clinical staff as and when necessary.

To become familiar with internal and external quality control procedures used within the Biochemistry, Haematology, Coagulation and Blood Transfusion departments, including the reporting of the results to the external quality control suppliers.

To participate in internal, external, and clinical audit activities, report any non-conformances via Quality Management System and then work with the senior team to address them and prevent their reoccurrence in the future.

To facilitate the efficient running of the laboratory by drawing the attention of senior staff to any potential problems, either of a technical or resource nature, and suggest how it may be resolved.

Person Specification

• Relevant and evidenced Level 4 qualification e.g. Foundation Degree (Healthcare Practice) or IBMS Cert Part II or evidenced equivalence.
• Experience of working in a clinical laboratory.
• Basic knowledge of laboratory techniques and Biomedical science.
• Experience of computer packages e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.
• Experience of working in an accredited NHS clinical Haematology, Coagulation and Blood Transfusion department.
• Experience of shift working or out of hours working.
• Experience of Quality Management Systems.

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.

Address

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust