Band 7 Senior Biomedical Scientist - Clinical Chemistry

Job summary

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust is one of the largest acute hospital Trusts in England, serving the populations of Birmingham and Solihull. The Trust is composed of four main hospital sites; Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEHB), Heartlands Hospital (BHH) Good Hope Hospital (GHH) and Solihull Hospital (SH). The post-holder will be required to work and rotate across all sites, although the main bases will be Heartlands and Queen Elizabeth (two separate vacancies).

The department provides a 24/7 diagnostic and monitoring service for routine and urgent automated investigations. The Clinical Chemistry department has recently undergone a total laboratory automation equipment refresh. Equipment includes the Abbott Alinity c and i series analysers on all sites and both BHH and QEHB have a fully tracked solution. Xanthochromia analysis is also carried out onsite. We have exciting plans to facilitate a brand new staffing business case which also includes expansion of our existing training team.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our busy, friendly team and support our progressive department in providing high quality, timely and specialised services. We are UKAS accredited to ISO 15189 standards, MHRA approved and IBMS accredited for training.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity to gain experience of working in a fast-paced department that is continually growing and to expand and develop your existing knowledge, skills and experience. We are looking for two Automated Chemistry senior BMS's. One to be located at our QEH site and one to be located at the BHH site.

You must have a BSc in Biomedical Science (or equivalent) with HCPC registration and experience of working in a Chemistry Lab, preferably Automated Chemistry. An MSc or Higher Specialist Diploma is essential. A candidate with relevant experience may be considered for a B7 learning contract but a candidate who has experience and can demonstrate skill at a B7 level is most desired.

The successful candidate will take a pragmatic, flexible and enthusiastic approach to their daily workloads which will include but is not limited to; staff oversight and management, management of their own quality workload, mentoring and training of BMS and MLA staff, IQC troubleshooting, analyser troubleshooting, back fill for 8a staff when required and other day to day lab management duties. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to take part in an out of hours duty manager rota.

The laboratory operates a 24/7 service and, after appropriate training and competency completion, you will be expected to support the departmental shift system as required to support both the service and staff.

About us

We are recognised as one of the leading NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. Our vision is to Build Healthier Lives, and we recognise that we need incredible staff to do this.

Our commitment to our staff is to create the best place for them to work, and we are dedicated to:

1. Investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, including a commitment of offering flexible working where we can;
2. Offering our staff a wide variety of training and development opportunities, to support their personal and career development objectives.

UHB is committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and feel that they belong, by creating a kind and inclusive environment. This is about equity of opportunity; removing all barriers, including discrimination and ensuring each individual member of staff reach their true potential, achieve their ambitions and thrive in their work. This is more than words. We are taking action. Our commitment to an inclusive culture is embedded at all levels of the organisation where every voice is heard, driven by our diverse and active staff networks, and at Board level by the Fairness Taskforce led by our CEO. We nurture a culture which empowers staff to challenge discriminatory behaviours and to enable people to bring their 'whole self' to a kinder, more connected and bold place to work.

University Hospitals Birmingham is a Smoke-Free premises hospital.

Date posted: 03 April 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £46,148 to £52,809 a year

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number: 304-9000696-1

Job locations

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Mindelsohn Way

Birmingham

West Midlands

B15 2TH

Person Specification

Qualifications Essential

• State registration with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• MSc, Equivalent academic achievement ratified by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) OR Equivalent Level 7 Post Graduate Certification or Diploma
• Evidence of continuing professional development and proficiency in accordance with HCPC guidelines.
• Post registration specialty training in accordance with Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) guidelines

Desirable

• Attended formal management course
• Good awareness of current issues within Pathology locally and nationally

Experience Essential

• Evidence of continuing professional Development
• Discipline specific proficiency for HCPC registration
• Significant post registration experience in a specific laboratory discipline
• A specialised knowledge of biomedical science theory and practice in the relevant field
• Troubleshooting in a specialised laboratory environment
• Quality control and assurance
• Practices laboratory health and safety
• Knowledge and understanding of laboratory quality management systems and relevant regulatory body accreditation standards.
• HCPC and IBMS professional standards, ethics and proficiencies

Desirable

• Evidence of supervisory role or experience
• Understanding of accreditation within labs (e.g. ISO 15189, MHRA)
• Evidence of HR and Personnel experience

Additional Criteria Essential

• Reliable
• Punctual
• Ability to work shifts in order to support 24/7 laboratory service provision on UHB Laboratory facilities.
• Able to participate in Duty Manager Rota for out of hours service as required

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Mindelsohn Way

Birmingham

West Midlands

B15 2TH

Employer's website: https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm