Senior Biomedical Scientist

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

Barts Health supports the Pregnancy Loss Pledge and commits to supporting their staff through the distress of miscarriage.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen in Blood Sciences within the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership (ESEL). We are a new organisation, jointly owned by Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Set up as an arms-length organisation, hosted by Barts Health NHS Trust, we have our own board and governance framework, with each of the three trusts having an equal voice and vote in the running of the Pathology Partnership. One of the largest pathology providers in the NHS, the Pathology Partnership brings together the strengths of teams from each of the three trusts into a single organisation, dedicated to the provision of high quality and cost-effective pathology services.

Main duties of the job

A comprehensive transformation initiative is underway to forge a single, integrated pathology network spanning seven hospital laboratories. The envisioned 'hub and spoke' operational model revolves around The Royal London Hospital (RLH), a major trauma centre housing the London Air Ambulance, and linked to vital service laboratories supporting various clinical specialties across our affiliated hospital sites.

The expansive network of laboratories within the NHS presents an invaluable opportunity for acquiring extensive technical and leadership expertise. ESEL acknowledges the significance of career advancement and efficient succession planning.
We are in search of proactive, dynamic team members to assume the role of Senior Biomedical Scientist in Clinical Biochemistry.
The post holders must possess a thorough understanding of the technologies and methodologies pertinent to both core and specialised sections. They will assume supervisory responsibilities in sections of the department proportionate with their proficiency, overseeing technical and scientific tasks.

Focused on supporting, maintaining, and enhancing Quality, Learning, and Health and Safety Management Systems within their designated area of work. The post holder must demonstrate effective leadership and management capabilities. To spearhead comprehensive quality enhancements and support laboratory duty rosters and collaborate across the networked laboratories.

Working for our organisation

The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership is an arms-length organisation providing pathology services to Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The Pathology Partnership is hosted by Barts Health.

The Pathology Partnership is based on well-established models for pathology networks, with the Royal London Hospital becoming the main hub laboratory for the network and Essential Service Laboratories (ESL) as a minimum at all other Hospital sites.

Pathology is made up of the following services - Blood Sciences including Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry; Infectious Diseases including Microbiology and Virology; Cellular Pathology including Histopathology, non-gynae Cytology and mortuary services; Immunology; Cytogenetics and Molecular Haematology; Immunophenotyping; Clinical Transplantation and Retinoblastoma.

The 2020/21 total operating costs across the Partnership were c. £126m per annum with a workforce establishment of circa. 822 WTE. We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful Band 7 candidate will be based at the Homerton University Hospital but work flexibly across different teams and partnered laboratories.

To support the clinical services of the Trust and meeting the needs of our patients, participation in the Agenda for change shift pattern is required.
Successful Band 7 candidates MUST be registered with the HCPC as a Biomedical Scientist AND hold the following:

1. CPSM Log book (Clinical Biochemistry) if qualified before 2003.
2. OR Registration portfolio IBMS (Clinical Biochemistry 2003 to 2004) and Diploma in Biomedical Science IBMS (Blood Sciences 2005).
3. OR Specialist Diploma IBMS (Clinical Biochemistry 2005 onwards).

AND

1. Fellowship (Clinical Chemistry), MSc Biomedical Science or equivalent qualification at MSc level.

Compliance to these criteria is mandatory and must be clearly recorded on application.
If you require further information or would like to arrange an informal visit please contact Greg Dearman, Biochemistry Scientific Lead: 0203 246 0443 (Greg.Dearman@nhs.net)

Please note:

1. All staff identified as AT-RISK who meet the requirements of the post will be prioritised accordingly. Priority will initially be given to Barts Health employees. This does not apply to Comprehensive Local Research Network (CLRN) roles.

As an Equal Opportunities Employer we actively support applications from individuals' who apply under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and will process your application as appropriate. To demonstrate our commitment we use the disability symbols on NHS Jobs.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date, once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful.

All new appointments (excluding all Medical & Dental doctors) are subject to 6 months' probation period.

In submitting an application form, you authorise Barts Health to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record Inter Authority Transfer process should you be appointed to the post.

All vacancies followed by INTERNAL ONLY, have been classified as an internal role and only internal candidates will be considered.
If you are successful at the shortlisting stage we will contact you via NHS Jobs e-Mail and text message with details of your interview. Please continue to check your e-Mails and also your NHS Jobs account for correspondence.

Barts Health is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and to child protection. The Trust aims to ensure as far as is possible that anyone, paid or unpaid, who seeks to work in our organisation and who gains access to children, is safe to do so.

'We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date, once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful.'

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• At least 5 years post HCPC registration working in a busy, acute medical clinical chemistry laboratory environment.
• Demonstrate ability to cope with competing priorities.
• Demonstrates an ability to respond to change.
• Experienced in a variety of diagnostics techniques in Clinical Biochemistry.
• Experienced using computerised laboratory information system.
• Experienced evaluating the authenticity of patient results.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of effectively managing staff.
• Experience of teaching staff.
• Experienced at optimizing, maintaining and troubleshooting the named equipment.
• Experienced using the following named IT systems.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• H&S legislation and procedures.
• Specialist knowledge in Clinical Biochemistry.
• Quality management system.
• Detailed understanding of UKAS.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of current requirements for training and career progression.

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Biomedical Scientist.
• CPSM Log book (Clinical Biochemistry) if qualified before 2003.
• Registration portfolio IBMS (Clinical Biochemistry 2003 to 2004) and Diploma in Biomedical Science IBMS (Blood Sciences 2005).
• Specialist Diploma IBMS (Clinical Biochemistry 2005 onwards).
• MSc Biomedical Science or equivalent qualification at MSc level.

Desirable criteria

• IBMS Fellowship in Clinical Biochemistry.

Other

Essential criteria

• Reliable, responsible, organised person.
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Adaptable and flexible.
• Respects confidentiality.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment where staff treat one another with dignity and respect. We aim to create an equitable working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential.