Medical Laboratory Assistant - Specimen Reception

NHS; Chichester; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job description

Medical Laboratory Assistant - Specimen Reception

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

The Pathology Support Service at University Hospitals Sussex is looking to recruit a focused and methodical Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) to join the Specimen Reception team at St Richards Hospital.

The successful applicant will be expected to work flexibly between the hours of 08:00 and 20:00 Monday to Sunday; however, our core operational hours are currently 11:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday. In addition, there is also the requirement to work public holidays on a rota basis.

Main duties of the job

The role includes pre-analytical sample sorting, preparation, data entry, receipt and maintenance of stock, attending to telephone queries from service users, and adhering to health & safety responsibilities. You will also be expected to provide support in our Pathology Office, which involves interacting with patients, booking appointments, and liaising with clinical staff.

You should have good attention to detail, manual dexterity, and the ability to follow defined protocols whilst working quickly but effectively under pressure. Experience of manually entering patient information quickly and accurately onto various laboratory computer systems, including ICE and WinPath, would be advantageous.

About us

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff, which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching, and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career, we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex, you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Job responsibilities

Working as part of a team of Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs) in Specimen Reception to provide an efficient and effective pre and post-analytical service to the Blood Science laboratory, in accordance with the training and operational requirements of the department. To assist in the receipt, verification, and preparation of patient samples, the data entry of patient and specimen details onto the Pathology IT system, as well as processing stock and consumable requests from service users.

Person Specification

Administrative

• GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics at grade C / Level 5 or above.
• Previous experience in the NHS.
• Experience using the Trust's PAS system (CareFlow).

Information Resources / IT

• Proficient and accurate computer skills including data entry and word processing.
• Knowledge of data protection, data quality, and patient confidentiality.

Planning and Organisation

• Effective time management skills and able to deal with conflicting or changing priorities.

Communication and Relationship Skills

• Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken English.

Scientific

• Previous experience in Pathology or equivalent laboratory environment.
• Knowledge of ICE and WinPath Laboratory systems.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles.
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.

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.

Employer name

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Patient and Specimen Reception Team Leader