Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; Bath; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job description

Job Overview

Do you have an eye for detail? Can you work to deadlines? Do you enjoy following instructions and patterns? Do you want to help patients get the right treatment as quickly as possible?

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) to join our team in Blood Sciences.

Quick and accurate test results from the laboratory play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Not just here at the RUH but also for medical centres and GP surgeries in the local area. The MLAs play an important practical role in this service.

Main duties of the job

• All pre-analytical sample preparation (including unpacking, sorting, booking-in, preparation of aliquots, storage of samples and making decisions on sample quality and labelling).
• Decision making on ambiguous requests, as defined by standard operating procedures.
• Entry of Patient Identification Data (PID) and test details into the laboratory computer system, requiring a high degree of concentration and attention to detail.
• Resolving PID problems e.g. mislabelling, mislaid specimens and incorrectly requested specimens.
• Participation in distribution and receipt of stores goods and stock control.
• Sending of samples via the post, following the Postal regulation policy.
• Filing of Samples, blocks and Request forms using either manual or electronic systems.
• Cleaning & disinfecting of work area including associated equipment.
• Dealing with telephone enquiries in a polite, sensitive and professional manner.
• Telephoning results to GP surgeries.

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we’re proud to put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working in the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please see the Job Description and Person Specification attached for further information on the role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Grade C/4 GCSE Maths and English or equivalent A Level/NVQ level 3/ IBMS Support staff Certificate of achievement part 1 or equivalent level in Science subject.

Desirable criteria

• 5 GCSE grade C/5 2 A levels/NVQ level 3 or equivalent one in human biology or related to the medical laboratory field.
• 12 months non NHS laboratory experience.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Previous NHS laboratory experience of at least 6 months full–time or equivalent with a broad knowledge of sample requirements and pre-analytical processes.

Desirable criteria

• 12 months non NHS laboratory experience. Experience of working with scientific instruments and analysers both manual and automated.

Supervision

Essential criteria

• Experience of supervising other staff.

Specific skills

Essential criteria

• Data entry/IT skills.
• Able to work quickly and accurately under pressure.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications. We strongly encourage you to complete and submit your application in good time to ensure it can be considered.

Documents to download

• Band 3 MLA Job Description and Person Specification (PDF, 230.8KB)
• Join the RUH (PDF, 1.1MB)

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Kieron Halladay
Job title: Specimen Reception Manager
Email address: [e-mail]
Telephone number: 01225 824437